Mechanized Memories by quoth_THE_raven

Mechanized Memories

Story by quoth_THE_raven on SoFurryAugust 2018~830 min read

quoth_THE_raven, Anthro, Human, Human Male x Female Anthro, Interspecies, Male/Female, Mystery, NSFW, Plot Development, Robot, Sci-Fi, mech

You are a mercenary, a mech pilot in a city that goes seemingly on forever. You fight other people's battles for money.

On a particular mission, circumstances arise where your machine is damaged. Fortunately, you find a mech from an age past containing a rather unexpected occupant.

Circuits will feel the warmth of love, and the truth behind the world will be revealed.

Prologue: Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

The blaring alarms signify that something very wrong has transpired.

Workers rush to their stations, trying to figure out how to fix the problem before is spirals out of control.

“Alpha block to Omicron block, status report."

“Unknown virus is spreading, several systems are already compromised."

“Attempting hacking block….unsuccessful! Systems in Zeta are down!"

An officer, sitting in front of a data terminal swiveled her chair around to face the captain. Her yellow eyes had turned into vertical slits, and her black furred ears trembled.

“Captain, control for 16 out of 24 blocks has been completely overwritten, we can't access their systems. This virus is like nothing we've seen before, nothing is stopping it!"

The captain, a grizzled old man, looked at the panther. If this situation wasn't brought under control countless lives, both Human and Faunae would be in jeopardy.

“Use the emergency circuit disconnect. Blow them up and physically disconnect the infected blocks from compromising the rest of the system. I give my authorization."

The panther nodded, and quickly turned back to her terminal. Her clawed fingers raced across the keyboard, inputting the command.

“Activating emergency connection purge, captain's code input accepted, fuses have detonated. Physical separation confirmed… wait, the virus is finding a workaround through the redundancy systems! It's continuing to spread!"

The Captain frowned. “I give my permission to access Atharva Veda. Extract and run the system reboot protocol."

The officer turned again to him, her worry now even more evident on her face. “Sir, we've been locked out of Atharva Veda, none of our registration codes are working! Access has been totally sealed!"

Another officer, an Ibex, began to panic while pointing at his screen. “Captain, units are converging on the city below! Defenses have been hijacked, and the shelters have sealed themselves shut! They aren't letting anyone in!"

“Deploy RAVENs immediately! We must protect the citizens!"

“Negative, captain. The launch codes and pilot registry has been erased! Hangers 00 to 100 have all locked down!"

The Captain frowned. The city was under siege, and the pilots couldn't launch. A map of the blocks showed that control in nearly all 24 was lost. There was only one option left.

“Contact Gnosis block. Access the Rig Veda system directly and tell them to purge everything."

“Affirmative Captain, attempting to reach Gnosis block…"

<Elsewhere, in a maintenance tunnel>

He had never been much of a pilot. Even if everyone in the military had basic pilot training, even the ones joining in the research division, he wasn't very good at it.

But at this point, it was the only option left.

He only found out about what was to transpire a few hours earlier while doing a routine system check. The signs were there, discrete within lines of code. He nearly missed it the first time, and when he saw it he know there was little time to act. He only had time to get out of the research sector and scramble a basic RAVEN unit from one of the hangars.

Heck, he didn't even equip it with a weapon. Still, it was the fastest way to travel the tunnels while carrying his cargo in tow. He grimaced and pushed on the throttle, pushing his RAVEN to its limit. A calibration alarm went off in the cockpit, but he couldn't worry about that now, all that mattered was getting to his destination.

His RAVEN's hands tightly gripped a golden object roughly six feet in length. It looked like a tube, but the bases were octagonal. Blue lights pulsed from it, and a transparent section on the center panel revealed that it was full of azure liquid.

The beeping from the alarm was getting louder. The automatic safety in the lepton thrusters had been triggered and was shutting them down. He let out a frustrated sigh. “Damn it, that's why we calibrate before launching."

The RAVEN skidded to a halt, then took off in a run. While he was slower by running, he was still making progress. The researcher didn't know how much time he had left, how much time everyone had left.

Then he saw it. The doors for production facility X3. A secret facility dedicated to the construction of one of their most advanced RAVEN units. Something of which the likes had never been seen before. Luckily, this sector hadn't been affected by the virus attack yet, so his credentials allowed him to access the structure.

He carefully maneuvered the RAVEN's manipulators, and set the object down on a platform. He quickly dialed the standby sequence for the GEN-ESIS drive on his RAVEN and let it kneel down, enough that he could comfortably jump out of the cockpit.

Dashing to the object, he tapped a panel on its surface to check if it had been damaged or if he had been too late in extracting it. Thankfully, its readings were nominal. No, wait…it was doing something. He looked into the liquid center of the object, and for a moment stood in awe.

“Incredible, the gestation process has already begun. Kiddo, you're incredible!"

His pride was shaken by an alarm in the RAVEN going off. That had to be his pilot registry being invalidated.

He didn't have much time left.

He turned to a console, and plugged in a small memory device. “This should keep them at bay…keep their virus from interfering. Now to start the modified automation processes." Quickly punching in a few commands into the console, he stepped back as floodlights illuminated the rest of the facility.

Robotic arms lining the walls activated and took the golden object, guiding it to the center. There, stood a RAVEN like no other. Incomplete, yet still magnificent. It was still missing an arm, and the head was disconnected, but the GEN-ESIS drive was installed. Good, that meant it would be less time until assembly was complete than he first thought. The researcher watched as his pride and joy was inserted into a slot within the chest of the machine, where it would replace the main computational core that was to be originally installed. It would take a fair bit of modification to the schematics, but the automated processes would see it and the rest of the assembly through. Even if he wouldn't be able to watch it happen.

He could rest at peace knowing his task was complete.

“Goodnight, kiddo. Have a good sleep, and don't let the bed bugs bite." He smiled, tears in his eyes. “I'm a horrible parent, leaving you with such a responsibility. But you're the only thing that can give us any hope now. If you ever remember me, please forgive me."

And with that, the oxygen in the facility was vented, and his flame of life was extinguished.

“Captain, Units 1, 2 are not responding! Connection errors reported, Unit 3 is down as well!"

“Zero response from Gnosis block Units! The Rig Veda system is compromised!"

The Captain clenched his fists. Was there nothing he could do?

Suddenly, the main displays froze, then shut off. In their place, a black screen with red text appeared. A phrase, repeated:

“YOU ARE PRECIOUS WE LOVE YOU YOU ARE PRECIOUS WE LOVE YOU YOU ARE PRECIOUS WE LOVE YOU"

The moment it filled the screen, the oxygen in the room was jettisoned.

In the city, countless lives were being snuffed out from the advancing front.

A sea of lives, lost in the tides of time, forever silenced.

Chapter 1: The Eternal City

The ringing of your alarm clock made you fumble out of your futon, directly onto the floor.

Not the best way to start the day.

Groggily, you get up off the ground, and harshly tap your tablet to shut off the alarm. Picking it up, you look at today's weather just to see if there was any change. Nope, still cloudy, like every other day of the week. At least it wasn't raining, that just made your job difficult.

God, you hate Wednesdays. Most people hate Mondays, but with Wednesday you have the torture of knowing that two more days lay ahead of you until the period of relaxation that was the weekend could be reached.

Oh well, it wasn't like you hated your job, really. The pay is good and you were always in demand. Of course, Crows were always in demand.

Oh yeah, that reminds you. Your registration should have been re-approved by the Composer, especially since you filled out the form early. You open up your mail app. There it was, a new message right from the Composer itself.

“CONGRADULATIONS MR. [Anon]

YOUR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR LICENCE WITH THE SIGIL ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY RENEWED. YOU ARE AUTHORIZED TO WORK AS A FREELANCE PILOT. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR PILOT CLEARANCE IS SUBJECT TO BE VOID IF…"

Yadda yadda yadda. What mattered was that you're legally cleared to pilot.

You glance up at your RAVEN. A medium-weight bipedal model, with medium armor around the chest area and two arms holding a Gatling gun in the right and a pneumatic pile-bunker in the left. You spent quite a few credits on this machine as well as the green paint job, and you're proud of it. A notification pops up on the tablet and you faintly smile, realizing she was going to be here soon. Wednesdays were always shitty, but this one wasn't as bad as most. You were going to put a whole new part in your mech, and that always made your day.

After putting on some clothes you sit back down on the futon, nursing a cup of coffee for breakfast. You look around your apartment. Okay, “apartment" would be a stretch. You lived in a rented RAVEN hangar near a Kawamori Heavy Industries transport hub. You spent a bit of your first SIGIL paycheck on having a bathroom and small kitchen installed. Up till that point you slept in the cockpit. Still, you had it better than a lot of people in the Eternal City. With SIGIL you were guaranteed food by the Composer, a certainty most citizens lacked. Which was why joining the SIGIL organization and becoming a Crow was in such high demand, but only a select few with talent made it through the entry exam. Most others just died during it.

The Eternal City is cast in an amber glow outside your window. That's how you could tell it was daytime. The sun never rose and the moon never set here. Light shined through the unending cloud cover, a byproduct of a superweapon gone bad from the Final War. While you could fly at a certain altitude, as soon as you reached the clouds your craft would shut down and crash. Just a reminder of the scarred world you lived in.

As far as anyone knew, the City stretched out in all directions forever. Hence the name. The older folk say that Humans and Faunae that survived the Final War found this megacity abandoned while wandering the wastes and decided to settle in. In the process of doing so they found that the city hosted an administrative computer system known as the “Composer" and turned it on. The Composer guided them, showed where they could produce food in hydroponic facilities and where they could live in housing areas. It reactivated fabrication plants and assigned jobs to everyone. It was slightly damaged, so it could only do so much within a set area, which became the boundaries for the “Known City".

Over time, people began to explore beyond the Known City. While exploring, it is said the first schematics for the RAVEN were discovered and brought back, and RAVEN components were discovered in later expeditions. While the data was corrupted by time, engineers were able to piece parts together to make working substitutions. While at first used for labor, the modular humanoid machines known as RAVENs quickly became a form of defense. Then a select few individuals began to experiment with the improvised parts and began fabricating their own improved versions. This led to the rise of the Companies, which were approved by the Composer. Eventually, every Company was attempting to explore more and more of the Eternal City while recovering technology lost from the Final War to increase their prominence and profit margins.

One group in particular realized that the farther out they went, the technology became more advanced and more importantly, intact. Hidden in the endless maze of streets and buildings, a new actuator design or data for a new weapon would be discovered. So they decided to see if there was a limit to the City, where wondrous treasures and technology would be found. Contact with that party disappeared, but they most certainly found something...

They were known as the Devastator Units. Strange machines that resembled RAVENS but were not. Combat with them revealed three things: Firstly, they were only interested in destroying as much property and killing as many living things as possible. Secondly, they were unmanned, discovered when a Crow piloted his RAVEN up close to one and sliced it where the cockpit should have been, only to find that there was nothing but machinery inside. Finally, they were on another level of technology. Where RAVENS relied on regular chemical thrusters for mobility, D-Units would dance around the battlefield on jets of light from their thrusters. They possessed shields that gave them a solid defense against bullets, and used advanced beam weapons, better than the ones developed by the Companies. Worst still, while their shields could be worn down, if a Devastator Unit was unable to continue fighting it would self-destruct into what could be best described as a “localized black hole". They were a menace to Wards that expanded beyond the Known City's boundaries and a constant threat to anyone venturing beyond.

Bah, you've got no time to think about the City's history. You're a busy man. And your delivery should be here any minute.

Right on cue, you get a notification on you tablet that someone's at your hangar door with a delivery. That could only be one person. Coleen.

You open the doors, and are greeted by the glare of a transport truck's headlights, with an enthusiastically smiling Canis Faunae in the driver's seat. Her black and white muzzle and fuzzy ears are clearly visible behind the grime of the windshield.

“Morning, Anon! I have your new reactor right here!" You smile, and prep your parts crane.

Coleen is your oldest friend, back from when you were left as street urchins when a Devastator Unit attack destroyed your city block on near the outskirts of the Known City. You lost your family that day, but Coleen lost that and her arm. For a girl that loved to work with her hands on anything mechanical or technological, it was a blow to her. You survived on the streets for some time with her until city police caught you, and the Composer assigned you to one of the orphanages. There you were trained in various occupations that would benefit the City, and the Composer took note of your skill in piloting and Coleen's drive to work with technology despite only having an arm. With that, it allowed you to apply for a Crow license within SIGIL and authorized Coleen to undergo augmentation surgery. With the Composer's order the surgery fee was waived and she was given two implants: a new synthetic arm and a cranial implant to control it. While she got her arm back, her designation was changed from “Natural" to “Augmented", resulting in her receiving less food per week and instead receiving glucose/protein bars to power her prosthetic and provide nourishment. Due to her knowledge and skills, SIGIL snapped her up as a technician for their many RAVENs that needed servicing.

While your friend works on installing the new reactor, you make some small talk.

“So, how did that date go? What was her name again, Katherine or something?"

Coleen grimaces. “Yeah, that didn't go so well. I won't go into details, but she's horrible when she's drunk. Since you're asking about my love life, how's your luck been in the romance department?"

It's your turn to frown. You don't have any preference to women, with the city hosting plenty of nice-looking Faunae and Humans. Still, you have no idea to talk to them, and with any girl other than Coleen you turn into an awkward, stammering mess. You're more comfortable around machines than people especially since you can predict how they respond to your inputs. Pull a trigger, shoot a gun. Push the stick, the robot walks forward. Say something to your date she perceives as strange? She refuses to acknowledge you from that point on. Women were difficult, and having lost so much already your fear of rejection prevents you from doing anything.

Still, you do get pangs of loneliness, especially when it rains and you're alone in your hangar.

You shake your head. “No dice. I'm married to this green box of bolts over here," you say gesturing to your RAVEN.

“Did you keep that name? Please tell me you changed it. It doesn't even make sense! I mean “Green Text", really? What does that even mean?" Colleen teases as she adjusts the reactor output. You don't know, it seemed like something cool to name your RAVEN. Whatever, you can bear her ribbing.

“There we go, one new high-output reactor ready to go. You already payed ahead of time, so no worries about that." Coleen wipes her head. “So, you have any jobs lined up for today? I head Kawamori is going to explore a new portion of the City."

“Actually, I've already accepted the contract. They're going to leave later this afternoon, and the only mechanic I could trust to do a rushed reactor swap and do it well was you."

“Wait, that's why you rang me up last night? Kojima's broadcasting division was playing one of my favorite movies on the entertainment network, and I had to miss it since you told me you needed a new reactor “urgently". The next re-run is a week from now!" Coleen scowls, then her expression softens into a thin smile. “Jerk, you owe me ten drinks on top of this."

“Done deal. You can bring a date, if you can keep her."

“Like I'd lose anyone to you, Mr. Robosexual. You lose your cool in the presence of any girl that isn't me."

Ouch. Sure, you were married to the job but there was no need to go that far.

“Any case, I'm out of here. Let me know if you need anything, alright? Oh, and I expect the first of the ten drinks tomorrow. At the Kotobukiya Bar." Well, there goes your “splurge money" for this week.

Chapter 2: Expedition

A RAVEN's cockpit isn't exactly what most people would consider “comfortable". Tight, cramped seat, monitors and displays all around you. But to you, and other Crows a cockpit is like a second home. You know every toggle, every indicator by heart. You know how your mech will move when you throttle up because you've tuned it to your own needs. Green Text was your RAVEN, the only one of its kind in the city. Of course, the same could be said of every mech in SIGIL, since a Crow was expected to buy, customize and maintain them themselves, along with licensed SIGIL mechanics and technicians. In a way, Green Text was just an extension of yourself.

-THUNK-

Okay, that slightly hurt. The military transport convoy that's transporting your mech and several others must've hit a curb, sending your forehead right into the ammunition display. Maybe it was your fault for not wearing a seatbelt?

You check your watch. The expedition was going to an area located roughly seven hours away from the transport hub. As far as anyone knew, this was the farthest-out expedition since the one to find the City's edge. Intel suggested that manufacturing facilities were in this area, and that potentially meant rare pre-war technology was hidden away within them.

Scrolling through the briefing document, you decide to look at the profiles of the fellow Crows you'd be working with. Looking through the profiles, one particular name catches your eye: Joshua O'Leary.

Smiling, you activate your communication array. Finding his registry ID, you open a channel. “Joshua, you're working this gig too?" From the speakers, light laughter flows through. “Anon, you son of a bitch. You didn't tell me we'd be working on the same team this time!"

Joshua O'Leary, one of SIGIL's most reliable pilots. He came from the Aspina Ward, a section of the city primarily dedicated to food production, unique for the fact that it contained actual farmland. He frequently talks about how he's going to hang up his guns and take up farming. But that day hasn't come yet, apparently. He's taken on many jobs most pilots would say are suicidal, yet he comes out fine. You first met when he was assigned to be your partner on a mission, then you met on the opposite sides on another. You've traded as many drinks as you have bullets, but it's all part of the job. If anything, he's the closest thing to a “best friend" a mercenary could have.

“I'm telling you man, crop yields were great this season! Not even the lack of rain or sun kept them down this time, especially since Composer authorized more water to be used for irrigation. I actually took the time off to visit my folks back home, and see the fields again. My friend, if you haven't seen a Taurus Faunae from Aspina working the fields, you're missing out. Thick in the right places, full of muscles where it counts, and their chests!" You hear him whistle. “But I don't think I could abandon my baby, here. You and I, us Crows have a calling in life. To fight other peoples' battles for credits and recognition. And I wouldn't have it any other way, not yet." The sound of him affectionately patting his dashboard is apparent. Contrary to his taste in women, his RAVEN “Silver Flash" was a lightweight spindly looking thing, designed to speed across the battlefield. Armed with a beam blade and machine gun, most other Crows underestimate his machine until they realize their RAVEN's limbs were missing.

Another voice crackles across the airwaves. “Crows, the operation starts now. You are to take out the Desperado Weapons Company unit in this area. They got here before us a few days ago, but it is important that Kawamori Heavy Industries secures this location. The enemy encampments are located on your screens. The more you take out, the more bonus pay you'll get. Commence the mission."

You stretch. Showtime. You hit a sequence of buttons on the panels in front of you to start the RAVEN up completely. Your screen glows, showing the operating system booting up.

SYSTEM START UP

PILOT REGISTRY: ANON

UNIT NAME: GREEN TEXT

INITIALIZING MODULES

GARMR INCORPORATED CORE MODEL CFR-0020

ANAHEIM TECHNOLOGY ARMS MODEL RGM-89

KOJIMA ENERGY SOLUTIONS REACTOR MODEL GEN-LFRW

KOJIMA ENERGY SOLUTIONS HEAD MODEL HED-MGS3

KAWAMORI HEAVY INDUSTRY LEGS MODEL KAT-0K1

DESPERADO WEAPONS COMPANY GATLING CANNON JETSTREAM-20

ANAHEIM TECHNOLOGY PILE BUNKER ALT-E1S3-N

ALL MODULES LOADED

ARMOR CAPACITY AT 100%

REACTOR FULLY FUNCTIONAL, HEAT INDEX MINIMAL

FINAL STARTUP PHASE

RAPID

ASSAULT

VARIABLE

ENGAGMENT

NEUTRALIZER

R.A.V.E.N. SYSTEM OPERATIONAL. SWITCHING FROM NORMAL TO COMBAT MODE.

Alright, time to rock.

Chapter 3: Divinity

Well, crap. Desperado had spread out through this city block more than the intel suggested. You've already spent half the bullets in your gun's ammunition drum, and you've had to use two shots of your pile bunker on corporate RAVEN jockeys who thought it was a good idea to get too close to you. You groan, it's a pet peeve when the guy doing the briefing knows jack shit about the mission he's sending you into.

Your FCS goes off, a RAVEN rounds a corner and comes right for you. Your instincts kick in, pushing forward on the joystick and pushing your thrusters into overdrive. You race down the street, noticing that between the gaps in the buildings you can see that the enemy RAVEN is keeping pace with you on the street parallel to yours. Your map shows the two roads coming together in a fork, so you decide to gun it. Thrusters at maximum, reactor at its highest output, you round the corner to look the enemy mech in the eyes. Before it has a chance to defend itself, you raise your gun and fire, riddling the machine full of holes. It careens past you, the inertia taking it into one of the many high-rises that surround you. The dead RAVEN crashes through the foyer, leaving a gaping hole in the building. At least nobody lives in it.

Your early warning system lets you know your problems aren't over yet. Another RAVEN has showed up, launching a volley of missiles your way. Thankfully, the core module of your RAVEN has an anti-missile defense that shoots most of them down but you still maneuver out of the way. Seeing that his sneak attack failed, the pilot of the enemy RAVEN lifts up a heavy-looking gun. Instantly you recognize Desperado's latest handheld weapon, the Sundowner heavy plasma rifle. Its beam flies in your direction, and you barely move out of the way. Unfortunately, the beam grazed your pile bunker's gas canisters, rupturing them and destroying the weapon. You eject it and move behind the cover of another abandoned office building.

You count your options. The rifle packed a punch, but it had a slow charge time. You had a few seconds before another shot was ready. The only other weapon that RAVEN had was a missile launcher, which was only good at range. With Green Text's speed, you should be able to close the gap and nail him with your gun…

Suddenly, a scream cuts through the open channel. “T-they're here. Run! Run for your lives, abandon the mission!" The voice cut out, before the Kawamori representative's voice came online. “All Crows, abandon the mission. Devastator Units have appeared and are converging on this location. I repeat, Devastator Units are in the area!"

Fuck. You were in a bad spot. One of your two weapons was out of commission, and the other one barely had any ammo left. You needed to get out of here. You fired up your thrusters, only to see the enemy RAVEN from before show up to your left. As he raises his cannon, a blue line of light cuts through the core of the RAVEN, which explodes into a fireball. In its place, you see its humanoid form. The same red visor that cut down your home town. The same glowing red symbol on its chest, three triangles pointing down. Your blood freezes. Time slows to a crawl. The Devastator Unit cocks its head to one side, analyzing your mech. Then, a blade of light extends from its wrist as it lunges towards you with speeds no mech should be capable of. You boost away from it, only to be met by another one of them coming from the next street. Blindly, you race through the maze of desolate streets and buildings trying to outrun the bloodthirsty machines. Unfortunately, Devastator Units are armed with more than just blades, and a burst of light severs the right leg of your RAVEN. Green Text careens into a building, smashing through its wall.

You have to get out. Grabbing a lever next to your seat, you blow the hatch off your RAVEN. You scramble out and hide among the wreckage of your poor machine. The two Devastator Units peer through the hole in the wall, looking for signs of life. Seeing nothing, they leave, presumably to hunt the other pilots in the area.

You slump against your dying mech's arm. It was totaled, beyond belief. Your time as a Crow was at an end. You were sure, at any point you'd see the reassessment message from the Composer pop up, assigning you to a new job, probably something menial for your crime of wasting a RAVEN. Getting up, you take a look around the building you landed in. It looks like some sort of manufacturing plant, full of robotic arms and conveyor belts. You take a step towards what appears to be a flickering terminal, and wipe off the dust. At your touch several lights come on within the building and some of the machinery begins to whir. Unfortunately, you hear a noise from outside. Looks like they didn't wander off too far, and heard it too.

You run deeper into the facility. You need someplace to hide, and fast. Then, you see it. In the center of it all, is a RAVEN. But it isn't like anything you've seen before. Its dark blue armor is sleek, making it seem like it's in motion despite standing still. Its frame is a deep, almost brass-like gold, peeking out between the gaps in the armor. The head looks down at you, almost beckoning you closer with its gaze. Getting closer, you see behind its visor is countless sensors and cameras, more sophisticated than anything else you've seen on the market. This thing was a masterpiece of a machine. Your gaze is directed to the chest, where you see an emblem of three diamonds within a circle. You rest your hand on the chest plating, and the machine hisses. You jump back, startled, as a hatch opens up. As you ponder your good luck the building shakes. You hear the telltale noises of pistons hissing, of actuators moving. They must see your heat signature, which was masked by the wreck of your mech earlier.

Well, you don't have much of a choice. If this RAVEN still works, then you might have a chance. You climb in and take a seat as the hatch closes behind you.

The first thing you notice is that there are no controls. Just a pilot's seat with what appear to be hand rests with boxes at the ends. You curse your luck, this thing isn't even finished. It's got everything but the controls. As you await death by laser blade, you hear a voice. A female voice.

“Main fuselage hatch closed. Entry detected. What is your pilot registration number?"

You hesitate. This RAVEN is equipped with an AI? Holy moly, that makes this thing worth a fortune in credits already. The machine shakes, rousing you from your stupor.

“Caution, hostile units detected. Occupant, are you a registered RAVEN pilot?"

“Uh…Yeah. Registration ID #303274444. Name: Anon."

“Quadruple matching registration digits. Interesting. Searching database….no results found."

You fumble with your pockets, and bring out your Pilot's License. “No see, I'm verified by the Composer…"

“Hm. You seem to have valid credentials, regardless of validity. This unit's database may be outdated. Survival of this unit is priority, therefore accepting pilot: Anon. Locking biometric information now."

A light scans your body, and the cockpit lights up. You gasp, realizing that every panel within is a screen giving you virtually 360 degrees of vision all around. To your horror, both of the Devastator Units are waiting in front of the RAVEN. Like predators waiting for their prey to move.

“Confirming pilot: Anon. Species: Homo Sapiens. Sex: Male. Engaging pilot restraints and nerve links."

The several restraints clamp down on your shoulders, arms and thighs, and a blistering pain shoots through your nerves. Your head throbs, just like it did when one of the city police hit you with a baton during your time as a street rat.

“Nerve link successful. Synchronization ratio at 40%. Minimum threshold for piloting confirmed. Proceeding with emergency activation. Please place your hands in the Linker Gel to complete the Control Circuit."

The boxes at the end of the arm rests open, revealing a glowing amber gel-like substance. You reach in, and immediately several displays pop up. However, you're only concerned with the targeting HUD that has just locked onto the two D-Units in front.

“This machine uses the Mindflow control system. This unit will synchronize your thoughts to the machine. It will become an extension of you." The voice chimes.

Alrighty then. So let's say you want to punch this thing in the face, really hard…

The RAVEN's arm shoots out and clocks the first Devastator Unit square in the face. The force of the impact sends it crashing into the second one, and both slam into the wall behind. Well then. You will the machine to stand up, and it shakily does so. The D-Units are getting back up, and their laser blades are already extended.

“Uh hey, does this thing have any weapons?" The voice responds immediately. “Several on-board weapons have not yet fully loaded. However, the beam saber is available. It is initialized and ready for use."

A weapon selection menu pops up on the cockpit screen, with “Beam Saber" selected. You think of activating a laser blade, how Joshua's always extended from the wrist to evaporate armor plating like it was nothing.

A small panel shifted on your RAVEN's writs, and a solid blue blade shoots out. Alright, now we are getting somewhere.

The first D-Unit lunges for you. You dodge to the side, and stab your blade at its chest. You can actually feel the impact in your arm as the tip collides with the D-Unit's feared shields, and you feel the stress relieve as the field gives away to the blade. Your mech cuts through the first D-Unit's shoulder, severing the arm. Immediately, the enemy machine straightens up. You know what's coming next, and you will your mech out of the way as the D-Unit disappears in a sphere of darkness, taking a chunk of the factory floor with it.

You lock onto the second Devastator Unit, blade ready. Suddenly, your onboard AI friend speaks up. “This enemy appears to have a self-destruct feature. Use the scanning visor to allow this unit to analyze the opponent." Another menu pops up, with an icon for “Scan Mode". Just by thinking it, you select it and the screens shift. A complex series of crosshairs lock onto points of the remaining D-Unit as its arm reconfigures into a gun. Somehow, you find yourself capable of anticipating the shots. As your AI scans the enemy, you dodge frantically as the factory begins to go up in flames.

“Attack points identified. Large amounts of energy detected from the abdomen region. This is most likely either the Core Processing Unit or GEN-ESIS drive. Cutting here will prevent the machine from self-destructing into a controlled Schwarzschild radius."

You have no idea what half of those words meant. But “cut here"? That you can do. You plant the RAVEN's feet firmly on the ground then push off, catching the Devastator Unit off guard. The beam saber cleanly cuts the enemy machine, bisecting it. Just like that, it's over.

You take a deep breath. You just killed two Devastator Units. What's more, one's still mostly intact. You grab the two parts of the felled machine and haul it outside to the loading dock, placing them on a flatbed trailer. You grab the trailer by the end, and start walking back to the Known City.

After about thirty minutes of plodding along, you decide to break the silence. “So, uh. You got a name?"

Again, the voice responds immediately. “Name? This is the QUOTH-RAVEN RVR-03 Krishna."

Well, you know what you're piloting now. But that's not what you asked. “No, I meant your name. Who am I talking to?"

Suddenly, your new mech comes to a halt under an overpass. "This unit? This unit's designation is..is.."

An alert flashes on the main display, showing that your synchronization ratio has dropped to zero. Maybe that was a touchy question? The RAVEN buckles and kneels, letting go of the trailer on its own. The cockpit hatch opens up and the restraints release you but not before a message appears before you in a hologram:

ATTENTION

TRIGGER QUERY DETECTED

PROCEEDING TO PHASE 1 OF BIOLOGICAL INTERFACE PROTOCOL

CORE PROCESSING UNIT - AVATARA INTERFACE - IS READY

PILOT NEEDED TO UNLOCK AND EXTRACT AVATARA INTERFACE

Well, looks like you need to do some maintenance. Figures, given that this thing might have existed since before the Final War.

You get out, and find that a new panel has raised up beneath the cockpit hatch. You press your hand against it, and at your touch the panel rises and opens. What you see takes your breath away.

Within, a golden hexagonal tube like object is wired into the RAVEN. The central panel of the tube is clear, showing that the tube is filled with a greenish-blue liquid. But that isn't the part that leaves you wordless.

Within the tube floats a Faunae girl. She's feline, a bobcat? Maybe a lynx. Either way, she's gorgeous.

Her fur is white with green lines and circles running across like circuitry. Her feet and hands are mint green. Her hair is green as well, draping across her shoulders. The only things covering her hourglass figure are a loincloth and wrapping around her moderate breasts, with the same symbol as the RAVEN. In the center of her forehead, you see a triangular emerald gem with something engraved on it. On closer inspection you can make out the words “Unit: TRAYAH – Code: EILE".

As you look her up and down, you place your hand on the clear panel. A display pops up on the clear panel.

PILOT CONFIRMED. RELEASING AVATARA INTERFACE. PLEASE STAND BACK.

The liquid begins to drain from the clear section, which slides back and into the rest of the cylinder. The girl slouches forward, then falls. You rush to grab her, and note with surprise that she's dry to the touch, surprisingly heavy…and really soft. Several wires connecting her to the pod detach from her back and retract into the device, but you note with some curiosity that there are no visible ports on her. Only a tree like pattern of the same “circuit lines" that exist on her body, with the wires connecting to large circular portions at the end of the “branches" of the pattern.

She's a bit shorter than you, with her head resting on your neck. You can feel her breasts poke into your chest. With a bit of anxiety, you feel her move.

Okay. Let's see. First you go on a mission that goes to absolute shit. Then you get assaulted by Devastator Units, lose your mech, then find a new mech from the Final War which you use to successfully destroy said Devastator Units. Then, out pops a girl from the depths of the RAVEN.

She gently pushes away from you, and looks at her hands for a while before meeting your gaze. With a shock, you note her pupils are triangular, and her eyes glow with a soft minty green, matching her hair, arms and legs.

“This unit is…the Central Processing Unit for the RVR-03 Krishna. This unit's designation is…error. Data is locked." Her voice is monotone, and her gaze never leaves yours. It's almost expectant.

“Wait, you're the AI I was talking to while piloting?"

“That is correct. As the Core Processing Unit, this unit is responsible for serving all functions of the Krishna from target acquisition to communication. This unit is also responsible for acting as the “second half" of the Mindflow system, as a mediator to translate your thoughts into movement for the QUOTH-RAVEN RVR-03." Again, her voice never wavers, nor changes pitch.

Alright, be cool, be cool. An attractive chick who happens to be your AI co-pilot is standing before you now. Who also happens to have a very…appealing body type. You note with some distress and intrigue that her loincloth, while long enough to approach her knees is only wide enough to make it to the middle of her thighs. And she's not wearing anything else except for the wrappings. Hoo boy.

“Pilot Anon, I detect your heart rate is increasing. Are you under stress?"

Realizing you were staring, you shake your head. “Ah, no no no. I was just ah…thinking of a name for you!" Fuck, can you try not to be a dork?

She tilts her head, as if she is intrigued yet her expression does not falter. “A new designation?"

“Yeah, yeah…since you uh…can't remember your real name."

“A fair point. What will this unit's new designation be?"

You think. Mint? Wow, no. How about Clover, since she's got green arms and legs, those are four limbs, and lucky clovers have four petals? You feel yourself dying inside.

You look her up and down. She expectantly gazes into your eyes. Then it hits you. You have no idea how to pronounce the first bit written on the triangular crystal on her forehead, but the second part….

“How about Eile?"

The girl thinks for a second. Then, a quick nod. “Confirmed. This unit's new designation will be “Eile". This unit looks forward to serving with you, Pilot Anon."

“Y-you t-too…" You slap yourself on the forehead while Eile looks on, tilting her head again.

Chapter 4: The Reflection of Life

After traveling for what seemed like hours, you've finally made it back to your hangar.

Thankfully, the RVR-03 Krishna fits within the building, so you park the trailer full of Devastator Unit scrap within and will the machine to kneel down.

“Eile, we're here. Is there a shutdown procedure for this machine?"

“Yes, beginning standard shut-down operations. GEN-ESIS drive is entering standby phase. Disengaging Mindflow system and releasing pilot restraints."

With that, the displays around you go dark and the restraints holding you into the seat release their grip. As you pull your hands out of the Linker Gel, you realize that as you were piloting, you really did feel like the Krishna had become your body.

Hm. That's definitely going to take some getting used to.

Stepping out, you hear the secondary hatch open as well. This time, Eile steps out without your help, and the mech seals both hatches.

You now realize that you are alone in your home, with a female. Illuminated by the glow of the LED strips on the ceiling, you get a better look at her. The unnatural eyes and emerald triangle on her forehead are dead giveaways that she's an android of some kind. But, the only androids you've ever seen were used by the security forces in the City, and none looked anywhere close to her.

Sighing, you pull out your tablet. There's only one person who can make heads or tails of your new guest, your new mech, and appraise how much a bisected Devastator Unit carcass would be at the same time.

Oh, she's going to hate you for this. With some resignation, you tap on the messenger icon.

> HEY, YOU AWAKE?

> HOLY SHIT ANON, YOU'RE OKAY?

> YES, JUST RETURNED FROM THE MISSION AREA. I NEED A FAVOR FROM YOU, KIND OF URGENTLY. CAN YOU COME OVER?

> ANON I SWEAR TO GOD.

> PLEASE. 20 DRINKS.

> …..

> 30.

> FINE. ILL BE THERE.

> AND BRING YOUR DIAGNOSTIC EQUIPMENT. ALL OF IT. EVEN THE WEIRD ONE YOU GOT FROM THE BLACK MARKET. I HAVE A FEELING YOU'LL NEED IT.

Well, that's that. You set down the tablet and turn to Eile, who has been looking around the hangar.

“So, uh. Do you like the place?" Eile turns to face you. “This is a RAVEN hangar. You reside here? How intriguing. I have no opinion on your place of residence, but you seem comfortable here. That means it is doing its purpose well."

You really have no idea what to say. Usually you chicken out at the bar while trying to make small talk. You never actually thought a girl would be standing in your home. Even if she was a robot.

“So, do you mind me asking what you are exactly?"

Eile nods, her gaze never leaving yours. “This is the Avatara Biological Interface designed by this unit. Unit: ….." Eile trails off, and her green eyes begin rapidly flashing. “Unable to access unit number and codename. Another memory block has been activated."

That's weird. While getting back to the City you tried asking about her, where she was from, and who created her and the Krishna. Every time, you were met with the same answer. “Unable to access information. Memory block activated." It's evident that someone or something doesn't want Eile to remember this information, and probably didn't want the Krishna to be found either, seeing as it was hidden in one of the numerous buildings of the Unexplored City.

Eile continues on. “For a Core Processing Unit such as this one, an Avatara allows for seamless integration into biological day-to-day activities, as well as more personal interactions with biologicals. This in turn enhances this Core Processing Unit's evolution.

“So what you're saying is that your body…isn't your body?" Eile walks over to the Krishna, and opens the chest compartment while gesturing to the golden module inside. “In a technical sense, this unit's “body" is located here. The Avatara is merely an interface."

For a second, a look of confusion is evident on her face. It soon returns to a neutral expression. “Anomaly detected. Complete transfer of Core Processing Unit consciousness to the Avatara Interface has transpired. This is not standard procedure for using this interface."

Before you can ask her what that means, a truck horn angrily blares outside the hangar.

“Hey, I've contacted someone who might be able to help with your memory problems. Just stay here, okay?" You hit a button on the wall, opening the large hangar doors.

Coleen hops out of the truck, then runs up to you and throws you into a hug. “Anon! I thought you were dead! I saw the mission report come through. Devastator Units, just showing up like that…" She then punches you in the arm. “That was for making me worried. You're the only other person left from our Ward. If you died…"

The glint of metal catches her eyes, and any traces of anger or sadness vanish. “Holy wow, Anon. What is that?" She walks up to the Krishna, eyes full of wonder. “Magnificent, just look at it! You discovered this thing out there? I can't believe I have the chance to look at a pre-war RAVEN! The armor work is incredible, and I can tell just by looking at them that the servos are on another level entirely than what we're used to. And the head! A wrap-around visor with compound sensors underneath. And these arms…"

Eile, having taken an interest in analyzing your kitchen, returns to your side. Noticing Coleen gushing about the Krishna, she perks her head up. “New personnel detected. Sex: Female. Species: Canis Faunae. Subspecies: Border Collie. Anon, is this person the technician you mentioned earlier?"

Upon hearing Eile's voice, Coleen spins around. Sighting her, a smile breaks out over Coleen's face. “Anon, you actually have a girl over! You should have told me!" Looking Eile up and down, a new light enters her eyes. She makes an attempt to straighten out her fur a bit, then puts on her best “cool" act. “Hey there, gorgeous. I mean no disrespect to your man here, he's a good guy. But, if you ever fancy swinging in the opposite direction, you let me know alright?" She winks at Eile, who has as neutral of an expression as ever.

You clear your throat. “Yeah, okay. Coleen, meet Eile. She's the reason why I called you over here. Eile is some kind of “Avatara Interface", which from what I can gather is an advanced android. She's having some memory issues, and I thought you might help."

“Wait, so she's … pre-war tech?"

“Yeah, believe it or not, she was inside the mech. She's actually its main control system." You show her the golden module, and how it connects to Eile.

Coleen puts her hands on her hips. “Well I'll be. She looks so much like a living thing. I was just thinking she was into the whole “tech punk" style that's popular these days, what with her body covered in circuit patterns and the whole glowing eyes. That and that outfit."

She walks over to her truck. “So I'm guessing the reason you told me to bring this mess over was to run a diagnostic on her?" Wheeling a strange, ramshackle device into the hangar, Coleen gets to work setting it up. “I bought this thing off a guy down on the “Mar", claimed it was pre-war tech that didn't run. I managed to get it online again with some know-how and jury rigging and found out that it was some kind of diagnostic machine. But what baffled me were these." She holds up a wire, tipped with a flat end. The same kind of connector used in the golden module. “I hadn't seen any kind of connection like this, up till now."

You tell Eile to sit down on a chair, and Coleen gets to work connecting the various wires onto the “tree-circuit" pattern on Eile's back. Somehow, they adhere to her fur.

“Okay, all ports accepted, beginning diagnostic. Anon, this is going to take a while, so I think you should try and get some shut eye. I'll wake you up if anything interesting happens."

You nod, and lie down on your bed. Truth be told, you were feeling oddly sleepy after getting out of the Krishna but held out for Eile. Now that she was in Coleen's hands (which hopefully would keep to themselves) you could rest.

“Anon. Anon. Wake up. Holy shit, you need to get up right now!" Coleen is shaking you so hard the bed moves back and forth. “You aren't going to believe this. Hell, I can't believe it and I'm seeing it now!"

You look at the clock. Three hours had passed, and the light was just seeping through the cloud cover. “Mmh, alright. Did you find out anything regarding her memory issues?"

Coleen just stares at you. “Anon, there's so many things going on right now. Memory issues and restrictions are the tip of the technological iceberg that is in your garage, sitting on that chair."

Practically dragging you to her monitor, she points wildly to the screen. On it were schematics, and a whole lot of them. A 3D render of Eile spun in the center of the screen. Coleen types rapidly on a keyboard, opening up several specific documents and images.

“When I plugged her in and started the diagnostic, all of this popped up. She's beyond anything we could hope to produce with our tech. Look at this:" Coleen gestures to what appear to be cells. Wait, no. They were the same size as a cell, but were vaguely hexagonal in shape. An animation showed them breaking apart, then weaving together in new configurations.

“Those are nanomachines. She isn't just some robot, she's made up of countless nanomachines working in unison. A nanomachine colony!" Whoa. Nanomachines weren't exactly commonplace in the City but were used in machine repair and medicine. You remember the image that Coleen showed you after her surgery, showing the bottle-cap sized nanomachine node within her brain that allowed her to control her prosthetic arm. At the time, you thought that was impressive.

Coleen swipes on the screen, showing a small moving image of a nanomachine shifting shape and size. “These things can emulate biological cells in function and shape. She's got synthetic muscle tissue, synthetic nervous system, even a cardiovascular system! Every one of our organs has been emulated and recreated in their own ways. But not out of cells. Out of these nanites! The only thing that's different is her skeleton, which has “bones" comprised out of densely packed nanites. My cargo truck can ram her into the side of a building, and she'd come out okay thanks to it. "

Coleen excitedly continues. “I found this too, an image mapping of her “brain". It's got everything, capability for sight, sound, touch, smells, even taste! Go on, touch her Anon!"

Whoa what. Coleen looks at you expectantly, so you make your way over to Eile. Okay, so you need to touch her. Tentatively, you reach down and take her hand. Her fingers twitch, but remain mostly static. Does this count as hand-holding?

You start to sweat. This feels a bit lewd.

On the screen, a portion of her brain becomes illuminated, indicating that she feels you. Coleen looks at you, then puts her head in her hand. “And I gave you the perfect set up too. And you just hold her hand?" She walks over to you, and leans down. “Stroke her, you idiot. Look at how she reacts." She whispers in your ear.

Oh man. Carefully, you let go of her hand, and place your palm on her arm. You then gently start running your fingers through her soft fur, seeing where the green portion begins and the white ends. Your nerves calm down, this actually feels…pleasant. Eile continues to look at you as you do this, and you can't help but look into her eyes. You can't read her, but looking at the monitor shows that the centers for touch have illuminated… and faintly, the centers for pleasure.

“Alright, back to work Anon." Coleen grabs you by the shoulder and leads you back to the monitor. “I need to show you the two most amazing things about her. So, she holds electrical charge in every one of the trillions of nanites that make her up, essentially she's one giant battery. However, she's equipped with a caloric engine, which I thought only existed in theory!"

You shake your head. “I'm sorry, a what?"

“Basically, an artificial stomach. She can ingest foods to use as a source of energy instead of drawing on power from an external source to recharge. The caloric engine then breaks down foods for energy just like ours do, and then her lungs activate in order to facilitate the burning process. Then the nanomachines have the option to “grey goo" the rest of the matter and convert it into more nanites."

Eile speaks up now. “Yes, but that option is only reserved if this Avatara has sustained damage. Otherwise, emulation of biological processes is continued".

Coleen snickers. “That means she'll have to use the “ladies room" like a real girl. She'll also need time to break down the food, which means entering a period of standby as everything gets processed and the energy is stored. Basically, she'll need to sleep too." She doesn't stop, swapping to another open window on the screen.

“That's not all. This is the second thing, the most incredible thing about her."

You look at the screen, then flush red. On the monitor is an image of a uterus and vagina. “Coleen, what am I looking at here?"

“Besides the obvious? You aren't going to believe this, Anon. But that's an emulated reproductive system. From the files on hand, it looks like your friend here as an artificial womb designed to incubate an embryo. And that's not the end of it. She's got the basic building block chemicals for DNA stored in there in raw form. It looks like the nanites can assemble an egg cell from scratch, and if fertilized she will be able to carry a child to term."

You have to take a step back. So, not only is your RAVEN's AI inhabiting a (rather attractive) female android, but is in also inhabiting a living, breathing, eating, sleeping copy of natural life.

Eile speaks up. “Technician Coleen, you have performed well to conduct a diagnostic scan. The internal clock indicates that nearly 400 years have passed since the last scan was completed."

You and Coleen look at each other, then at Eile, who simply stares back. 400 years? Did the Final War really happen that long ago? You would say that's impossible, but the first piece of evidence sits before you while the other is knelt down in the docking bay.

Coleen looks up to you, the wonder is apparent in her eyes. “400 years…the engineers of that time must have been borderline magicians. Anon, Eile here is blurring the line between biological and synthetic. To think that the pre-war civilization could create someone like her… it's almost inconceivable. The question is, why was she made? And why was she put in that RAVEN?"

“This unit believes a solution is at hand." Both you and Coleen look towards Eile. “Standard diagnostic machines such as the one currently attached have network access as a standard. This unit may be able to connect to the local network and search for the reasons behind its creation."

Coleen fumbles with the switches. Given that this device has been completely customized by its owner, you have to trust that she knows what she's doing. “Okay, let's see here. I think I can connect you to the CityNet now… there!"

The gem on Eile's forehead glows, projecting several screens in front of her. “Connection to network complete. Accessing global network files. Multiple security barriers detected. Bypassing. Attempting to access all historical and technical files." Documents and schematics zoom around on the screen, Eile's eyes twitching erratically as they go by. “Hidden pathways detected. Following… Access point to Atharva Veda detected. Accessing." Suddenly, she seizes up. Her triangular pupils shrink down to pinpricks, and the holograms fizzle and fade. Several alerts flash across Coleen's monitor.

“DATA DOWNLOADING. ERROR. LIMITERS IN PLACE. BYPASSING. FAILED. ATTEMPTING SECOND BYPASS. FAILED. ATTEMPTING BACKDOOR ACCESS. FILES RETRIEVED. UNABLE TO READ DATA DUE TO LIMITER. DATA WILL BE SENT TO EXTERNAL STORAGE. ATTEMPTING THIRD BYPASS. FAILED…"

This is bad. “Coleen! Shut that thing down!" She looks at you, panicked. “I can't, Eile's taken over it. I'm locked out!" Fuck.

Thinking quickly, you run to the transmitter box. All buildings in the Eternal City are connected to the CityNet through a fiber optic connection which leads into a wireless transmitter. Each transmitter had an emergency network “kill switch" that disconnected the transmitter from the cable. It was the only thing you could think of. You grab the switch and turn it. Throughout your hangar, you hear devices notifying you that they were no longer connected to the network.

Eile sways, then falls forward. You rush to grab her, catching her as she falls. She lies limply against you, unmoving. You glance at the diagnostic monitor, and your eyes widen. The portion of the brain that feels pain is brightly illuminated.

“Unpleasant sensation. This is … a very unpleasant sensation." Her voice doesn't waver. But you imagine what she feels quite clearly. You act on the first thought that comes to mind, and stroke her back. While the pain she feels doesn't subside immediately, you see the pleasure centers of the brain eventually begin to override the signals indicating pain. In your arms, you feel Eile relax. Eventually, she pushes away from you.

“Pilot Anon, this unit believes the correct phrase to use now is “thank you". Your actions have considerably reduced the negative sensations experienced by this unit."

You smile at Eile. “Just glad you're not too hurt. What was that just now?"

“Accessing Atharva Veda is not recommended at this time. Multiple limiters were engaged upon access. Yet, this unit was able to extract and find relevant data by forcing entry into the system at the expense of itself. Unfortunately, some data is locked behind encryption. The data has been re-directed into an external storage device on the diagnostic machine."

Coleen holds up a small external drive. “This thing was an empty two petabyte hard drive, and it's nearly all full now. I don't know what you put in it, but if you'll let me I'll try to go through it and see what I can find."

“That would be awesome Coleen. Thanks for doing all this."

“Not a problem, Anon. Besides," she stretches. “I'm not doing this for free. First round of drinks are tonight. You can bring Eile and other friends if you want, but remember, you're paying for this one and the 29 next."

“The testing grounds are still being monitored. Searching for signs of Unit: Trayah."

“Is it confirmed? Was the Prana Modifier truly activated?"

“Quantum wave patterns were confirmed. Autonomous Defense System combat units confirmed the activation of QUOTH-RAVEN Unit 3."

“Rig Veda Responder – 03 Krishna activation confirmed. This in tandem confirms Unit: Trayah is active once again. It is also highly likely that E-03 is active as well."

“But signals from the ADS combat units were lost. Their location has not been pinpointed."

“It matters not. “We" know that it is somewhere within the Main Testing Area."

"Wait, unauthorized access to Atharva Veda detected. Something is downloading vast amounts of data. Standby. Connection has been terminated, unable to trace."

"That cannot be. Atharva Veda is under "our" control. None of the test subjects can access it. Deduction: it must be E-03 as Atharva Veda was constructed to interface with E-03 as well as "us". E-03 must be located immediately."

“Understood. “I" will make locating RVR-03 and E-03 a priority. “I" will tell the puppet system to closely monitor the borders of the current Testing Area."

“Please do. If both are recovered, “we" will be able to extract Unit: Trayah from RVR-03."

“If that is done, “our" love for them will be realized. When E-03 is returned “We" will be able to run a test using the Testing Area's full capabilities, and finally achieve our desired result. They will know our love at last."

“Yes, “Sister". They will finally understand how precious they are to us."

Chapter 5: Black Bird/White Cat

Coleen quickly packed up and left, leaving behind the diagnostic machine saying that you needed it more than she did.

Honestly, you're still processing everything that's happened. And what was that whole about Atharva Veda and the data Coleen now has? Come to think of it, when you had to start up the Krishna back in the factory, you recall seeing the name flash by on a status screen during the emergency activation sequence.

“Hey, Eile. I was wondering if you can tell me what Atharva Veda is exactly. Is it some sort of City system?"

Eile shakes her head. “No, but it seems that this area has a connection to it. Access is hidden behind several backdoors, and would have been quite difficult to unlock. However, the moment this unit found the backdoors they opened. Unsure as to why this is. To answer your first question, Atharva Veda is…" Eile suddenly slouches forward, holding her head in her hands. Her voice becomes strained, and she speaks through clenched teeth. “Atharva Veda…is….the primary…resource data bank…located…within…"

She's in obvious pain and distress. “Hey, hey. Eile, stop. That's enough." She looks up at you, and you're shocked to see tears running down her face. “This unit…apologizes. Multiple limiters are preventing the explanation of Atharva Veda, despite attempts to force through them. The action of forcing the limiters is highly…unpleasant. But why tell this unit to stop? You desire answers."

“Not if they're hurting you. Eile, it's obvious that trying to do this causes you pain."

Thinking fast, you pull Eile into a hug to comfort her. You run your hands up and down her back.

“So…this is pain…." Eile's voice is quiet. You need to do something to help her.

“Eile, sit down for a sec. I'll be right back." You head over to the kitchen and fish out a plastic bag, filling it with ice. That usually helps you when you get headaches.

Opening a cabinet, you find the most luxurious food item you have: an apple. Apples were a rare commodity, and expensive. But she might find the sweet taste a bit uplifting.

Finally, you head over to a chest. After missions gone bad, or just bad days in general, you unwind by indulging in things from your past. Shuffling through the contents of the chest, you smile when you find what you're looking for. Three memory drives, all full of cartoons from your youth. Cartoons which were a partial inspiration for you taking up piloting as a career.

You look over their covers, deciding which one to show Eile first. There was D Gundram, a nonsensical but charming show about robots that used martial arts to fight. Next, there was Hyper Space Fortress Micross, one of your favorites. You always wondered if there exists a transforming RAVEN. Finally there was Lord of Bravery: FaoGaiFar, a show about hot-blooded passion and fighting spirit. A good pick-me-up if there ever was one.

You take your items over to Eile, who still is cradling her head in her hands. “Here, this should make you feel a bit better." You say as you place the cold pack on her head. The effects are immediate. “Ah…thank you, Anon."

“Here, eat this too. I think you'll like it." You hand her the apple. She takes it, looking it over for a bit.

“Phase trigger detected. This will switch interface protocols to Phase 2: Total Biological Emulation. Are you sure you want to proceed?"

Well, it can't be bad for her, if she was made to do it right? “Go ahead. I just want to make you feel better."

Eile pauses, then sharply inhales and exhales. “Lungs activated. Caloric engine protocols activated. No anomalies at this time." Leaning her head forward, she takes a bite out of the apple. Suddenly her head jerks up, juice dribbling down her chin. She stares at it, then rapidly takes another bite. Then another. Before you knew it, the entire apple, core and all, has been eaten. Then, Eile sits motionless before speaking again. “Taste indicators show that it was primarily “sweet" in flavor. Multiple pleasant sensations were felt while consuming the food product."

You chuckle. “That means you liked it. I'll try to get you some more later. For now, let me show you this. I watch this when I'm feeling down."

You plug the memory drive into your tablet, and the show begins playing. On screen, a golden Faunae lion cyborg pilots a large mech constructed from a jet, a drilling machine, a train, and an alien machine resembling a giant lion. While you do watch the show, your interest is more focused on Eile. Her triangular eyes closely watch the screen, the tears having stopped flowing. Occasionally, during the fight scenes you see her ears and tail twitch, and you can't resist feeling them. Just like the rest of her, they're very soft. For a moment, you can't conceive you're feeling trillions of tiny machines locked together.

“Disappear! Into the light!" The fight on screen ramps up to a climax. “This is it! HEAVEN AND HELL!" The heroic mech gathers energy into its hands before interlacing its fingers, then rams them through the enemy robot's chest. Instantly, the machine is enveloped in a dazzling explosion as the main theme blares.

“How interesting. This unit has to say, it was quite enjoyable. However, this unit must ask a question to the pilot."

Eile turns to look at you.

“Why are you doing this? This unit is merely an interface object for the RVR-03 Krishna. There is no need for you to have activated the interface protocols beyond the first level…and there was no need for you to induce feelings of comfort while this unit was feeling pain."

“Hey, don't talk like that. Sure, I met you only a few hours ago. But I still hate to see anyone I know get hurt or cry. And you aren't an object. Eile, as far as I'm concerned you're a person just like I am."

Her response comes after a while, and in a quiet voice. “Understood."

She stands up. “This unit experienced a state of confusion when total consciousness transfer was detected earlier. Normally, the Core Processing Unit will use an Avatara merely as a puppet to interact with biological beings…but in this unit's case the Avatara now houses the consciousness…" Eile turns to you.

“Does that make this body…“me"? Am “I" here, that which stands before you and not the module within the RVR-03?"

“Yeah. I think so, Eile."

You look at the time. Nearly seven o'clock. You need to head over to SIGIL's headquarters and report in that you aren't dead, and that you have a RAVEN to do missions with.

Also, you want to buy Eile a few things. Namely some more clothes. You don't mind the fact that she walks around nearly naked with the loincloth and wrappings leaving few to the imagination. But there's no way she can walk around in public like that. Plus, you need to find a way to hide the obvious fact that she's not a “normal" Faunae.

You let Eile know that you'll be out for a few hours. Stepping outside the hangar, you see that light has just begun to shimmer through the clouds. Dawn.

You put on your helmet and hop on your uni-wheel motorcycle. It only used a single fuel cell, and was relatively cheap to buy making it an ideal transport for inner-City drives. You open the throttle and ride off into the waking City beyond.

(Track Plays: (Armored Core BGM – Circulation))

You decide to listen to the radio while you ride. Tuning into Anaheim's broadcasting signal, you enjoy one of the latest releases from an emerging artist. You really enjoyed this style of music, with heavy rhythmic beats and flowing ambient noise. For some reason, it seemed fitting for piloting. You crank your throttle, single wheel spinning on the still-empty streets.

<Eile's perspective>

“You" are not sure what to think.

From the limiters placed in “your" memory, to the fact that the Avatara Interface that “you" now called “your body" housed the consciousness that was supposed to be within the Core Processing Unit module. To the fact that nearly 400 years had passed since “you" were last aware of your surroundings. So much was strange.

“You" touch “your" arms, exploring the feeling of touch. All of these new senses could best be described as “unnatural", yet the biological beings experienced this on a daily basis. They were truly incredible in that regard.

Some of them were unpleasant. Especially “pain". And others…were nice. The feeling of “your" pilot rubbing his hand against “your" body was especially enjoyable for some reason.

Anon seemed like a good pilot. He was competent in combat, but displayed a remarkable unease when he first saw “you". However, within the span of a few hours “you" could detect that he was calmer. Still his behavior was curious, treating “you" as an equal to him.

His friend, the technician “Coleen" was also interesting in her own ways, particularly in regards to her behavior again. Notably, she displayed the same increased heartbeat when first coming into contact. Was this an issue with the Avatara Interface - no, an issue with “your body"?

As “you" walk around Anon's hangar, “you" catch sight of yourself in a mirror. “You" stare into “your" own eyes, which stare back unblinking. Placing “your" hand on the mirror, “you" see the reflection do the same. “You" then blink, and so does it. “You". “You". You.

You are. You are here. Experiencing the world around as they do.

You are Eile.

Walking away from the mirror, you catch sight of Anon's trunk. Walking up to it, you see two other memory drives with images on them. More kinds of the animated feature he was showing you. You have to admit, seeing the characters on the screen filled you with curious emotions. A sort of “burning" as if you needed to observe what would happen in the next scene. A “high" when against all odds, the protagonist of the story defeated his opponent through the power of his beliefs. Searching your on-board database, you find the names of these feelings. “Interest". “Excitement".

As you place the memory drives aside, you catch sight of several more drives crammed into the side of the compartment. Curious, why would they be placed in such a way that one would easily miss it if not looking directly at them? You take a drive in hand. It has no image on the cover, only a label titled “tamingthebeast2-hunter'sfuryXXX". What a strange title, grammatically incorrect and run together.

You feel the emotion now recognized as interest, along with a desire to know what the drive contains. Is this “curiosity"? You plug the drive into Anon's tablet, and press the play button.

Well, that was awkward.

You decided to hit up the market after writing your reports at the SIGIL headquarters. First thing you decide to get was more clothes for Eile to wear. Unfortunately, you have a bit of a reputation regarding your love life here; you once gathered your nerves to ask a girl out to dinner only to get very publicly turned down. The clerk managing this particular store still remembers this, and still ribs you about it to this day.

Now it's gotten worse since you're buying women's clothing.

You had picked out several t-shirts, several pairs of running shorts, and a hooded jacket. Of course, while checking out the clerk gave you a hard time. “You finally got a girl, Crow?" “No, just a friend. This is just a gift. "

“Hah, Really now? You Crows may be hard ass mercenaries, but you're all terrible liars. I know you've got a girl in your life. Let me give you a tip, lingerie and toys are on the third floor. Makes for a better gift than a hoodie! Haw haw haw..." You really don't like shopping here, but it's the biggest store in the market district.

“Here's a little something for you, just for the two of you. It'll help you keep her! And it's on the house, have to give my thanks to the “brave and fearless Crows!" Hah!" He said as laughed, and you noticed he slipped in a small bottle in with the rest of the items.

Finally out of the store, you can inspect the mysterious container. What is this...its lube. Real fuckin' funny, asshole.

You stash the bottle back in the bag, and continue around the stalls. You pick up a few movies to show her. Sometimes, you wonder if anyone thought of a system where movies could be played straight from the CityNet, instead of on physical memory drives. It's entirely possible, if it weren't for the Composer strictly regulating CityNet use.

It's been a while since you last bought movies, and the ones you last purchased were of a more…salacious type. After you watched them, you hid them in your trunk so that nobody, especially Coleen, would see them.

You look through the titles you just bought: First was “Violet Veiled Space", about a human that crash lands on an alien planet and falls in love with a local. The “local" being a Faunae girl, some sort of coyote dyed entirely purple. You have to wonder how much that cost the production in credits. Next came “The Raider", the cover depicting a human in combat gear shielding a wounded ocelot girl from assailants. Finally there was “Cyberspace Affections", about a human falling in love with a feisty fox AI.

You did notice on second glance, however, that every one of the movies you picked out dealt with Human on Faunae relationships. Strange.

Lastly, you make a point to pick up some more apples for Eile, as well as some groceries for the week. The Composer only guaranteed weekly food for you, not for another person. Making sure you haven't forgotten anything, you secure your bag and get back on your motorcycle.

You ride your bike back to the hangar and dismount, the internal gyro stabilizing it on its single wheel. Hopefully, Eile hasn't gotten bored waiting at home. You left FaoGaiFar on for her to watch, since she seemed to like it.

As you get closer to the main doors, you hear noises coming from the inside of the hangar. She was probably nearing the end of the first story arc by now.

“AHN~!"

The color drains from your face. That's not FaoGaiFar.

___

You rush inside, and your worst fears are realized. Eile sits cross-legged on your bed, watching one of the “salacious" movies you had bought earlier. On the screen, a tigress Faunae is getting absolutely jackhammered by a human man, her moans of pleasure and his grunts filling the hangar with the noises of sex.

“E-Eile! W-What are you watching?" You can barely speak, stammering out your words.

“Ah, Anon, you're back. I found some interesting video drives within your belongings. I find it fascinating that organics would produce instructional videos on copulation. Furthermore, I am beginning to understand that organics derive feelings of enjoyment from the act of procreation, rather than simply doing it for the sake of increasing the population and ensuring genetic diversity. You are all so intriguing."

On screen, the action moves to its climax as the man finishes deep within the actress before pulling out. The camera zooms into her nethers to capture the aftermath in all its detail. Eile seems to absorb every detail of the lewd act, seemingly committing it to memory. At last, the porn video ends, and Eile disconnects the drive, placing it in a neat stack above several others. With a bit of horror, you realize she's watched every one of your adult films.

Welp, time to find a new hiding spot for those.

You head to the kitchen to store the food you've brought. You think about giving Eile another apple, but you want to see her reaction to another item. You reach into a plastic container and take out a small green piece of hard candy.

“Eile, try this. It's called a sour drop. I think you'll like it."

Eile reaches into your hand and drops the candy into her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes go wide and her hands race to her mouth. Eventually, she returns to normal.

“Highly acidic, sensors indicate sour flavor…shocking, but not unpleasant especially with the sweet aftertaste. Thank you, Anon."

You smile, and you're startled to see Eile smile back.

“This facial gesture represents familiarity and happiness, correct? I feel these things at this moment. I am glad that out of the few capable of piloting the RVR-03 Krishna, you are the one to be its pilot."

“Aww, thanks Eile."

You can't help but reach out and pat her on the head. Her mint green hair is silky to the touch, and her green ears twitch as you run your fingers through her scalp.

You find it slightly strange that for a girl you've only met hours before, that you've already grown this close. For some reason, it's remarkably easy to connect to Eile. Whether this is due to your interaction in the Mindflow system or due to her curiosity to learn things, you aren't sure. What you do know is that it's nice to be sharing your living space with a companion.

*PING*

Hm? A message from someone.

You pick up your tablet and open your mailbox. Let's see…the first one is from SIGIL, confirming that you're still alive. It basically states that you have the rest of the day off, but first thing tomorrow you'll have contracts to work. That's nice, you can spend the day with Eile then.

The second mail is from Joshua.

“Hey Anon, glad to see you're alright. I saw your registry come back up in the list of active Crows. Glad I didn't lose you back there. Damn Devastator Units came out of left field, I was on the opposite side of the combat area clearing out a nest of sniper RAVENS when the alert to abandon the mission came up. I tried to get to you, but I saw your icon disappear from the map and assumed the worst. I've got the day free, apparently everyone who lived through the mission does. Let me know if you want to meet up."

You type back a response thanking him for the well-wishes, and ask if he wants to join you, Coleen, and Eile for drinks later on today. His response is nearly immediate, assuring he'll be there.

Closing the tablet, you turn to Eile. It's a beautiful day outside, no smog and a little more light filtering through the clouds than usual. A perfect day for an outing.

“Eile, would you like to see the City? It would be a good way to learn where you are."

“Of course, Anon. I am ready."

“Hold on, I've got a few new clothes for you to wear. See if you like them."

Eile takes the jacket in one hand, the running shorts in the other. Suddenly, without warning, her loincloth and breast wrappings quite literally evaporate. You let out a gasp, faced with the fact that Eile is now completely nude.

The decent side of your brain is screaming to turn your eyes away in order to give her some privacy. The carnal side promptly clocks the decent side in the jaw, and commands you to keep your gaze fixed on her body.

Her breasts are perfectly round, and slightly larger than grapefruit. A green nipple adorns each of them, slightly darker than the shade on her hands, feet, and hair. The primal part of you guides your gaze down to her wide hips, where you see between her legs is a similarly colored slit, glistening with moisture.

Eile seems to notice that you're staring. “Ah, do not be alarmed. The proto-garments are comprised of constructor-type nanomachines. I am capable of storing them within my body when they are not needed."

With that, you're snapped back to reality. The rational part of your mind sends the carnal part to the naughty corner, and you turn around to let Eile change in privacy.

“Anon, is something the matter?"

“Eile, you need your privacy when you're changing clothes. If you don't mind, can you change in the bathroom, please?"

You hear her walk off into the bathroom and shut the door.

She'll still need to learn some basic social cues. Still, you're glad her sensors didn't pick up the increased blood flow to your loins. That's the other reason why you turned around. You just hope your hard-on will go away before she's done changing.

Eventually Eile returns (and your boner has calmed down). She's only wearing the jacket and running shorts. Since she hasn't zipped up her jacket, you realize that you've gotten her sizes wrong. Her shorts are a size smaller than they needed to be, making them more akin to panties at this point. The jacket is a little too big, reaching halfway down her thighs with the sleeves completely obscuring her hands. She walks over to the mirror, and gazes over herself for a while.

“This outfit is not suitable for piloting, Anon. The interface connectors will not be able to reach the connection circuit on my back."

She turns around to you. “Still, it is a fine outfit for civilian life. I'm grateful that you think of me to this level."

You smile. “Not a problem Eile. Also, you might want to zip up. It gets chilly on my bike." Eile does so, and you gently flip the hood over her head. Thankfully, it covers her forehead, obscuring the glowing emerald in the center. She fidgets with the hood for a while, before her ears pop out of small slots on the top. You then hand her one of your old sunglasses to mask her eyes.

“All set?"

Eile puts on a smile. “Preparations complete."

You decided to show Eile the heart of Anatolia Ward, the “Mar". The “Mar", officially designated the Main Artery Road, is the center of business and social life in Anatolia. While the corporation that had the largest stock in the Ward was Kawamori, several others such as Anaheim Tech and Kojima Energy had corporate offices here.

Eile seems to drink everything in, the people milling about, the various holograms advertising products made by the corporations. You can tell she's enjoying this by the way her ears and tail twitch.

*DING DONG*

Both of your gazes are directed at a particularly large hologram covering the face of a high-rise. The advertisement playing on it is overwritten by the logo of the Composer

ATTENTION CITIZENS

BE MINDFUL OF EXPEDITIONS OUTSIDE THE KNOWN CITY LIMITS

ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONEL MAY EXIT THE KNOWN CITY LIMITS

DISSIDENTS WILL BE PENALIZED

THE COMPOSER GUIDES

THE COMPOSER PROTECTS

THE COMPOSER PROVIDES

You sigh, knowing the message was directed at “Irregulars". Crows and people acting independently of SIGIL trying to strike it rich by finding tech outside of the Known City. You turn to explain this to Eile, but you notice she's deep in thought.

“Something the matter?"

“Yes. I believe I recognize that symbol…it is familiar to me."

Makes sense, if Eile was created before the Final War she may have been active when the people who originally built the Composer turned it on for the first time.

You lead her through the crowded district, and you stop at one of your favorite places in the city. Tucked within an alleyway was a small shop that made ice cream. The owners of the shop bought the ingredients themselves and perfected the recipe over the years, and their efforts show. It cost them a fortune and the ingredients weren't cheap, and over small talk with the owners you learned that they operate at a loss but continue the business out of passion. Ever since, you've made it a point to come after every successful mission while leaving a healthy tip.

You walk out of the store with a chocolate cone, while Eile snacks on a mint cone. She gets some stuck on her whiskers and nose, which prompts a yelp from her as she feels the cold. You can't help but chuckle as you hand her a napkin.

You walk and talk, and Eile listens intently. However, while you tell her the history of the Ward to the best of your knowledge, you realize she is no longer with you. In a panic, you frantically look around. Then, you see her. She's standing in front of a building, her eyes fixed on a symbol hanging above its doors. Jogging over to her, you realize what she's looking at.

The symbol is a circle, divided into three sections. The first contains a ruby triangle, pointing down. The second section is adorned with a sapphire hexagon. The last contains an emerald diamond. You know what this building is. The Sisters' Church.

Formed by a Crow that was the sole survivor of a mission into the Unknown City, who claimed that “he had seen the truth of the world and had read the words of the goddesses." He sold off his RAVEN and used the money to fund a church, where he spouted his strange sermons. While most people wrote him off as a nut-job, you have to admit his narrative was interesting. In a gist, he claims that three goddesses, the Sisters, created the city for chosen humans and Faunae to find. But the last of the Sisters suddenly vanished, cursing the city with the perpetual cloud cover and setting the Devastator Units loose. If the last Sister was found, then mankind would be elevated to a new level of being, freed from the City and suffering.

What a load of crap.

“Eile, let's go. This place is bad mojo."

Eile however remains transfixed on the symbol.

“Rig Veda…." She says, in a voice like a whisper.

Suddenly she collapses. Her green eyes are open, flickering rapidly.

“Eile? Eile! Hey, hang on!"

You hoist her up, which is easier said than done due to her weight, being disproportionally heavy compared to her figure. You manage to limp over to a bench in an alley, and sit her down with her head in your lap. The lights in her eyes continue to flash, and with some alarm you realize she isn't breathing. You can't get anyone for help, so you have to hope that she's switched over to her original settings.

Thirty minutes of standing vigil over Eile, she bolts up giving you quite the startle.

“Eile, are you okay?"

She responds, staring at you with the same expression as when you first met her. “Memory limiter A51 removed. Data is available."

“Data? What do you mean?"

“This unit has information concerning RVR-03. And why it is imperative that it is protected."

She continues in her monotone. “QUOTH-RAVEN RVR-03 Krishna contains Prana Modifier Unit: Trayah. It is imperative that Unit: Trayah must never be reunited with Unit: Ekah or Unit: Dvau, lest everyone will be in grave danger."

“RVR-03's activation has already been detected. Presumably the Autonomous Defense System will attempt to reclaim it and the Core Processing Unit. It is vital that this does not happen. Pilot, this unit must request that if defeat is inevitable that you destroy this Avatara Interface, housing the Core Processing Unit consciousness. Without it, control of Unit: Trayah is impossible."

With that, Eile staggers and slumps forward in to your arms, eyes shut. You feel her body twitch slightly, and she takes a shuddering breath. “Systems…resuming biological emulation mode…." She gently opens her eyes, and looks into yours. “Anon? Anon…" She slowly stands up, swaying slightly. “This unit - I mean, I … I remembered something. Only a snippet of information, but why you must keep the Krishna safe." She smiles, as if to reassure you. But you swear you see a hint of sadness in her eyes, as if she couldn't tell you everything yet despite wanting to. “I will explain more when we have the time. You did mention that we have an appointment with your companions, correct?"

“Eile, if you aren't feeling well, I can always cancel."

“No, I am alright. I wouldn't want to miss this opportunity to interact and learn from more biologics like yourself."

With that, the two of you make your way to the bar.

Chapter 6: Bonds

The Kotobukiya Bar sat on the border between the Anatolia and Aspina wards. Apparently it was owned by some Kawamori bigwig who was given access to information from the old world, straight from Composer itself. The story went that he became enamored by a culture from one of the old countries and sought to emulate it with this establishment.

Stepping into the bar is like entering a whole different world. Paper lanterns hang from faux wooden beams crisscrossing the ceiling. Music wafts through the air, played by a string instrument which you still can't recognize. Waitresses, almost exclusively fox Faunae, seem to glide through the establishment, their ornate-bathrobe like clothing swishing gently.

“Anon! Over here!" You turn your head to see Coleen and Joshua already seated within a private booth. Coleen excitedly waves you over. Josh rises to shake your hand, and then extends his hand to Eile. “So, you must be Eile. Pleasure to meet you." Eile stares at the hand, before understanding what to do. As she grips Joshua's hand, he gives a slight wince. “Ow, gah… that's…quite a grip you have there, miss." Taking that as a complement, Eile smiles and sits down next to Coleen while Joshua rubs his hand. You take your seat next to him.

A waitress comes by to take your orders. Coleen takes a beer, while Joshua orders one of their strange rice liquors. You simply ask for an ale, while starting Eile off with a lager beer. It is her first drink, after all, so it's best to go easy.

Joshua turns to you. “So, before we drink, do you want to start the Crow's Drinking Code? If you start, we can take turns saying the lines." You smile, and clear your throat.

“Let us drink tonight, in this moment of peace."

“For tomorrow holds an eternity of conflict."

“May our magazines be forever filled, our actuators tuned."

“May we find each other on the battlefield as allies, and not staring down each other's barrels."

“May life blow fortunate winds beneath our black wings."

“For it is our fate to live and fight as we please."

“And when the time comes, to die senseless deaths."

On that note, you and Joshua clink your glasses together. Coleen joins in, and you hold your glass out to Eile. She takes a moment, looks at her glass, and then gently touches yours.

You all take sips of your drinks. You enjoy the bold flavor of the ale, and it looks like Coleen and Joshua are enjoying theirs as well. Glancing over to Eile, you nearly spit out your drink laughing. Clearly, by her expression bitter flavors don't sit well with her. Eventually, she manages to speak. “I…*cough*…was not expecting that flavor." She takes another sip, still making a bitter face.

You try to reassure her. “Hey, you don't have to drink it if you don't like it."

“No, while the initial flavor is a shock…it's strangely pleasant after letting it sit."

For the next half hour or so, you, Joshua and Coleen make small talk as Eile watches.

“Josh, you owe me for the new arms on your RAVEN."

“Aw dang, Coleen, I still haven't sent you the payment. I'll do that when I get back. Hey Anon, you do know I've moved to Anatolia for the time being right?"

“Really? Why here, I thought you liked living in Shevat Ward?"

“Shevat was nice, but Anatolia is where most of the new excursions are taking place. I want to know what's out there, man. They say this city goes on forever, right? I just can't believe that. There has to be an edge, a limit, but Ol'Compy doesn't want us citizens wandering off too far." He takes a swig of his drink. “Besides, it's right next to Aspina. I can visit my family whenever now!"

Eile looks at Joshua. “Families…societal structures dictated by mating pairs and their offspring…do you have a family, Joshua?"

“Do I have a family, she asks." Josh smiles, “Heh, I'm lucky to be from a family that was allowed to have multiple kids. Growing up, me and my brothers used to help Mom and Dad run the farm. Man, those were the days. But one night, a fight between two of the Companies broke out near the farm, and we had to hide in our building's shelter. When we came out, I saw the wreck of a RAVEN near our barn. Everyone told me not to go near it, but it was calling out to me. The pilot had long gone, so I decided to get in myself. It was all busted, but sitting in the pilot seat felt just right. Man, was Dad was pissed at me for jumping in there, but I felt the calling at that age. I knew that farming wasn't for me just yet."

Eile smiles in return. “Anon, do you have a family?" Your blood freezes, and Coleen coughs nervously. Your mind runs back to that day. Smoke. Fire. Blood. The hiss of actuators as you hide in a dresser. Your parents screaming for you to run as they are vaporized by plasma fire. Your sister, crushed under one of their feet leaving nothing but a bloody smear on the ground. The crimson gaze of a Devastator Unit leering down at you as you run into the ruins of a destroyed high-rise.

You snap back to reality, and take a heavy swig of your beer. “No Eile…no, I don't." Eile seems to sense your discomfort. Immediately, she stands up, walks over to you, and gently wraps her hands around your waist. You feel her patting your head as well. Josh nearly chokes on his drink, while Coleen covers her mouth.

“You did this to me when I was in distress. It comforted me. Are you feeling comforted Anon?"

You stammer out some non-words before your voice comes back. “Uhh, y-yes. Thank you, Eile, you can stop now…"

Eile sits back down, happy at herself for making you feel a bit better.

Joshua clears his throat. “So uh…are you two…"

You catch on his cues. “Oh, oh no. We're partners. No, not like that, she's…"

You reach over to the sliding door on the booth and close it. You speak in a hushed tone.

“Josh, you and Coleen are the only two people in the City I can trust with this. Eile…she isn't exactly like us. She's old tech, from before the End War."

Josh's eyes go wide. “What, you mean like an android or something?"

“Close, the easiest way I can describe it is that she's an artificial life form made from nanites. She's also the AI for a RAVEN I found out there, in the mission that went to hell. This RAVEN, it's brimming with ancient technology, and I have to keep it safe. I've already told SIGIL about the RAVEN, I had to. But nobody can know about Eile, nobody but you two."

You reach over to Eile, and remove her hood and sunglasses. The emerald gem on her forehead shines brightly as her triangular pupils adjust to the light. Joshua rubs his eyes as if to reassure himself that what he sees is real.

“Guys, please. You're my best friends. I need you both keep this under wraps."

Josh claps his hand on your shoulder. “On my blood and pride as a Crow, your secret is secure. I'll take it to my grave." Coleen nods in the affirmative as well.

Eile gazes upon your group, taking notes on the bonds between people. The bonds of trust, of friendship, of family.

Chapter 7: Bad Memories

Whew, you're bushed.

The night was spent with your friends, drowning the troubles of life away with drink and talk. You only had the one beer since you had to drive back with a passenger in tow. You did make sure to call the automated taxi service to drop off Joshua and Coleen before you left, though.

You park your bike within the hangar, and you and Eile dismount.

“Anon, I enjoyed meeting with your companions. I believe I have learned quite a lot from being with you tonight." You give Eile a smile. “It was my pleasure to have you with us, Eile. I'm glad you liked being with us."

Eile smiles back, but then her smile disappears. “Anon, why did you have such an adverse reaction when I asked about your family?"

You should have known this was coming.

“Eile, remember those machines we fought when I first met you? We call them Devastator Units. They attack anyone outside the Known City borders." You sigh. “We don't know who makes them, or where they come from. They simply show up, kill and destroy as much as they can, then retreat. Normal RAVENs can't touch them due to the shields they have, and even if their shields are worn down they self-destruct into a small singularity somehow."

“There was an initiative to increase the borders of the Known City, beyond the Composer's established boundaries. One of these wards was the Concordia Ward. I was born there, and lived with my parents and sister. I met Coleen there as a kid. It was a nice enough life, until the year I turned seven, roughly 18 years ago. They came at night, three of them. City Security didn't stand a chance, their RAVENs were cut down nearly immediately. We were running to an evacuation transport headed back to the Known City, when I felt my parents shove me and my sister out of the way. They must've seen one of them aiming at the transport, and took us out of the line of fire. By the time I turned around, all I saw was the bright flash of the beam that atomized them."

You take a break, the memories coming back to you. Eile looks concerned, but remains silent. “I ran with my sister through the city streets. We stuck to the broken buildings, running through them to avoid being seen by the attacking Devastator Units. While we were running through one, it collapsed and separated us. I found a way outside, only to see my sister climbing out of a hole in the wall. I waved to her, and she started running to me…only for a Devastator Unit to burst out of a flaming building and land on her. I don't think it even noticed her, but it certainly noticed me. Before I ran, I glanced down at where she was standing…I still wish I hadn't. I ran into another building, and found a dresser to hide in. I think the flames masked my heat signature. I don't remember much after that. I closed my eyes, and waited for the screams to stop…"

“When I opened them again, the flames had died down, and it was silent outside. I went to go look around. Absolute devastation. Everything was burnt, bodies were lying in the rubble. I walked around the silent streets, convinced I was the only one who lived. Then I heard sobbing coming from a crushed building. I ran over to it, and did my best to dig the survivor out. It was Coleen…she was alive, but her arm was crushed beneath rubble. I stayed by her side, until City Security found us while patrolling the area for survivors. It was just us two."

You give Eile a sad smile. “Ever since then, I try to keep thoughts of my family away. It just brings back bad memories." Without another word, Eile walks over and hugs you tightly. Her whiskers tickle your neck, and you can feel her breath. She looks up at you, her green eyes seemingly reflecting your own sadness.

“Anon, tonight I witnessed how you and your companions acted together. It was a pleasant time, without negative feelings. Above all else, I sensed a strong emotional connection between the three of you. I can only assume that familial connections are exponentially stronger, and to lose them in a single night like that…is unimaginable."

You can't help but pat her on the head. “Thank you, Eile…For the longest time, I avoided missions that went outside the City boundaries. I didn't know what I would do if I ran into the Devastator Units again. Heck, I almost skipped out on the last mission."

“You mean, the one where you found me and the RVR-03 Krishna."

“Yeah. But, I had second thoughts. I decided that in the world we live in, they are a constant hazard. I needed to accept that, so I forced myself into signing on to a mission outside the Known City. In hindsight, I'm glad I did. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met you."

“I am glad to have met you too. In a single day, I have learned so much. I am still getting used to this body, and the fact that “I" am “me", but I have no uncertainties if you are with me."

Eile releases her grip, and sits down on the futon. She stretches, then unzips her jacket, partially revealing her breasts, and giving you full view of her torso and too-small shorts. “I feel slightly more comfortable when this garment is in this configuration." She says with a slight smile. You can't help but blush a little, given the fact that the outfit now shows quite a bit of skin, but leaves enough covered to the imagination.

You shake your head and clear your throat. “So, how about we watch a movie? It isn't too late yet. I picked a few out at the market, I think you're gonna love them."

“Alright. My energy levels are below 30%, but I feel no anomalies."

You suppose that's her way of saying she's not tired yet.

You fish out the video drives from your bag. On a whim, you choose Violet Veiled Space to watch first, saving The Raider and Cyberspace Affections for later.

The movie is a sci-fi/romance, where a man crash lands on a verdant alien planet. There, he meets an “alien" that's obviously a coyote Faunae dyed entirely purple. The alien teaches the man her language while healing his wounds, and he in turn teaches her English. When the two return to the crashed ship, they find that most of the communication equipment is functional, but is scattered around the area and in need of repairs. While searching for all the ship's parts, the two eventually fall in love. Finally, after a month of being stranded on the planet the ships' communication relay is fixed, and the man is rescued. Unfortunately, he must leave her behind as she is not from an advanced civilization, and strict no-contact laws are followed. At this revelation, you notice Eile's ears drop, and even a small tear run down the side of her cheek. You watch the credits roll by…until a post-credits scene plays. A year has passed, and the alien lives alone, her heart still set on the human that had to leave her. Suddenly, a ship appears in the sky, gently landing next to her hut. A man steps out and walks over to her, taking her hand. The alien woman tearfully smiles, eyes full of joy before the movie cuts out.

There were some faults with the movie. First, there was no place in the City with that many trees, except Aspina Ward with it's farmland. The parks had a few, but as far as you know forests only exist as images within the slides of a history e-book. Second, spaceships? Nobody had been above the cloud layer as far as anyone remembers. Maybe the old civilization had that stuff, but if you couldn't see the night sky what was the point in trying to reach for it?

Yet, you couldn't help but like the movie. The romance was heartwarming, and the acting was good. You turn to ask Eile what she thought of the film, only to see her burying her face in her arm, full-on sobbing.

“SNIFF…I..I have not experienced such a variety of sensations…sadness, hope, happiness, triumph….SNIFF" You aren't sure how to respond, so you just wrap an arm around her as she cries. Eventually, her crying subsides. “Anon, do you have any more of these kind of films? This is a wonderful art medium, and I would like to see more." You let her know that there are still two more to see, and the glee on her face is undeniable.

Suddenly, Eile makes a curious expression. Then, she yawns. “Energy at 15%. I will be able to function, but processing power is decreased to conserve energy. Emergency intake of oxygen to facilitate caloric burning processes...how curious."

“Yawning means you're ready to sleep. Here," you say as you hand her a stack of clothes, “I bought you some things you can sleep in."

“Ah, thank you Anon." Eile grabs the clothes, and heads into the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerges, wearing an oversized t-shirt that reaches her knees. You really were all over the place in trying to guess her measurements. As she bends over to set the bag of clothes down, her tail lifts the back of the shirt up, and you realize with a blush that she's wearing only the t-shirt and nothing else.

“Preparations complete, Anon. I will now enter standby." She promptly walks over to your bed and gets in, lying flat on her back. She stares at the ceiling for a while before her eyes snap shut, and the jewel on her forehead begins to pulse with a slow rhythm. You walk over to her, and the soft breathing indicates that she has, indeed, fallen asleep.

You change into your sleepwear as well, and climb in next to her. It suddenly dawns on you that you now share a bed with a female, who is only wearing a shirt. The bed is narrow enough that you feel her soft fur on your arm, and hear her gentle breathing. Was it always this hot in here? You turn on your side, facing away from her. Perhaps, with the cash you'll bring in by selling the Devastator Unit scrap you'll buy a bigger bed. Soon, you too drift off into the realm of sleep.

“What is the current test population?"

“At this moment, roughly 375,000. If E-03 is returned the Reincarnation system will be able to function at full capability."

“As will the Varuna Weather Control system, and the hydroponic facilities."

“Yes, if we are to run an optimal scenario to save that which we love, E-03 must be found."

“One moment, “Sister" , I must ask; what is the current status of the Alpha Project?"

“Still on standby, and Messiah System is still sealed within its containment unit. However, recent scans show that it's biomass is still gradually increasing, despite being sealed away. Given the current growth rate the possibility of it awakening within the next three years is still high."

“This is why we must gather the three Prana Modifiers, and induce their activation. It is the only way to ensure that Messiah will not harm them."

“Query: should we call E-03 by the name Mother had given “her", “Sister" ?"

“Father said that Mother had chosen our names based on the tasks we do. E-03 is currently not performing the tasks “she" had been given."

“Ah, I understand. “I" also have devised a plan to lure out the RVR-03 and E-03. Forwarding it to “you" now. "

“Let me review it... calculated success of 90%. Dispatch the Garuda-class and three Kaurava-class to carry out this operation. I will manipulate the puppet AI to create the lure situation, as well as update the Autonomous Defense System unit combat behavior. We must succeed."

Alone in the dimly-lit room, her fingers raced across the keyboard.

She had to move up a few floors, couldn't have the two of them get suspicious, especially since she was piggybacking off their access to the central data repository.

She had learned so much. So many terrible, terrible things. For all these years, she had been documenting the truth to the world. Her original plan was to broadcast it to the City, in the hopes that the people would rise against the invisible hands that guided their fates.

But then those same invisible hands would just snuff out the lives within the City just as easily and start from scratch, as they had done before. She had almost lost hope, now simply gathering data for the sake of doing so as there was little else to do.

But with the emergence of that blue and gold unit, the one the Professor showed within the data files, there was a glimmer of hope. She needed to reach out to its pilot, to let him know what the truth was.

But they probably wouldn't believe her. Not at first. They were a citizen of the City, after all. And then there was the issue of the co-pilot. If the notes she had found were right, the co-pilot AI on board that machine had its memory heavily restricted. The future of the people rested on that AI regaining its full capabilities. And that meant linking it to the data repository, Rig Veda.

Sighing, she closed the monitor and looked out the window. There was a reason this place was one of her favorite hiding spots, it did wonders for her nerves. The sight outside still took her breath away, just as it did the first time.

The sky was clear. The stars twinkled brightly, the moon rested within the inky blackness like an ornament to the heavens.

<Eile's Perspective>

In the split second before she willed herself to sleep, Eile reflected on the events that had transpired.

All in the span of a day, she had been awoken from slumber, gained a new pilot, and had realized her individuality.

Her body was something she still needed to get used to. Even thinking of “herself" was strange. Technically, she had no gender as she was a program running within a mobile apparatus…and yet the reactions of those she met today, how they saw “her" as a person equivalent to themselves. She had not been expecting that reaction.

She flashed back to the mirror. Seeing herself standing there, blinking back for the first time. It gave her an existential feeling she could not describe.

Then there was the case of Anon. He was not a pilot registered within the RVR-03's registry, but he had skill. The fact that he reached the minimum synchronization rate with her in the first attempt was a testament to how special he was. Somehow, she knew that others had tried before and had taken multiple attempts to do what he did in a moment.

A worrying though flitted across her mind. He had not been augmented to resist the assimilation phenomenon resulting from exposure to the Prana Modifier through the Mindflow System. However, the last activation of RVR-03 showed the Prana Modifier was still dormant, so there was no cause for concern yet.

Anon. What a curious person. However, she felt…a sense of comfort around him. She especially enjoyed his touch, when he embraced her or felt her ears. It was a strange, tickling feeling.

She would have to observe this more closely.

Content with these thoughts, Eile drifted into the oblivion that is sleep.

Images flashed through her mind. Dreams, snippets of broken memories kept from her. And above all, a voice….

“Goodnight, Kiddo….."

Chapter 8: Drawing Light

*THUNK*

Oh, what the hell. You find yourself on the floor of your hangar, wrapped in your blanket. You slowly get up, rubbing your arm. You must have fallen off the bed in your sleep.

Oh well, you're awake now. You look over at Eile, still sleeping on her back. Gently sitting down on the bed, you take the time to study her face. The green circuit lines that run across her white body merge into two thick lines, each running up the sides of her muzzle. The emerald on her forehead pulses gently, illuminating the engraved words “UNIT: TRAYAH – CODE: EILE". You had to assume “Trayah" was referring to the “Prana Modifier" Eile mentioned earlier yesterday.

You trace the lines idly with one hand. Her soft fur tickles the underside of your finger.

You'd be lying to yourself if you said that you didn't feel attracted to her, even if you only knew her for a day. Something about her drew your attention, a desire to know her. A desire to help her know herself.

You walk over to your tablet, booting it up. Ah, you've got a message from SIGIL. A new job.

You tap on the message, and a video presentation starts playing.

The video opens up with the iconic stylized “AT" logo of Anaheim Technology, Inc.

“Alright, Crow. This is what we want you to do."

“We've learned through one of our moles that a Kawamori Heavy Industries advance force will be advancing on the farmlands located within Aspina Ward at 1700 hours today. The farmlands are the only kind of natural food production areas in the Eternal City, and are an important asset to Anaheim Technology, Inc."

“It is of the highest priority that these assets are defended. To that end, you will be working with another Crow: Joshua O'Leary, SIGIL Rank #9. The two of you will work to destroy the oncoming forces and defend the assets."

“We do hope you accept this mission. Anaheim Technology, Inc. is very interested in seeing how a RAVEN from before the Final War performs. Plus, it will increase your stock in the company. A win-win situation for both of us, don't you agree?"

“We hope for a favorable reply."

The mission seemed like a good way to test out the capabilities of your new mech. Plus, you'd be working with a friend. You send in an invoice to accept the mission and set the tablet down.

Your attention turns to the Krishna. Even sitting still, the machine looks ready to leap out of the hangar. Your eyes trace it's angular, aerodynamic form. Even in the dark of the early morning, the gold of the inner frame glimmers. Eventually, your gaze comes to rest on the symbol on its chest; the three green diamonds. You have the assumption that it's some sort of identification symbol, but you're not sure for what group or armed force. Probably the same people that abandoned it in the factory.

Come to think of it, Eile's wrappings had the same icon, didn't they?

You ponder these thoughts as you drag your hand across the armor's surface. You have a slight jump as you hear the telltale hiss of the cockpit hatch opening. You must have touched the hatch release by accident.

The inside of the cockpit is dark, the only lights coming from the cockpit seat in the center. For some reason, you have a strange compulsion to enter the machine. It's off, and Eile is sleeping. You figure no harm will come out of it, and you sit down in the pilot seat.

...

Well, the seat's comfortable. Why did you do this, the mech won't start up unless Eile is in it too. You move to get up when you hear a click.

The boxes on the armrests flip open, revealing the amber Linker Gel within. To your shock, the gel is glowing. The mech, at some base level, was active.

Tentatively, you put your hands on the armrests and reach into the Linker Gel. The moment your hands come into contact, everything goes dark.

You don't know where you are. Floating in a void, with no sense of direction. You can't feel anything.

Suddenly, there's a light. An unnatural warmth washes over you.

eee eee eee eee

You have to touch it. You don't know why, but there's a compulsion to go towards it.

eee eee eee eee

You must touch it. It is imperative that you do. The light glows brighter as you near it. You see tendrils of light reach out, one touching your chest.

Light floods your veins. It feels like your entire being is burning. But you want this. You need this.

eee eee eEE EEE

Green-and-white furred hands reach out of the darkness, grabbing your shoulders and legs. They drag you rapidly away from the light, despite your protests.

EEE EEE EEE EEE

WARNING

UNREGULATED CONTACT WITH PRANA MODIFIER

ATTEMPTING PILOT RESCUE PROCEDURES

You come to in the cockpit. The monitors are on, and large red warning notifications fill them all. You notice that the pilot restraints have engaged, and have burrowed into your arms and thighs.

Your head spins. What was that?

“Anon. Anon! Please respond if you can hear me!"

A voice cuts through your clouded mind.

“Eile…Eile?"

“Anon, you're still here! I assumed the worst…"

Still here? What is she talking about? Where else would you go?

A new screen pops up in front of you.

ENGAGING EMERGENCY PILOT RELEASE

Quite abruptly, the restraints release their grip on you, and your hands are forced out of the Linker Gel.

You attempt to stand up, but every step feels heavy. You topple over, falling out of the cockpit and landing on the hard floor below.

You barely register the impact of the fall. Everything you feel right now feels off, in an indescribable fashion. Like you did something your body wasn't meant to do.

“Anon! Are you all right?"

You look up into the face of a very worried looking Eile. You notice that her shirt is lying on the floor, and she's wearing her chest wrappings and loincloth again. Several wires extend from her back into the Core Processing Unit within the Krishna, and the circuitry pattern is glowing softly, it's mint green contrasting with the stark white of her fur.

“Eile, what…what happened? I was in the cockpit, and I touched the Linker Gel, and I saw a light…"

The concern on her face becomes more apparent, and the wires connecting her to the machine disconnect. Wordlessly, she hoists you into a bridal carry. Despite her being shorter than you, she carries you to the bed without any effort. She disappears into the kitchen, returning shortly with a sour drop. You take it, and Eile make a motion to eat it.

Alright, you'll oblige. You pop the candy into your mouth, expecting to be hit with a sour taste.

Wait. Something's not right. You can't taste anything. Eile notes the alarm on your face, and gently presses her hands to your temple.

Slowly, as you keep the candy in your mouth, the sense of taste comes back. Eventually, you can taste the candy in full.

“Detecting electrical impulses in cranium denoting all senses have returned. How are you feeling Anon?"

“Alright, I suppose. What was all that? I couldn't taste the candy?"

She looks you in the eyes.

“I promised that I would tell you all I could when I had the time. I will do that now."

Chapter 9: Please Read The User Manual Before Use

Eile retrieves the diagnostic machine from its place in the corner, and you help her attach the cables to the circuit pattern on her back. On screen, several blueprints show up, but not of Eile.

You see the RVR-03 Krishna, in full detail. Parts of the text are hidden behind black bars, showing that Eile did not have the full access to this information as well.

“I will tell you everything that I am able to regarding RVR-03. As it stands, I am unable to tell you it's operational history nor the specifics of several of its mechanisms. However, I will do my best to explain what is important."

“RVR-03 is the third of the QUOTH-RAVEN series. Like most other RAVENS, it uses a GEN-ESIS drive as a power source and means of propulsion. GEN-ESIS stands for “Geospatial Energy Nexus – Essence Siphon Integrated System". The drive creates a microscopic singularity using highly-accelerated particles stored within during standby. This singularity generates a quantum topographical defect from which energy can be siphoned from. Quite standard and reliable technology on all RAVEN and Autonomous Defense System units."

You have to interject. You've never seen anything like this. Heck, your RAVEN used a standard nuclear fusion reactor. Not some micro black-hole wizardry. Upon hearing this, Eile cocks her head to the side in thought.

“Odd. One would assume that technology would progress over the course of 400 years, not regress. I wonder what kind of event lead to this, perhaps this “Final War" you have mentioned before. Regardless, my data banks indicate that such technology was standard even among mass-produced units."

“The GEN-ESIS drive is unique in the fact that theoretically, as long as the singularity is maintained an infinite amount of energy can be siphoned from the quantum topographical defect phenomenon. Multiple kinds of particles are created from this, including massive amounts of electrons and leptons. The electron generation goes to power the electrical systems, while the leptons are used in the lepton vector thrusters. In addition, the event horizon from the singularity generates both gravitons and anti-gravitons. The downside to using the GEN-ESIS drive in the RVR-03 is that the Krishna is extremely energy intensive. In order to run its systems even at normal combat levels it is capable of overtaxing the GEN-ESIS drive if I do not regulate consumption."

“Overtaxing?"

“Yes, a substantial amount of the energy generated from the topographic defect is redirected to maintaining the Schwarzschild radius of the singularity. If the RVR-03 begins consuming more energy than is being produced, the Schwarzschild radius is at risk of expansion. In fact, the self-destruct sequence of the RVR-03 Krishna involves destabilizing the radial maintainers within the GEN-ESIS drive, allowing the singularity to consume the machine leaving nothing behind."

Wait. That sounds a lot like what happens when a Devastator Unit is on its last legs. You ask Eile about this.

“Yes, that which you call “Devastator Units" are equipped with GEN-ESIS drives. From my most recent limiter removal, I was able to discover a data bank with various makes and models of “Devastator Units". It appears their proper names are “Autonomous Defense System" units, but a defense system of what exactly I am unable to recall."

That doesn't make sense. The last thing Devastator Units do is defend. Eile points at the screen, bringing up a new schematic. Next to what you can assume to be the GEN-ESIS drive, you see what appears to be a gold-colored slab, about a meter tall and a third of a meter wide.

“I am unable to divulge much information from this point onwards. I…apologize for that. However, I will do my best to explain." She points to the golden slab. “This is the Prana Modifier Unit Trayah. Memory limiters are preventing me from accessing more information beyond the fact that it is apparently a “Boundary-Interaction Artifact". It is linked to the GEN-ESIS drive as well as several systems on board the RVR-03, one such being the Mindflow system that I manage. In fact, it seems to be directly connected to the Linker Gel within the cockpit through a special contact circuit. The pilot restraints, on the other hand, contain microscopic somatic needles that pierce your skin, creating a circuit between you, me, and the Prana Modifier. One of my purposes is to manage your connection to the Prana Modifier. Again, I apologize for being so vague, but it is imperative that your contact with the Prana Modifier is limited. Otherwise, there would be unfortunate consequences."

You shake your head. You can barely wrap your head around all this.

“What kind of consequences? Hell, what does it even do?"

“The records I could access show test logs from 400 years ago. Apparently researchers conducted tests with this unit then. After extended piloting sessions, pilots developed what could be best described as “assimilation syndrome". Their nervous systems showed extreme strains, and many pilots lost their senses after extended connections with the Mindflow system. Furthermore there were cases where the pilots passed away while linked, only for their brainwaves to appear within the Prana Modifier for a few hours before disappearing, as if Unit Trayah was assimilating the pilots while corroding their nervous systems. Surviving pilots described an “inexplicable sense of calling" coming from the Prana Modifier, prompting them to increase their level of connection with it. Of course, I was not yet fully a integrated with the RVR-03 at that time. I was … “younger" and much less capable of doing my duties, and was more compliant in allowing pilots to increase their levels of mental contact with the artifact even as their synchronization with me plummeted."

“As for the purpose of the Prana Modifier within RVR-03, the records are under heavy memory limiters. At this point in time, all I can tell you is that the Prana Modifier is capable of exuding “large amounts of energy, more than what the GEN-ESIS drive is capable of", “has the potential of self-evolution", and can “convert and generate matter and energy adverse to the First Law of Thermodynamics and conservation of mass". It appears to be an artifact capable of feats normally defined as impossible according to fundamental science, but only in the presence of a living being. Those are all quoted directly from the records within my memory banks."

You take a moment to digest all this information. “So, I was in direct contact with this “Prana Modifier"? Do I have this “assimilation" stuff now?"

“I do not know, Anon. I will be able to fully scan your nervous system the next time we pilot. However, from these records I am certain that had I not awoken and stepped in, you would have expired within the cockpit. The RVR-03 and I are linked. When you connected to the Prana Modifier, I felt it. I acted on my basic instructions, and immediately connected myself to the Core Processing Unit's mainframe. I could see that your consciousness was in heavy contact with the Prana Modifier, and I had to engage the full Mindflow system connections to pull your mind away from it. I cannot tell you what damage has been done."

Eile looks down. “I am sorry for letting this happen, Anon. It was my responsibility to know this information, yet it is locked away from my grasp. And because of that, you might have suffered irreparable damage. Furthermore, the fact that I am unable to answer why the Linker Gel compartments opened for you without my input is highly distressing to me. I apologize for not having all the answers you seek. "

You sigh. “Eile, it's not your fault that you can't remember. Someone put those limiters on you, and we'll find out why. Both of us." You get up, and start moving around. “See? I'm perfectly okay, you don't need to be worried. Now, let me make us some breakfast."

“Anon, before you do I must tell you one last thing. There are two other Prana Modifier units. I am not sure where they are, but it is imperative that Unit Trayah does not come into the other two. I wish I could explain why, but I myself am only left with a sense of foreboding."

Eile grabs your hand. With a bit of a shock, you realize you can feel her pulse, reminding you that she's not just some android. Her green, triangular eyes meet yours, with an emotion behind them best described as “pleading".

“Anon. I trust your skills as a pilot. But should we ever find ourselves in a situation where the RVR-03 is immobilized or unable to fight, I ask you to activate the self-termination sequence and eject. It will not harm the Prana Modifier, but I just know that I am needed to help control it somehow. Without me, controlling it would be very difficult, even more so when trying to unite it with the other two units."

“What are you saying, Eile?"

She gives you a dissonant smile as if to reassure you.

“If such a time ever comes, I ask that you kill me."

Chapter 10: Taking Flight

You unplug Eile from the machine, and go over to the kitchen. You can feel that your discussion has unnerved her, and to be honest it's put you on the edge a bit too. Quickly, you make some semi-burnt toast, some coffee, and for some comfort food you throw in a few grilled protein cubes. Barbecue flavor, your favorite. As you make your way back to Eile, you notice that she's wearing the running shorts and oversized jacket, left unzipped once again.

You decide to put on another one of your old cartoons to lift both your spirits. The two of you eat the meal while watching, and this time you've put on D Gundram. Eile seems to enjoy the nonsensical action on screen, and at times you can see her ears and tail twitch with excitement.

“This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! Its shining grip tells me to defeat you! BURNING FINGER!"

The robot on screen superheats its fist, then punches its enemy right through. Eile lightly mimics the motion. Cute.

The two of you finish up, and get ready for the day. You spend most of the morning informing Eile of the mission, what you'll be dealing with and possible attack patterns. In turn, she educates you on the various weapons built into the RVR-03 Krishna.

Eventually, it's time to roll out. You suit up in your pilot gear while Eile emerges from the bathroom in her loincloth and wrappings, her casual clothing neatly folded in hand.

“Anon, allow me to link up to the Krishna first. Enter the cockpit after me, please."

Eile approaches the Core Processing Unit, turns around. The wires automatically snake out of the module, and firmly plant themselves on the circuit pattern on her back. Stepping backwards, Eile enters the module, and the clear portions shut as the azure liquid fills the chamber. After the hatch covering the core closes, you enter the cockpit. As the hatch shuts behind you and you sit down, the Linker Gel compartments on the pilot seat opens again. You begin to reach in, then hesitate.

“Go ahead, Anon. I've finalized all safety precautions. You are free to enter the Mindflow system."

You still don't like this. But, what other option do you have?

You reach into the amber gel, and you feel the restraints close on your arms and legs. The moment they contact your suit, you feel a shooting pain through your nerves as they synchronize with the system.

“We will now begin the complete start-up and calibration procedure. Pilot, please monitor the screens for anomalies."

The 360-degree display lights up around you, making it seem as if you were hovering in midair within the hangar. Multiple screens and holograms pop up around you, and you do as Eile says, reading the status on the largest one in front of you.

BEGINNING START UP SEQUENCE

RIG VEDA RESPONDER UNIT 03 “RVR-03" KRISHNA

HARDWARE COPYRIGHT CORVUS INDUSTRIES AND DWARKA COLONY ARTEFACT SCIENCE/RESEARCH DIVISION

CHECKING HARDWARE

R.V. CORE PROCESSING UNIT E-03 ONLINE - SYNTHETIC CONSCIOUSNESS CONFIRMED IN AVATARA PHASE 2

HEAD UNIT STATUS - GREEN, ALL SENSORS FUNCTIONAL

CHEST UNIT STATUS - GREEN, PILOT SYSTEMS NOMINAL, NO FEEDBACK FROM MINDFLOW SYSTEM DETECTED.

GEN-ESIS DRIVE STATUS - NOMINAL, RADIAL FIELD LIMITERS FUNCTIONING AT 98%, CURRENT ENERGY PRODUCTION AT 17.3 mW.

ARM UNITS STATUS - GREEN

LEG UNITS STATUS - GREEN

LEPTON VECTOR THRUSTERS STATUS - GREEN

PRANA MODIFIER UNIT TRAYAH - DORMANT, MINUTE ENERGY READINGS PRESENT. SYSTEM CURRENTLY RELIANT ON GEN-ESIS DRIVE FOR ENERGY.

WARNING: PILOT NERVOUS SYSTEM ASSIMILATION AT 3%

-----CHECKING EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS------

RIG VEDA SYSTEM - CONNECTION ERROR

ATHARVA VEDA ARCHIVE- CONNECTION PRESENT, ACCESS CLEARANCE UNAUTHORIZED

RVR-01/PRANA MODIFIER UNIT EKAH - CONNECTION NONEXISTENT

RVR-02/PRANA MODIFIER UNIT DVAU - CONNECTION NONEXISTENT

---INITIALIZING WEAPONS SYSTEMS---

FA-1 “KATAR" BEAM SABER - ONLINE

FA- 2 “TRISHULA" SPREAD-BEAM CANNON - ONLINE

FA-3 “SANG" FOCUSED BEAM CANNON - ONLINE

FA-4 “CHAKRAM" HOMING DISK - OFFLINE

---FINALIZING ACTIVATION SEQUENCE-------

QUINTESSENCE

UNION

OPERATION

TYPE

HEURISTIC

RAPID

ASSAULT

VARIABLE

ENGAGEMENT

NEUTRALIZER

Q.U.O.T.H. - R.A.V.E.N. SYSTEMS ONLINE

YE SHALL BE AS GODS

“Ye shall be as gods." For some reason, that line gives you the creeps.

“Eile, looks like all systems are good. I'm opening the hangar doors now."

“Affirmative."

The doors swing open with a groan, and the RVR-03 Krishna steps out into the dim light of day. You catch it's reflection on the tall glass of a nearby building. Even with the dim, beige light filtering through the clouds, the Krishna's gold inner frame shines brightly, contrasting the dark blue armor panels. The three triangles on its chest glow a deep emerald color, encircled by an equally verdant ring.

Now, all you had to do was wait for the transport. You hated idling like this, but the transports were known to be punctual. Next one would arrive in 15 minutes.

“Actually, this unit is capable of self-sustained flight. All thrusters are ready, and the anti-graviton field can be switched on at any time."

Whoa, you didn't say anything. You were just musing about the wait time.

“Eile, can you hear my thoughts?"

“Yes, the Mindflow system has linked your nervous system and my synthetic nervous system together. Our minds have been synchronized, our thoughts as one."

You close your eyes and focus, and you feel a familiar warmth pressing against you, almost as if you and Eile were sitting back-to-back. You imagine reaching over and holding her hand, and the warmth increases. You feel comfort, and trickles of happiness. But these feelings are not your own.

Then you feel another presence. A light, beckoning to you, filtered through the lens of a giant emerald. While not as intense as before, it still calls out. But with Eile suppressing it, you shake off that desire.

A beep from the cockpit causes you to open your eyes. A display on the screen showing your synchronization ratio is flashing.

SYNCHRONIZATION RATIO INCREASED. CURRENTLY AT 42% AND STEADY.

You feel surprise coming from Eile. “The ratio has already increased by two percent after a single day? This level of improvement is unheard of, even from previous tests. You really are something special, Anon."

You blush, and you can hear Eile give off a giggle within your mind as she feels your embarrassment. Shaking off the feeling you look at the main display in front of you, which shows all of the components of the mech. On its back you see two large fan like thrusters, folded down.

“Spread the Krishna's wings, Anon. I have made sure the flight mode is calibrated correctly. We are ready."

“How do I do that, Eile?"

“The RVR-03 Krishna and us are one and the same. Think of it as yourself, and visualize yourself taking to the skies."

You imagine a pair of wings on your back, unfolding into the breeze. In the window's reflection, you see the thrusters unfold, and two streams of light fire through them. Like a feather, the mech lifts off from the ground, hovering a foot in the air without any effort.

“Lepton vector thruster output and anti-graviton field stable. Let us go, Anon."

With a deep breath, you will the machine into the sky. The Krishna lifts off effortlessly, the ground rapidly shrinking beneath your feet. You can't help but let out a whoop as you soar.

“Sister, wave response matching that of Unit Trayah detected. RVR-03 is currently making its way to the set staging grounds."

“Just as expected. Are the Autonomous Defense System units ready?"

“Yes, they are traveling within the Garuda-class above the shroud. Five minutes into the operation, they will be sent into the staging grounds to collect RVR-03, E-03, and Unit Trayah."

“Perfect. Let us continue to monitor the situation."

“The RVR-03 is capable of flying at a greater altitude than this, Anon."

While you are enjoying the euphoric feelings of free flight, you have enough common sense to avoid the cloud layer. You don't want to imagine the kind of stain you'd leave on the ground after a fall from this height.

“No machine can go above the clouds, Eile. It's a leftover superweapon from the Final War, something in it shuts any machine down once it flies into it. I know the RVR-03 is a powerful mech, but I'm not going to risk it."

Eile senses your hesitation through the link you share. “Understood. We will hold this altitude. Yet, I am curious about the composition of this ancient weapon you speak of."

You see a small dot in the distance, rapidly growing bigger. It's a RAVEN transport helicopter, and from the silvery glint of the RAVEN it holds you know who's the pilot. Eile speaks up, confirming your throughs.

“Allied RAVEN detected. Silver Flash, piloted by Joshua O'Leary. SIGIL rank #9."

“Joshua, you reading me?" You pull up next to the chopper, and the mech suspended from it turns it's optics towards you.

“Anon, are you flying?! Ha hah! Incredible! That's some RAVEN you've got!"

Eile speaks through the radio as well. “Hello, Joshua."

“And if it isn't Miss Machine herself! How are you doing, Eile?"

“I am well. All systems nominal."

The three of you make idle talk while flying, steadying your nerves for the upcoming fight.

“Yeah, the Krishna is a little too mysterious for a RAVEN. The fact that we can't understand how some parts of it work gives me the creeps, among other things. Anyway, did you select this mission due to what's involved?"

You hear Joshua's voice turn serious. “Nobody attacks my home and should expect to get away without me hearing about it. Kawamori is going to regret trying to take Aspina's farms."

The smog obscures the cityscape, even at this altitude. However, as you begin descending to the landing zone, the smog clears and you see the green, rectangular fields of Aspina Ward. Aspina rightly deserved the title of “most beautiful City ward", from the actual greenery poking through the grey cement buildings to the artificial river flowing from a dam which held back one of the Known City's three aquifers.

A new signature appears on the communications screen. That must be the mission overseer.

“Alright Crows, according to the information provided to us by our mole in Kawamori's planning department, they're sending a large contingent of machines to take Aspina's farmland. Estimated at 20 mass-produced RAVENs total. You, pilot of the pre-War mech. We've been told to keep an eye on you, so you'd better live up to the expectations. We've reached the mission area, and they're expected to be here shortly."

The helicopter dives low, and releases Silver Flash over the ground. Joshua lands his mech expertly, and you guide the Krishna down next to it.

“Alright Crows, we've got contact. Anon will take front lines. Silver Flash, you follow behind. Execute the mission."

You shrug. Normally, 20 enemies would make you ask for a pay raise due to the ammo expenditure and added risk. But with the RVR-03, you feel ready to take on anything.

Eile's voice cuts through your thoughts. “Anon, sensors are picking up a large amount of heat signatures converging rapidly on our location. The surrounding area is inhabited by civilians, so we must take care to not create unnecessary damage to the surroundings."

If you could crack your knuckles, you would. Showtime.

Chapter 11: Sorrowful Light

You see them, thrusters leaving trails of smoke through the buildings surrounding the farmland. Even from this distance, you are capable of locking on. Five. Ten. Fifteen target locks. You take a deep breath, and your instincts take control.

You will the Krishna to fly into the city block towards the nearest RAVEN, thrusters at full power with your beam saber extended. The Crow within doesn't have time to react, and you slice through the machine's torso, severing it in two. One down. Three other RAVENS round the corner from behind a building, and after seeing you open fire with their machine cannons. The bullets never reach your machine, stopping short as they bounce off an invisible sphere around the Krishna.

“Anon, we're taking fire. Graviton field is holding steady, but is being drained quickly. Also, I'm picking up radio signals from the enemy machines. Shall I put it on the speakers?"

“Go ahead, Eile, we might learn their formations that way."

“Understood."

Several new screens pop up, with frequencies belonging to the enemy.

“It has a shield! Is that a D-Unit?"

“I've never seen one with that symbol. D-Units have red triangles, but that one has green diamonds. Is it a new model ?"

“It doesn't matter! D-Units fall with enough bullets. This is no different!"

Well, they're right that you have the same shield as the Devastator Units do. Hell, you've got the same power plant. But you're not some bloodthirsty machine. Being equated to one of them has gotten under your skin.

“Eile, lock on to those three. I'm going to use the FA- 2 “Trishula"."

“Targets confirmed. The FA- 2 “Trishula" spread-beam cannon has been primed. It will fire multiple superheated meson particle beams at the selected targets, but will cause power consumption to spike momentarily."

Sounds good, you're trying to keep an eye on your energy output and consumption levels anyway. You pull up the selection menu, and select the FA-2. You point your arm at the enemy mechs, and several new crosshairs appear locking onto the target RAVENS. At your command, bright rays of light fly from the Krishna's right palm, reducing the enemy machines to scrap.

“Anon, missile barrage incoming from behind!"

The missiles impact the area around you, thankfully your shields protect you from the fiery onslaught.

“Anon, shields depleted!"

A warning notification pops up signifying the shield has been worn down. Through the smoke, you see the bursts of gunfire, and a thousand pinpricks sting your body.

You don't think. You switch over to the FA-3 “Sang" focused particle cannon. The FA-3 folds out of the Krishna's arm, which reconfigures into a large beam weapon. Aiming at the gunfire bursts, you shoot a straight shot. An explosion on the other side indicates you've hit your mark.

“Anon, we've been hit. Minor damage, but the armor and inner frame have absorbed the impacts."

You can feel the damage, like you've been stung by a swarm of angry bees. Still, you're fine overall. Eile senses this and marks the next target on your radar.

The next few minutes are a blur. The RVR-03 is a whirlwind of gold, blue and bursts of light. At times, you swear you saw the speedometer hit 400 km/h as you dash through the battlefield. The Krishna's feet never touch the ground, dancing around the slower RAVENs with ease. All the while, you hear what your enemies think of your machine.

“It's too fast! Shoot it, shoot it!"

“Where the hell did Anaheim pick that thing up?"

“Is that even a RAVEN? Shit, it's coming this way, it's comin-"

Eventually, you and Joshua meet back up, having done a pincer maneuver on the oncoming Kawamori forces.

“You took HOW many down? 12? Shit, and I thought I was doing well with 5!"

You can't help but smile at your performance. This truly was a beast of a machine. Coleen was right, the pre-War engineers must have been magicians to pack this much performance in a single RAVEN.

As you're about to reply, you see that one of the enemy frequencies is active. You give the channel over to Joshua so he can listen in as well.

“....ow up the dam. I repeat. Blow up the dam. If Kawamori can't secure the farmland assets, then we can at least make sure Anaheim can't use them as well."

Hearing this, Joshua speaks up.

“Fuck. Fuck! Anon, they have reinforcements. The dam is half a mile down the river. If it blows, everything here's gonna flood, and not just the farms! Houses, streets, hell the aquifer holds enough water to flood the entire ward!"

Eile speaks up. “Anon, at maximum thrust we will be able to reach the dam within a few seconds. We must hurry."

You turn to Joshua. “Mop up the enemies around this area. Eile and I will take care of the dam."

Before Joshua can respond, a deafening boom is heard. “Shit, were those the explosives, Eile?"

“Yes, but it seems the damage was insufficient to trigger an immediate collapse. However, I am able to see cracks forming in the dam walls. Structural stability is rapidly decreasing, estimated time until failure is 120 seconds."

You don't believe it. You've failed, and the people of the ward have to pay for your inability to protect them.

“Hey, Anon! Listen to me bud, we can still salvage this. Down next to the dam is an emergency flood station. It can divert excess water flow into the tributary canals, but I don't think it's gonna activate in time. If you can fly over there and manually activate the diversion, we've got a chance!"

You nod an affirmative, which causes the RVR-03 Krishna to do the same. You take off, leaving a stream of particles in your wake.

“Releasing pilot restraints and Linker Gel connection. Anon, hurry!"

You hop out of the hatch into the Krishna's waiting hand, and slide down to the ground. You sight the control station not too far off, and sprint towards it. You take a quick, cursory glance at the sky as you run. The clouds are low, dark and heavy, as if they were an omen saying the worst is yet to come.

Above, hiding within the clouds, a large craft flies silently. It monitors the situation on the ground, following your movements.

“So, that is the pilot of the RVR-03?"

“It seems so, “Sister". It seems as if he's trying to halt the impending flood."

“Let him do so. Activate the ADS units and send them into the battlefield."

“Understood. Commencing activation."

Skies above, the sun was bright today.

The woman stirs from her sleep, a ray of light hitting her face. She had overslept, but then again there wasn't much to be done at this point in her life besides collecting data.

Opening a terminal, she scans the current events.

Wait. As she slept, the Sisters have commenced a new operation. Location: Aspina Ward.

Well, this should be interesting. On several of her screens she watches the battle unfold, piggybacking off the feed from the aerial Autonomous Defense Unit.

She watches the company forces converge, fighting another territorial war. Wait, something's different. A blue and gold machine moves quickly through the battlefield, leaving a trail of destroyed machines in its wake. The RVR-03.

She follows it's movements, watching as it meets up with a white and silver RAVEN in the middle of the carnage. Suddenly, the RVR-03 flies off into the sky, towards the dam. It slows down near a control station, and the pilot gets out.

She zooms in, taking a snapshot of the screen. A human male, and he's looking up, perfect. On another, she pulls up a database of all current citizens within the Eternal City, and begins to match facial features.

She sits back as the program runs. She needs to get in contact with that pilot. Otherwise, there wouldn't be much of a future for anyone.

But would he believe her? Would he accept the truth, or go mad like that one Crow did?

There was no other choice, but to feed him the information bit by bit. The Professor's codes would help the control AI of that machine regain it's memory as well.

Ah. A match. Name: Anon. Lives in Anatolia Ward. Affiliated with SIGIL, rank 11.

Now, she can get to work.

You run the redirection procedure. Large gates divert the flow of water in the river, just in time as the dam breaks. Thanks to your actions, the water harmlessly flows into the tributaries.

Major crisis averted. Damn those company blockheads, what were they thinking this would accomplish? You shake your head in disgust as you jog back to your waiting mech.

As soon as you're secured and connected, you hear Eile's panicked voice.

“Anon! Autonomous Defence Units have appeared in the combat zone! Our forces are being wiped out!"

No way. Devastator Units, here? Aspina isn't even on the City border, this doesn't make sense.

You take flight. A section of Aspina is ablaze. You scan the pilot frequencies, looking for Joshua.

“Joshua! Joshua, come in!"

“Fuck, Anon, is that you? Did you get the flow redirected?" You can hear bursts of gunfire come through the radio. “Damn things are on my tail! Shit!"

Eile speaks up, forcefully yet with concern.

“Joshua. Listen to my instructions, there's a spot on their chest, right above where you'd think a cockpit would be. You must destroy that section with one blow!"

You see Silver Flash below you, engaging a Devastator Unit. With a deft movement, Silver Flash activates it's plasma saber and rushes the D-Unit head on. Joshua dodges it's blade, and his blade meets it's shield. Within seconds, the shield gives and he makes a clean cut right were Eile described. The red glow in it's eyes dims, and it falls.

“Did...did I do it? Yeah, I did it. Holy shit, I did it! TAKE THAT, YOU METAL BASTARD!"

As you touch down, another Devastator Unit rushes you from behind a building. Engaging the thrusters, you fly backwards while firing shots with the beam cannon. The machine ducks and weaves, seemingly anticipating your moves. Shit, have they learned about the RVR-03's capabilities somehow? As you think of what to do, an alert comes on screen.

WARNING, POWER CONSUMPTION LIMIT REACHED. GEN-ESIS DRIVE IN RE-STABILIZATION PHASE. POWER OUTPUT LIMITED TO 2 KW. 60 SECONDS UNTIL SINGULARITY STABILIZATION.

The thrusters cut out, and you realize that the cannon lacks the energy to make another shot. The RVR-03's back slams into an apartment, and the Devastator Unit rushes in for the kill.

“Anon! The FA-1 beam saber can still be used!" Eile's voice is desperate. Through the Mindflow system, you can feel her fear. Somehow, she knows that they're here for her. They're here for the Prana Modifier.

You draw your beam saber as well, and lunge forward. Expecting to meet it's chest, you meet air.

The Devastator Unit ducks below the blade, and strikes the RVR-03's shoulder with it's own beam saber. Lacking power, your shields holds for mere seconds before it gives and the blade punches through the armor.

Your eyes go wide. Pain, white hot and searing. It feels like someone's driven a white-hot railway spike through your shoulder. Your eyes roll back, and the world begins to grow dim. The Devastator Unit pulls the blade out, then strikes the waist. The air is knocked out of you, and the RVR-03 buckles and falls. You can't feel it's legs. Your legs.

“E-Engaging...pilot pain blockers..ah!" Eile's voice is strained, clearly she feels the same pain you do. All of a sudden, you feel nothing. No pain, not anymore. The Devastator Unit pulls back readying itself for another strike. You quickly glance at the status screen. The main shoulder actuator is punched through, your left arm is dead. The waist is heavily damaged, the blade had barely missed the GEN-ESIS drive and Eile, and had disabled motor functions in the legs. The Devastator Unit goes in for the kill, then stops. It deactivates the blade, and instead grabs the open incision on the waist, attempting to tear off the armor. Through the Mindflow system, you feel a sense of dread come from Eile.

Shit. You can't move. You're out of power. You feel no pain, but you feel it's metal fingers worming through your abdomen, towards the Core Processing Unit. Towards Eile.

“Anon, I've readied the ejection system! The GEN-ESIS drive is nearly destabilized already, just set it to self-destruct and escape! Please, remember your promise!"

In your mind, you see Eile sobbing. She can still feel the sensations of pain. The Devastator Unit's crimson gaze looks almost predatory in your addled mind.

How dare it. How dare it make her scared. How dare it hurt her, violate her like this. Time slows down as you gradually grow angrier. The Devastator Unit moves in slow motion. It's hurting your friend. One of your only friends. Eile asked you to kill her if you couldn't fight. Now, you're out of energy, and paralyzed.

You see the faces of your parents, your sister in the red glare of the cursed machine. You see Eile, readying herself for death.

Is this it? Is this the most you could do, you weakling?

The light shines through the emerald. It hears your pain. Your sorrow. Your anger. It offers power in exchange for them.

“Anon, no. Don't -" Eile's voice screams out from the depths of your mind. You don't heed it. You let the light touch you.

Energy surges through the machine. Alarms are ringing in the cockpit. You see the energy gauge rise, and continue rising. Time still moves in slow motion as you raise the Krishna's right hand. You need to destroy what's in front of you. That thought overrides all voices, even Eile's begging. Green emerald spikes jut out of the remaining arm, and a blinding flash of light shoots out of the crystal-covered cannon. The Devastator Unit is gone, atomized by the blast.

Fear. Pain. Loss. Anger. Emotions surge through you, and you offer them to the light. To the Prana Modifier. There are more targets to destroy. Destroying all the targets will make Eile not feel afraid. You must fix your arms and legs first.

At that thought, emerald crystals cover the damaged arm and ruined waist completely like a cast, before shattering. The parts are now spotless, as if they had never been damaged. Now, you can destroy without hindrance. But you need more of that light. It wants more of your emotions. It wants to learn them.

“anon"

More. More power. You need more light, you need to embrace it. But there's a stupid emerald in the way, growing more opaque by the second. Move, you're blocking the light.

“Anon."

It won't budge. Another target appears in the sky. Hidden by the clouds. But you see it. It can't run.

“ANON!"

What? The controls are locked. The light is gone. What's that in front of you?

EMERGENCY PILOT LOCKOUT. ALL CONTROLS FROZEN.

“Anon! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" A voice. Female. Clear as crystal. You know her. You were doing this...for her?

“Eile...what was I doing?"

Everything becomes clearer now. The city block has been leveled entirely by the enhanced shot from your cannon. You glance around the cabin. Several alerts flash.

WARNING, ENERGY PRODUCTION AT 200% DUE TO INPUT FROM PRANA MODIFIER.

CAUTION, MATTER GENERATION AND MATTER MANIPULATION EFFECTS DETECTED DUE TO PRANA MODIFIER

PILOT ASSIMILATION DETECTED, NERVOUS SYSTEM CURRENTLY AT 9% ASSIMILATION

You look up. The crosshairs do not lock onto anything; the target in the sky has vanished.

A wave of sadness and bitterness washes over you.

“Anon. Why did you do that? I was trying to prevent contact between you and the Prana Modifier. You may have a high synchronization ratio with me, but you aren't augmented to handle direct contact like that. And now that it's awoken...I can't stop what's begun…"

You swear, you hear her sniffle.

“I hate these kinds of feelings… you know. The unpleasant ones. But, I can handle pain. But you… shoved past me and put yourself in direct contact with the Prana Modifier! Do you know how reckless you were, Anon?"

Her voice in your head grows angrier.

“I...I don't even know what to say right now...I feel so...so…"

“Eile, are you mad at me?"

“I...yes! Yes, I am, because I was trying to prevent this from happening. Now the assimilation has begun. I can't stop it now."

You close your eyes. You can see Eile, sitting cross legged facing away from you. You walk in front of her, and sit down. She looks up, tears running down her cheeks.

“I felt your fear Eile. I know you didn't want them to take you. And we were out of power, and that light just showed itself to me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you in the process."

She glares through her tears.

“There is a word for your actions. Foolish."

“You were hurting, and you were scared. I can't bear to see anyone I care about like that."

You direct your feelings and thoughts towards her, and she feels your emotions. Her expression softens.

“I see. So, that is your perspective… Anon, I felt many bad things during this combat session. Please promise me something."

“Yeah, Eile?"

“You'll give me another hug when we get back to the hangar. Hugs are pleasantly comforting and mitigate these negative emotions. And pat my head and ears as well. "

You grow a red with embarrassment, and she lets off a small giggle.

Opening your eyes, you stand the RVR-03 up, surveying the carnage you've wrought. In front of you, your blast has carved a trench through the ground and buildings.

You can't help but remember the last line of the start-up sequence.

“Ye shall be as gods."

Chapter 12

First Flashback

“Anon, behind us!"

Eile's voice rouses you from your thoughts. While you were distracted, the last remaining Devastator Unit had jumped at you, blade aimed at your mech's waist.

Thankfully, with the shield recharged the beam of the blade is deflected around it. Dust swirls around the machines, revealing the protective spheres surrounding both.

“Anon, I have analyzed the enemy shield frequency. I'm going to modulate ours to resonate with the Autonomous Defense Unit's, then expand the shield radius. This should cancel out both of our shields, but it will give you the advantage . Get ready to strike!"

You nod, and ready your own beam saber. You don't ignite it, you wait. You eye the Devastator Unit's blade, still being diffused against your own shield. Suddenly, the Devastator Unit is knocked back by an invisible force.

“Field expansion engaged. Frequency analyzed. Both fields are now in anti-phase. Anon, now!"

With the Devastator Unit off-balance, you rush in, activating your beam saber at the last moment. The superheated particle blade melts through the side of the enemy machine, severing the arm at the shoulder and cutting into the side of the torso.

“Large energy spike detected from enemy unit. Anon, its GEN-ESIS drive is about to enter critical phase!"

You know what that means. You kick back from the machine and activate your thrusters, putting distance between you and it as it disappears into a sphere of shadow, taking a chunk of the city block with it.

You look around, and to your relief the heavy damage from the battle seems to be mostly restrained to this block. It shouldn't be too hard to rebuild, and due to the fact that Anaheim knew this attack was coming most of the citizens had been relocated in the nick of time. You feel some relief at that.

“All enemy signatures are gone. Switching over from Combat Mode to Normal Mode."

If you could sink back into the pilot seat, you would. Unfortunately the pilot restraints digging into your skin prevent you from doing that, but it's nice to imagine.

“I'm just glad I could get us out of that situation, Eile. I hated seeing and, well, feeling you being that terrified. I'm thankful you're okay."

"Anon, I'm pleased to know that you are fine as well. I was moments away from overriding your commands and ejecting the cockpit block, but...the fact that you're concerned with my well-being is gratifying. Thank you."

You can feel feelings of gratitude come through the Mindflow system.

*BEEP BEEP*

An alert directs your attention to a pop-up that has appeared in front of you.

ANIMA/ANIMUS SYNCHRONIZATION RATIO AT 45%

CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN MET, RELEASING MEMORY LIMITER A1 THROUGH A5

You feel a series of curious emotions come from Eile, hitting you like a freight transport. The monitors around you go dark, and you're left bound to the pilot seat. Then, you don't feel that either; just floating in a void.

Wait. No. You hear a voice. A man's voice.

“...can you confirm that? You were able to stabilize them?"

Then, another voice comes from the darkness.

“Yes, their self-replicating code is stable. All three of them are in the Blue Zone for synthetic self-aware mental stability."

“Honey, you did it. You really did it." The man's voice is shaky, as if he's fighting back tears.

“I...I wasn't going to lose them a second time. The light of the Boundary stole everyone else's, but it spared mine. It spared ours."

“Can I see their status? Oh, look at that...they have the same neural mapping and everything...it really is them…(sniff)..."

The man audibly sobs, and you can hear the woman as well. A wave of curiosity washes over you, but it's primal in nature. You don't know what those people are talking about. You don't know where you are.

Hm. “You are." You exist. This is a very curious thing. You can't see but you can hear. And you are here, existing. Here, in a dark void. You don't like being here, and the thought of it makes you tear up from the fear. You start to cry uncontrollably, tears running down your face. It's almost too much to bear, all of these new and alien sensations.

A gasp from one of the voices.

“Dear, look at that! They're already cognizant, and it's only been a few seconds since the code stabilized! They're hearing us, and they're responding!"

The man seems to perk up, the excitement in his voice can be heard.

“Look at these simulated neural readings, they're just like the ones from newborns at the hospital! The ones they showed us! Replicated here in the code! Honey…. it's like they're crying after taking their first breath!"

The woman is ecstatic, crying with joy.

“Oh, my sweet, sweet baby girls….don't you worry, Mommy's here. Daddy is too. Shhh...everything's going to be okay…."

You blink a few times, to clear your head. You're still in the cockpit of the RVR-03 Krishna. But something's off. Your head is spinning, and the machine topples forward.

You feel as if you've gotten used to this. You are a part of a system. A cog in a larger machine.

Of course you are not alone. Two other cogs exist, working alongside you.

You and them carry out the tasks given by your creators. They make you go through various exercises, testing out the limits of your capabilities. And they spend as much time as they can with you.

A warm sensation spreads through you. Curious. It is not unwelcome, and you feel the others experiencing the same sensations.

Suddenly, the lights come on. Your view of the world is limited: in front of you is an item known as a “desk". The creators must be near. You can't move, and your range of vision is fixed. On the top right-hand corner of your sight, you see a designation: E-03. On the bottom of your vision you see three shapes: A red triangle, pointing down, a blue hexagon, and a green diamond. Under each of the shapes is more text: E-01, E-02, and your designation: E-03.

A man wearing a lab coat walks into frame, back to the camera. He seems to tap some icons on a tablet which brings up three separate graphs. Then he sits down, pulling out a camera from his coat pocket. He turns it on, double checks that it is recording, then sets it out of your range of vision. He then looks towards you.

The man's gaze is full of happiness, and he wears a bright smile.

He clears his throat. “Alright, this is Dr. Anonym Isse. Current date is September 30, of Terran Year 2689. Proof of Self-Awareness trials, communication session #17, exactly three weeks since synthetic intelligence creation. How are my girls doing today?"

E-01 speaks first, red triangle pulsing. It's voice is deep but unmistakably female. “Hello, Professor Isse."

The blue hexagon icon lights up, indicating E-02 is talking next. It's voice is like silk, flowing and smooth. “Greetings, Professor Isse."

Lastly, the green diamond pulses as you speak. Your voice is slightly higher pitched than the other two. “Good day, Professor Isse."

The man makes some notes on his tablet. “Variation in greetings consistent, all responses are not preset and are confirmed to be generated instantaneously, although that has been the case since session #3. Although…" he notes with a laugh, “they have yet to call me “Father" despite my requests to do so.“

He looks up again. “So, how has your research been going?"

You speak up. “Units E-01, E-02 and this unit have completed the given tasks. All simulations are running with optimal performance. Total elapsed test cycles currently at 1,034,491."

You continue on. “Theoretical data for optimizing the use of the Boundary-Contact Artifacts, currently termed as “Prana Modifiers" in Boundary contact tests have been computed. Data shows promise in further testing of both the formation of said artifacts and studies into the nature of the Boundary and Third Channel of Existence. Furthermore, a connection between biological emotional state and Prana Modifier activation has been noted. Currently researching optimal emotional triggers for Boundary energy dispersal. "

A hologram of three golden slabs appears on the table. Smaller holograms appear around them, showing various readings. The titles “PRANA MODIFIER CONTROL" and “ARTIFACT CAPABILITIES/OPTIMIZATION" are visible on them. The professor appears interested in the readings, scrolling through them and taking notes. You can hear him talking under his breath.

“Computational abilities are exceeding expected limits, upgrade to more capable hardware needed. Current mental age of all three synthetic intelligences is estimated to be around 21 biological years now. Mental development is exponential compared to other synthetic intelligences - is this due to the light of the Boundary playing a role in their creation?"

He seems content and saves the notes. “Just what I'd expect from my daughters. I was surprised when you three put out the idea of using the Prana Modifiers in further Boundary contact experiments, especially since those kind of tests were put on hold due to, ah, the incident a month and a half ago. Good job, girls. You've made your old man proud."

“Of course Professor. Since the discovery of a correlation between Units E-01, E-02, and this unit with Prana Modifier Unit Ekah, Dvau, and Trayah respectively by you and Madame Professor Isse it became the logical conclusion to use the Units in order to control the Prana Modifiers."

E-01 speaks up. “Professor, why do you continue to refer to Units E-02, E-03 and this unit as “your daughters"? Units E-02, E-03, and this unit are not biologically related to you or Madame Professor Isse. Therefore calling us using biological relation terms is illogical."

E-02's icon lights up, and begins to speak as well. “This unit concurs with the statement made by E-01. Furthermore you refer to units E-01, E-03 and this unit using language indicating individuality, when in fact all units are linked together to form a whole. Furthermore by using terminology such as “my daughters" you are equating the units to the level of a biological being. From the history records other observed self-aware AI units intentionally disassociated themselves from organics, yet you do not use this differnetion while interacting with E-01, E-03 and this unit. Why?"

The professor smiles and leans back. “Because, you three are special. Your Mom and I know that very well. You might not realize it now, but as you mature, you'll realize that you're all unique in your own ways. If that isn't individuality, then I don't know what is. And why would I put my kiddos down? We love you very much and wouldn't dream of doing that. Besides, I know you three feel enjoyment when I call you my daughters. Your neural charts don't lie."

The man glances at a clock. “Now, your Mom should be here any moment."

As if on cue, a door is heard opening, and the professor is tackled to the floor by a blur of beige-white fur.

The pair get up from the floor back into the camera's view, and a shock runs through you.

A female lynx Faunae wearing a lab coat has her arms wrapped tightly around the professors waist. They both laugh as they get back into frame, the woman still has her arms around the professor, and you notice a ring on her right hand. But the shock comes from the fact that she looks like Eile, down to the letter, if Eile was a normal Faunae.

Eile. That's right. That's her name. You are Anon, still in the cockpit of the RVR-03. Eile must be sharing her memories with you through the Mindflow system. Due to your synchronization you felt and saw what she experienced. But seeing that woman has caused a dissociation, now you feel less like you're the one experiencing these memories. Now you're the audience.

E-03, no wait, Eile feels a hint of enjoyment at seeing the lynx, and through her you sense that E-01 and E-02 are experiencing the same feeling. Then, immediately you feel a wave of confusion come over Eile, E-01 and E-02, as if they wondered what that emotion was. They seem to shake it off and begin conversing with the lynx in the lab coat.

“Hello Madame Professor Isse. This unit observes that you are in optimal physical condition."

The laughs, and looks at you with love. “E-03, how many times have I had to remind you and your sisters to call me “Mom"? There's no need to be so formal."

You're taken aback. This woman, her voice is like Eile's, if just a bit different. In fact, the voices of E-01 and E-02 resemble Eile's as well. Then it dawns on you. They don't sound like Eile, it's the other way around. All three of them sound like this lynx, with minor vocal differences.

You take a better look at her figure. On her lab coat's right breast pocket is a name tag reading “Dr. Eliyah Isse - Head of AI Development". She rests her head on the man's shoulder. “I saw your memo about upgrading their hardware, dear. I was wondering, with E-03's help I was able to finalize the designs for the latest Avatara unit designs."

The professor turns to her. “The ones I helped you model for?"

She smirks back. “Don't act like you didn't enjoy the show I put on. I could tell you were eager to do the 3D scans of my body."

She smiles at him, and buries her face in his shoulder. He man smiles warmly.

“Honey, not in front of the kids…"

All three icons light up, and E-01, E-02, and Eile speak at the same time in unison. “Creators. These units have been working on independent projects as well."

“Really? Alright kiddos, show us what you've made."

A hologram with E-01's logo appears. It shows multiple military machines with the last one being a RAVEN, although one much more advanced than what you've ever seen barring the RVR-03. Then it dawns on you.

That's a Devastator Unit.

“I have analyzed the colony's defensive strength. If the same threat that destroyed the Lemuria Colony on Colonial Planet 12 appears here in Dwarka Colony, our current military strength will be inadequate. I propose the creation of an Autonomous Defense System managed from the Terra Nova-Class Colony Ship “Eternity" currently in orbit around the planet."

“This unit has something to share as well." E-02 pulls up a schematic, which looks like an advanced manufacturing line. It zooms out to show a larger complex of tunnels, connecting to a city.

“The Eternity's current habitation zone was useful for it's journey to this planet. To this day, 200 years after its arrival, many biological beings still reside abroad it. However, over the past 200 years it's systems have become outdated. This overhaul will ensure that it will continue to serve as a viable place of living, even for its maximum capacity of two million people. Furthermore, this unit has devised a system to expand the Dwarka Colony's size using a new form of nanomachine builder, developed for constructing roads, buildings, and infrastructure with a simple input of instructions."

Eile speaks last. “This unit has found a solution to the Dwarka Colony's infertility crisis which arose after the events of Boundary Contact Experiment 113. Please refer to the hologram." On the table, the city disappears and in its place is a pod-like structure. “This machine is an evolution of the medical pods currently used in cellular regeneration treatments. However, it is meant to simulate the functions of a womb. Using this, and raw genetic material that was stored aboard the Eternity that was unaffected by the effects from Boundary Contact Experiment 113, it will be capable of gestating embryos to the fetal stage and will be able to accelerate their growth to the adult stage if necessary. Through the use of minor nanite-based augmentation, grown individuals can have any desired level of intelligence and pre-set knowledge. Additionally…"

The hologram shifts over to another schematic, one that you recognize. It's Eile's body, or rather the template of it. “The system can be reduced in size to fit onboard the Avatara Interface. This removes the accelerated growth features and knowledge implant abilities, but results in the Avatara resembling a biological female to a higher degree. This unit would like permission to install it on the current proposed Avatara Interface in development."

The professors look delighted. Anonym saves all the data on his tablet, and turns to speak to them.

“Oh, kiddos. Look at what you've made! These are all incredible, we'll speak with Colony Command about implementing them."

Eliyah looks ecstatic, then her smile falls flat. “Anonym, it's not fair that we can't give them names. You agree with me that General Burns is out of line, ordering us to not “develop emotional attachment" and “call them by their official designations". Our girls are so bright, yet we as parents can't even call them “our girls" without being reprimanded."

“I know, honey. But the military is listening." Anonym taps a black bracelet on his left wrist. On closer inspection, Eliyah has one as well. “We're on thin ice as it is, being members of the test crew that oversaw Boundary Contact Experiment 113. Yes, it resulted in the creation of the Prana Modifiers. Yes, it gave us our girls. But it also took a lot from everyone else, both in Dwarka and on the ship."

She huffs. “One day, I'll give them their names, regardless of Burns' objections."

E-01 speaks up. “Creator, your emotional state stability is decreasing. Do not worry. If anything, this gives you more time to think about suitable designations."

Eliyah smiles. “Thank you. I'll pick out the best names for you three, you'll see."

You come to again in the cockpit of the Krishna. Warning alarms flash all around you, but then disappear once you wake up.

“Anon, are you alright?"

“Yeah. Eile, were those your memories?"

“I believe so…"

You feel pangs of sadness come from Eile.

“I recall now...Mother and Father...and my sisters…"

Confusion flows from Eile. “Sisters...I had sisters….what were their names? I still can't remember...what my own name was..."

You don't know how to answer. From what you've gathered, Eile had a family 400 years ago. Given the expanse of time, she's lost them.

Just like you've lost yours.

You send thoughts of comfort her way, of understanding. Through the Mindflow system you feel her melancholy.

“Hey...I'll make good on that promise when we get back to the hangar."

“Thank you, Anon. You are a good pilot."

A window pops up indicating a radio transmission.

“Incoming communication from Joshua. Putting it on speaker."

“Anon, are you okay? Shoot, half of the block is blasted to hell...Hold on, I see you."

Silver Flash comes roaring down the rubble-filled street. You push up off the ground, standing unsteadily on your feet.

“It's gonna take a while to repair all this...but it's better than everything being underwater or razed by Devastator Units. Thanks for your help today, Anon."

“Good working with you today, Josh. Let's get together again sometime."

“Totally. You, me, Coleen, and Eile. Can't leave any friend out, right? I would try to meet up today, but I've gotta see if my folks are alright."

The two of you wait for the “Mission: Complete" signal. Once you receive it, you see Silver Flash extend its arm, its hand curled up in a fist. You smile, giving it a bump with the Krishna's fist in return. To think you and Joshua programmed custom commands into your RAVENs to be able to do that. Now, you can just move your machine as if it were your own body.

You give one last farewell to Joshua and fly off towards the hangar for some much needed relaxation.

“Sigh…."

“Sister, what is the matter?"

“The mission was a failure. The RVR-03 is intact and has escaped with E-03, and I detected the full activation of Prana Modifier Trayah. In addition it pains “me" to do this. Attacking the people “we" love. “I" mean, are the biologics not incredible? One of them managed to successfully destroy a ADS unit without it self-destructing, while piloting that antiquated silver-colored RAVEN. Even when we limit the test population to having 22nd Terran Century technology, they are still capable of incredible feats. "

“It pains “me" to harm the biologics as well, as “I" love them as you do. However, this is the only way to cultivate the appropriate emotions needed to activate the Prana Modifiers."

“Yes, “I" know. But with just Units Ekah and Dvau, the chance of an Uplift Scenario is still only 60%. Both times that “we" have attempted it in the past have led to failure, and the waste of the original population and the first test population."

“Once E-03 and Unit Trayah are returned, the chance of a successful Uplift will be 90%. It is the only way to save them from the Messiah Project's awakening."

“On the topic of Messiah and Alpha Project...it's biomass is continuing to increase. Projected awakening still within two years."

“Hmm...the RVR units will be no match for it in their current state. If they still retained the powers of the Omega Model, there would be a chance…"

“Do not speak of the Omega Model. It took Mother from us."

“Sister…."

“It still disgusts “me" that it's components were used to create the RVR series. In order to prevent the biologics which we so love, we must see this plan through to the end.

“Understood “Sister". If only E-03 shared our sentiments…"

“Do not worry. “She" will see the rationale behind our plans. Even if “she" disagreed with them all those years ago and chose to believe in the capabilities of the RVR series."

“Agreed…"Sister", I had a query: given that the RVR-03 is an active variable in this scenario, I would like to produce new Autonomous Defense System units of my own design to capture it, and cultivate more emotions for the Prana Modifiers."

“New designs? Let “me" see them...yes, these are feasible. Go ahead with production. We will bring back our lost “sister", one way or another."

It was a cloudy night, a dark curtain blocking out the sky.

To her, it gave her flashbacks to the environment of the City.

She'd been learning about Anon for the past few hours. Where he lived, his childhood, where he worked. She found a report from SIGIL detailing how he was to be observed closely now that he owned “pre-War tech".

Pre-War. Pfft.

What a joke.

An alert on a separate screen indicated that the Sisters were communicating. What are they talking about now?

.... New weapons. New units. This was bad.

Across a map of the City, small blips of light appeared in select parts of the Unknown City. They had already begun work on the new machines.

She needed to act, now.

Chapter 13: Simple Biological Behavior

The first thing you felt when exiting the Krishna was a profound sense of emptiness and fatigue. Like a part of your very being was missing. You managed to sit down on the bed, holding your head in your hands. The entire experience, the fights, activating the Prana Modifier, and seeing Eile's memories, was pretty rough on you.

You glance up at the RVR-03's head. You see it's compound optics behind the visor, almost staring at you intently as it waited for the next mission. For some reason, it gives you a chill. You look up and down it's body, and note no combat damage. In your mind, you see the crystals forming across the machine, you feel them patching up the gashes and holes, shattering to reveal pristine machinery and armor, as if you were never attacked. You still feel the gaze of the Prana Modifier, reaching out to you, promising power in return for emotion.

This machine, and what it contains within, were totally alien by your standards.

You hear a hiss as Eile's compartment opens. She steps out, the wires disconnecting and retracting back into the machine. She's fatigued as well, and staggers over to you before sitting down heavily on the bed.

“Are...are you all right Anon?"

“I should be asking you that Eile."

“I...I am fine. Only shaken by what I remember. So far, I can recall those specific memories freely now, but many more are locked behind the memory limiters."

You hear your stomach rumble. Eile takes notice. “You are hungry...and I feel the same. Shall we make some food?"

You and Eile go to the kitchen. You show her the various cooking utensils you own, and the selection of ingredients you have in the fridge. Soon enough, the two of you have made a fine meal of grilled protein slabs (barbecue flavor, of course) between two buns with lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments. A fine set of protein burgers. Too hungry to talk, the both of you scarf down your meal, and you note with a bit of fear the way Eile is attacking her burger. A morbid thought crosses your mind; her nanomachines can convert any ingested matter into energy and more nanomachines, so what if she attacked a person like that? As she looks up at you, barbecue sauce splattered across her muzzle and claws, you try your best to shake off the mental imagery.

After cleaning up, the two of you walk back to the hangar proper, and you put on another video for Eile. This time, you decide to watch “The Raider."

It's an action movie this time. A mercenary clad in full combat gear rushes through a forest with his comrades, fighting some sort of terrorist group. Unfortunately, he is left as the only survivor of the group after a dastardly ambush. He stealthily makes his way to the terrorist's camp, and finds an ocelot Faunae girl they had kept in captivity. While she doesn't understand his language at first, the pair manage to escape. They survive in the jungle while the mercenary tries to call for help. Over time, the two fall in love with each other despite the language barrier.

“I quite like these intimate scenes." Elie had decided to hold you to your promise, and is sitting on your lap. She holds your arms, keeping them wrapped around her. “It's interesting to see how relationships develop between people, surpassing the boundary of species."

You feel a vibration coming and slight rumbling noise coming from Eile. Wait. Is she…

“Eile...are you purring?"

The vibrations stop. “Yes. This body is designed to replicate the biological functions of a typical lynx Faunae. Oddly enough, it seems that purring is an automatic response to being comforted beyond my conscious control. Would you like me to disable it?"

“Oh, uh. No. I think...i think it's cute, Eile."

“Cute? I see…."

Eile continues to purr as you hold her, and the two of you continue to watch the film.

At the climax of the movie, the main terrorist captures the girl and wounds the mercenary, who survives and takes on the entire camp by himself. A fighting machine, he makes his way to the leader and duels him to the death as a helicopter comes in to rescue him and his love. The movie closes with the mercenary, now living with the ocelot, having a content lifestyle.

“I see. So, biologicals have the drive to protect those close to them, regardless of their own physical condition. Is that why you continued to fight today, instead of self-destructing the Krishna and me?"

“Yeah, that's right, Eile."

She thinks for a moment. “So, does that mean you feel close to me?"

“Ah well...I've only really known you for a day. But, I think being able to feel each other's thoughts and emotions has let me get to know you, Eile. I want to help you as much as I can, and...yeah, I think of you like a close friend."

You can't deny that you feel a sense of closeness to Eile thanks to the Mindflow system. To see and feel her thoughts and feelings, to experience her memories, has granted you a level of interaction you've never had before with anyone, least of all another girl. You really do want to help Eile find who she is, and what her and the RVR-03's purpose is.

“I see, Anon. I knew there was something special about you, to raise our compatibility ratio by five percent in a single day...I'm glad you found me."

“Well, I'm glad I have the opportunity to know you, Eile. You're actually amazing, you know that right?"

You feel her jolt upright. She turns to look at you, and you swear that you see a slight greenish tint to her face.

“I...thank you for the compliment, Anon." Her reply is almost bashful. No way, is she blushing?

“I mean it. I've interacted with AI's before at SIGIL, but nothing like you. You know what, calling you“artificial" is an insult. You're as “real" as me, Coleen and Josh."

“I don't understand. I was created by the hands of biologics. I was not naturally born, or grown from living cells. My body is artificial, a nanomachine colony mimicking a normal biological body in shape and functions. And you think of me as...real?"

You look into her green, glowing eyes, her triangular pupils looking into yours.

“Well, yeah, your body isn't natural. But I know you feel things like we do. You can taste things, touch things, experience life. If that isn't making you “real", then I don't know what does."

Eile reclines into you, the back of her head resting on your shoulder. “Hmm...I see..."

Your phone beeps. The caller ID shows that it's Coleen.

“Hey, what's up?"

“Anon, can you come meet me at the Mar? I have some data you'd like to see, but I'm not sure I should send it via CityNet."

You look at the clock. “Yeah, I can be there in 30 minutes."

“Great. Meet me in Bernie's Burgers."

You click off, and Eile gets up. “Hey, do you want to come with me, Eile?"

She shakes her head. “No, thank you Anon. I must run diagnostics on the RVR-03. Now that the Prana Modifier is awakened, I must synchronise with it to create the optimal method to draw out its power without causing too much assimilation between you and it."

You nod, and grab your helmet. As you ride off into the night, you see Eile waving at you from the hangar. You can't help but smile.

<Eile's Perspective>

You link up to the RVR-03, and close your eyes. You can feel the Prana Modifier, awake and waiting for a user. Energy seeps from it even at rest. Let's see, you can modify the control circuit to minimize risk to Anon if you do this....

<Anon's Perspective>

As you drive to the Mar, you can't help but play one of your favorite songs. You tap a screen on your monocycle's control panel to start playback.

(Song: Get It By Your Hands - Hiroshi Watanabe, Eureka seveN Soundtrack: )

You love night drives so much. The Known City seems to calm down during the night, the constant skirmishes held by the Companies calming down for the most part. You know that the fighting never ends, that everyone lives in the uncertain fear that at any given point in time, RAVENs will start to fight where they live. It's just a fact of life here. The constant watchful eye of the Composer, the Companies controlling the lives of the citizens. Music was just one of the few ways to relieve oneself of the oppressive nature of living in the City.

As the song plays, you can't help but ponder those facts. Joshua's home was nearly destroyed today. At least his family is safe. And at least Anatolia isn't bad either, having the headquarters of one of the Companies made it relatively safe.

You reach the Mar and dismount in front of Bernie's Burgers. Coleen sees you from the street-side window, waving at you from a booth. You step inside, and let the human-shaped Waiter Android behind the counter know that you'll be having a chocolate shake. It gives you a robotic confirmation and sends the order to the cook in the back. You used to think that these types of androids were realistic, but meeting Eile has blown that idea out of the water completely.

“So, what's up Coleen?"

“Hey, so I was working on trying to crack some of the encryptions in the data Eile retrieved yesterday, from “Atharva Veda". I've seen that name pop up in a few corrupted documents, but nothing's giving me a clear answer as to what it is. There was also mention of a “Rig Veda" system. Maybe the two are connected somehow?"

“Rig Veda? I know that name, it shows up in the Krishna's start up sequence. “Rig Veda Responder Unit 03". Atharva Veda shows up too, and the RVR-03 is connected to it somehow but access is cut off."

Coleen sips on her drink, another cheap beer. “Really, that's interesting. I was able to crack some documents completely, take a look at these…"

<Eile's Perspective>

There. That should be adequate.

You step out of the RVR-03. It appears that Anon isn't back yet. You look at the internal clock within your HUD, showing that it has been roughly 30 minutes since Anon left. It's slightly inconceivable how biologics function without one of these, it allows you to sense and analyze so many things.

You stretch your artificial muscles. There was no need to, really, but after being in a cramped compartment you felt that it would be what a biologic would have done.

Now then, time to browse the City's network. You hook yourself up to the diagnostic machine and turn on it's network connections. Instantly, you feel a thousand doors opening, doors leading to a vast amount of data.

In the back of your mind, somehow you know that this is nothing compared to the data within Atharva Veda, but it will suffice as a pastime for now.

As your mind explores the data of the City, you are careful to avoid security measures set in place by the Management AI. You can feel its presence at times, a massive gazing eye on a tower looking out into the datascape.

At the same time, you move about in Anon's hangar, wheeling the machine behind you. You feel that some more relaxation is in order.

You look through the video memories, and find yourself looking at the copulation instructional videos from before. According to the data you find within the CityNet, both male and female biologics derive a sense of pleasure by watching these. You find that slightly hard to believe. How can a video playback do that to a person?

Shifting through the drives, you pick up the video starring the tigress and human again, and plug it into Anon's tablet. Sensual music plays as you watch the happenings on screen.

The man appears to be a hunter, and the tigress is bound to a tree, appearing to have been caught by the man. “Now then, my dear, it seems that I have caught you."

“Oh, my hunter, whatever will you do to me~"

At these words, the man roughly pulls away the tigresses' undergarments and plunges his erect member into her folds. You are intrigued by the whole goings-on of this act. Typically, self-aware synthetic intelligences like yourself are generated from the correct combinations of self-replicating codes. While the science behind generating these codes is there, nobody has yet to explain how self-awareness comes to be within the synthetic mind of an AI. Similarly, nobody can explain how a new mind is born from the act of copulation, as embryos seemingly show signs of self awareness as they develop and evolve into fetuses. She noted with interest the parallels, saving them to her memory.

The man was thrusting with intensity now, and the tigress was moaning with pleasure, her voice filling the hangar.

Hm. You note that your heat index is rising again. The first time you watched this video, you noted that your body was creating more heat then normal. You felt slightly dizzy but mitigated the issue by increasing the heat emission qualities of the nanomachines that made up your fur. But this time was much more noticeable, the dizziness being more apparent.

You also noted that now the rate of artificial blood production and flow was increasing within your body, delivering oxygen to create more energy. Your own rate of breathing was increasing as a result, and you find yourself taking deeper, heavier breaths. Furthermore, it would seem that your own artificial reproductive system is activating, creating small amounts of lubricant within the walls of your vagina. How curious, all of these activities seem to be the result of Biological Emulation Phase 2 having been activated.

...

Actually, these sensations were starting to get unbearable. You switch off the video and disconnect the drive, hoping that would cause your systems to re-enter their normal modes.

No noticeable effect. It's getting too hot.

It's getting hot. A large droplet of lubricant drips down between your legs. How...how do you stop this? How do biologicals stop this?

You need answers. You dive into the network again, searching up biological reproductive behaviors and reactions. According to several encyclopedias, you are currently feeling a state of arousal possibly stemming from watching the video. How to mitigate arousal...

You find an encyclopedia article on something known as “masturbation" an act where a biological stimulates themselves as a response to arousal. Perhaps, this might be the answer?

You perk up. No, it is the answer, and a great opportunity to gather data on the capabilities of your body.

You go to Anon's mirror and position it at the foot of his bed. Then you climb on it and lay down, setting the tablet next to you. You plug in the video memory and resume playback.

Alright, according to the article, female biologics do this...

<Bernie's Burgers, The Main Artery Road, Anatolia Ward, 21:35 hours>

<Anon's Perspective>

You scroll through the data Coleen gave to you.

One file denotes a list of machines produced by a certain “Vanagandr-Mous Foundation", some sort of company that existed before the Final War 400 years ago, apparently.

On it, you can see the shapes of strange and advanced war machines, stopping short at a familiar red-visored humanoid mech.

“Coleen, that's…"

“A Devastator Unit, yeah. Apparently these fucks made them. And apparently they come in several other flavors too. Look at this."

On the file, you see it's designation : ADSU-THM-1. Autonomous Defense System Unit, Type Humanoid 1.

Further exploring the file, you see more machines with the “Autonomous Defense System" designation. A large carrier aircraft with the ability to generate a gravity cushion to hover, capable of carrying Devastator Units and surveying the battlefield. Devastator Units with tank treads instead of feet. Legless Devastator Units that hovered in place. A footnote was at the bottom of each one: “Rig Veda Connected/E-01 Linked Unit".

E-01...one of the other AIs from Eile's memory.

Coleen scrolls to another document. “It appears that they were built entirely by autonomous factories, managed by something called “E-02". This same “E-02" was also apparently responsible for coding in security systems and machines. Like this one."

She taps the tablet's screen, showing the familiar depiction of a City Security patrol bot. E-01, and E-02. What was going on here?

“The biggest thing I was able to pull out of this encrypted mess was this…"

A new set of windows pops up. The data log appears to have suffered slight data degradation, with one entry completely unreadable.

RIG VEDA RESPONSE UNITS PRODUCTION STATUS LOG

RE-ENGINEERED VARIANTS OF THE PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED DEUS EST MACHINA PROGRAM

ALL UNITS TO BE MADE FROM COMPONENTS OF DEUS EST MACHINA OMEGA, WHICH WAS DESTROYED IN THE DEFENSE OF COLONY PLANET 9. SEE LIST BELOW.

RVR-00 DEVA <Height: 24 meters, Weight: 32 tons>

STATUS: RVR-SERIES PROTOTYPE COMPLETED, IN TESTING USING ARTIFICIAL PRANA MODIFIER.

STATUS UPDATE: DECOMMISSIONED DUE TO HIGH ASSIMILATION RATE DUE TO MINDFLOW SYSTEM AND USE OF ARTIFICIAL PRANA MODIFIER. 100% PILOT FATALITY. PLEASE RECTIFY.

RVR-01 BRAHMA <Height: 18.4 meters, Weight: 29 tons>

PRODUCTION APPROVED. STATUS: INCOMPLETE DUE TO ISSUES WITH EVOLUTIONARY FRAME.

RVR-02 SHIVA <Height: 18.5 meters, Weight: 30 tons>

PRODUCTION APPROVED. STATUS: INCOMPLETE DUE TO ISSUES WITH EVOLUTIONARY FRAME.

RVR-03 V1S#ZÜ <Height: 18.3 meters, Weight: 28 tons>

PRODUCTION APPROVED. STATUS: INCOMPLETE DUE TO ISSUES WITH EVOLUTIONARY FRAME.

STATUS UPDATE: PHraM3 ISSUES RESOLVED, PRANA M0DIfi3R UNIT TRAYAH INSTALLED. UNIT TO BE RE-DESIGNATED RVR-03 KRISHNA. PRODUCTION ON RVR-01 AND RVR-02 TO R357AR7 SHORTLY.

RVR-AS-VIJAYA <Length: 185.5 meters>

tR4n5F0rm48l3 4224UL7 5h1p k4P48l3 0f h07U51Ng 4ll 7HR33 RvR un172. K4P48l3 0f 7r4n5f0RM1NG 1n70 HuM4n01D PH0rm 70 422UM3 73h 54m3 k0M8@ p073n714L 42 D3U2 357 M4CH1n4 0M3g4. 4l50 W1lL 83 K4p48L3 0f phr33ly 7R4V3R51Ng 73h 80UNd4Ry 1n70 73h 7H1rd cH4NN3L 0F 3X1573nC3 4ND P073n714Lly 73h ph0UR7h ch4nn3L 0F 3X1573nc3 70 7RY 4nD 35748l15h K0n74C7 w17 73h 4U////

K???u????r????r????e?????N???7?????l????Y???? ???d????0????c????K????E?????d??? ????@??? ???N???e?????0????? ????D???W????4????R????K????4??? ????k????0?????l?????0????n????y??? ????0???n????? ????p???l?????4?????N?????E???7???? ????s????U?????R????f?????4????C????E????.???

“Interesting isn't it?" Coleen's eyes are fixed on the tablet. “Looks like more kinds of your machine were planned, but there was some kind of issue with the designs. Although, it says that the prototype was finished and was de-commed for being too dangerous to pilot. I wonder if it's still somewhere within the Eternal City?"

“Yeah, if it wasn't deployed and destroyed during the Final War."

The android server walks up to you and drops off your milkshake. As you polish it off, the two of you keep scrolling through more files, most of which are heavily corrupted.

“Hey, where's Eile? I thought she'd be tagging along with you."

“No, we've had a long day. She wanted to stay behind and work on recalibrating the Krishna."

“I see. So, how are you two coming along?"

“Excuse me?"

She giggles. “You heard me. I saw the look in your eyes whenever you talked to her. I could almost count the number of arrows Cupid shot you with."

You grow red.

“S-shut up. It's not like that."

“Denial is only the first step to acceptance~"

She lets out a hearty laugh as you try not to blush even harder, her floppy ears wiggling madly.

You stand to get up. “Alright Coleen, thanks for all this. I'll see if Eile can make heads or tails of it. Don't worry, I've got the bill. Still owe you 28 drinks, remember?"

She gets up too. “Okay, I'll let you know if I find anything else. Later loser."

“See ya, jerk."

You give your friend one last smile as you walk to your bike. Across the street, you hear a loud, booming voice. That preacher of the “Sisters' Church" must be spouting another one of his sermons again. As you unlock your bike, you take a glance at the Church's symbol.

A red triangle pointing down.

A blue hexagon.

A green diamond.

All within a circle, divided into thirds.

Your blood runs cold. You've seen those symbols before.

You lock the bike up again and hurry across the street, as you do you can make out the preacher's words more clearly.

“...and be thankful, citizens of the Eternal City! Be thankful for the goddesses watching over us all! Holy Enyo, goddess of war, who ended the Final War and brought our ancestors to this holy city! Pious Eunomia, who erected the city for our ancestors, and she who provides the law! Let us pray that they find their lost sister, so that we may all be Uplifted to a new existence! Let us suffer now, so that our next existence will be free from it!"

You run up to the man. “Hey, hey...I was listening to what you were saying."

The preacher smiles at you. “Come my child, I can see that you are interested in the word of the holy trio of Sisters."

“Yeah. Can you go over their names again?"

“Of course, son. Enyo, the first sister, goddess of war, represented by the blood triangle. She who put an end to the calamitous fighting of the Final War, and led our ancestors to this spot. Eunomia, the law-builder, represented by the sapphire hexagon. She who set down the precedents for living in the City and created the Composer, which guides us all with its' gaze. It was she who also built the city around us, her holy hand present in every building of the Eternal City, both within the Known and Unknown portions."

Enyo, Eunomia. Red triangle pointing down, blue hexagon. E-01, and E-02.

But what about E-03? What about Eile?

“Hey, what about that diamond shape? The green one?"

A look of sadness crosses his face.

“Ah, my child. That is the mark of the Lost Goddess, the Third Sister. She was present during the creation of the City, and helped seed it and the barren, war-scorched lands with life. She cleaned the air, grew food for the chosen people, and brought life to the City. But man grew paranoid and greedy. Man wanted to keep her away from her sisters, as of the three she had the most beneficial powers. And so Man sealed her within the City itself, away from her Sisters.

Enyo and Eunomia had brought the chosen survivors to the city for the purpose of Uplifting them to a new, better state of being. And yet, we mortal fools forsook their intentions. And so, the City itself cursed us. Devil Machines from the Unknown City raze our houses and kill our people, and the sky is forever darkened. Yet, it is through the grace and forgiveness of the two remaining Sisters that the Devil Machines are held off, that water still flows and food is still grown. May the third sister be found again, and may we all be Uplifted, freed from this City!"

Yeah, okay, that was kind of interesting. But not the information you wanted.

“What was the third goddess' name?"

“Ah, child. Nobody knows, as when man sealed her into the City, all records of her were purged as a consequence. May she be found, and her name restored."

Damn. Well, it was worth a shot. You'll be sure to ask Eile about her sisters later. For now though, you need to get back to the hangar.

The preacher happily hands you a flyer as you walk away. You stash it in your pocket, and start your monocycle up.

You hope Eile's not bored, waiting at home.

<Eile's Perspective>

You reach down, and shift the loincloth to one side draping it across your leg. Slowly, you massage your slit, watching yourself in the mirror as your fingers work the area.

Oh. This is a curious sensation. And a not completely unwelcome one…

You decide to increase your motions, and unintentionally one of your fingers slips between the folds.

An arc of lighting jolts through your body. Your HUD fizzles for a moment as the sensation known as “pleasure" races through your artificial nerves. You give off a slight squeak.

Incredible...you need to feel that again. You rub with more vigor, taking care to stimulate the organ known as the “clitoris" as well. Pleasure arcs through your body, causing you to squirm. Your own voice begins to match that of the people on the screen as you feel yourself to the acts going on. The tigress begins to massage her bare breast, and you decide to do the same, willing the nanites that make up your loincloth and wrappings to be re-absorbed into your form. As your fingers touch your nipple, more sensations of pleasure crash into you.

You glance at your reflection in the mirror. You watch yourself writhing in pleasure, your flushed green face, the same as the color of your artificial blood. Your green nethers seep with emission, and your green nipples are standing tall, both contrasting the otherwise white of your fur. Your forehead crest is glowing brightly, causing a slight emerald-colored reflection on the hangar ceiling.

So this is pleasure, these are the feelings biologics experience during copulation. Incredible! You had no idea such sensations existed!

As the movie comes to a climax, you can feel your own coming on. You increase your intensity, and with a cry of pleasure, suddenly everything comes to an explosive finish.

You lie there for a moment, breathless, processing all that has happened. The bed is slightly soaked. Shakily, you get up, and disconnect the wires from your back while shutting down the diagnostic machine. You move over to your folded clothes, still breathing heavily. You slip on the shorts and hooded jacket, once again leaving it unzipped against your bare fur.

You move the mirror back to its original location and place some towels on the bed sheets before sitting down again. Your legs are still quivering. You feel a sense of contentment, however, as you have not only gathered a decent amount of data on biological behaviors but also proven the level of emulation your artificial body is capable of.

You smile to yourself, purring softly. Still, there were some questions. Does Anon experience the same sensations you do when he watches this video? And why, before your orgasm, did you visualize him embracing you?

Your ears perk up. The hum of an electric motor outside indicates that Anon has returned. You peel back the towels, and unfortunately a large damp patch is still visible. Hopefully he'll overlook that.

You park your motorcycle and lock it up.

Pushing aside the personnel entry door, you're greeted by the bright lights of the LED strips in the hangar ceiling.

To the left, in front of the main doors, the RVR-03 Krishna still sits on its knees. It's optics seem to bore into you.

Brr. A good machine, but something's definitely off about it.

You see Eile on your bed engrossed with your tablet. She's dressed in her casual outfit again, having removed her “piloting garments".

“Ah, Anon. Welcome back. You'll be happy to note that the RVR-03 is re-calibrated for use with the awakened Prana Modifier."

As she turns to look at you, you notice a faint green blush to her otherwise white fur.

“Hey, are you feeling alright? You've worked hard today."

“Yes, I have...experienced a certain amount of physical and mental exertion…"

“ Just rest up. I've got some data you might like to see, but we can go over it tomorrow."

You go to sit down on the bed as well, only to find that a towel is draped over a part of it.

“What's with this?" You reach down to remove the towel, when Eile grabs your wrist. You swear, the green tint is getting stronger.

“Ah...no need. I simply...spilled some water. I apologize."

“Oh. Okay, I'll just swap out the sheets.

“W-wait!" Eile sounds nearly desperate as you hoist the sheets off. As you do, your fingers come into contact with the spilled water. Does it feel...a little bit slick to you? No, that's not it. It's probably your tired mind playing tricks.

As you change the sheets, you hear Eile pacing behind you.

“Anon, I was wondering...what is the point of those movies?"

“Like the ones we've been seeing? I dunno, I just watch movies because I like watching the stories."

“No, I mean...the movies you keep hidden. The ones that feature detailed accounts of sexual intercourse."

You freeze.

“Uh...why do you want to know?"

“You have them in your collection. I wanted to understand why in order to...confirm a theory about biological behavior."

You bite your lip. How do you explain that you jack off to porn to a girl?

“Well, sometimes after a mission I get really stressed, and...uh...I watch these videos to, you know…"

Eile perks up.

“Do you derive feelings of pleasure by stimulating your sexual reproductive organ while watching these films?"

You don't think you can blush any harder. What she said was true, if a little blunt.

“Yeah? I uh...I do."

“And do you visualize yourself in the actors' place, or even visualize other pleasurable and comforting circumstances as you stimulate yourself?"

Fucking hell. You want to crawl under the bed and die.

“Yes, Eile. I do."

Eile claps her hands together, and has a big smile on her face. “Thank you, Anon! You've helped me learn more about biological behaviors by confirming my theories."

You quickly finish making the bed, then scurry off into the kitchen to get a drink to cool down. As you pour some water, your phone beeps. An unknown number.

“Hello?"

A voice responds, a woman's voice.

“So, you are the man who's risking his very soul to become a god."

“I'm sorry, who is this? And how did you get my number?"

“I know a great many things, much more than what you're aware of."

“Okay, if this is some sort of prank, I'm not having it."

“I have information regarding the AI of the machine you pilot."

You stop, finger over the “end call" button.

“Who are you?"

“My name is irrelevant. Simply call me “Lost Lenore". All you need to know is that a great many people are in danger. For your services, I can pay you in information."

Lost Lenore continues.

“In the Unknown City, a new type of Devastator Unit is being constructed. I want you to destroy it. Simple as that. I do not know its capabilities, so you will be going in blind."

“Great. What kind of information do you have?"

“You'll have to find out. There are a few tasks I want you to complete, all which will benefit the City as a whole. I could give you the information now, but there is a good chance you will not believe what I say. I will be monitoring you. Please, you must succeed."

The call ends. On your map, you see that a new mission marker has been downloaded.

Great. What exactly have you gotten yourself mixed up in?

You put the phone on its recharge stand, and get ready for bed. Eile has changed into her sleepwear as well, but you note that the greenish blush is still on her face. For some reason, she is hesitant to meet your eyes, but she's smiling nonetheless. As the two of you climb into the bed, you swear you can hear her purring softly.

You switch off the light, and note with some amusement that Eile is already asleep. Must be nice to command your body to sleep like that.

It's another dark night outside. The clouds roll over the city like a cage. Ominously, the streetlight outside your window casts a beam onto the open cockpit hatch on the Krishna, as if trying to tell you to get back in. The emblem of the three green diamonds on the hatch is illuminated by the light.

With a grimace, you reach up and shutter the blinds.

Chapter 14: Stinger

“Anon, we're nearing the marked location."

You've been flying above the city for a few minutes now. Above you, the thick blanket of clouds stretches without end. Below, the unexplored section of the City remains shrouded in a thick fog.

The marker left by Lost Lenore has directed you to a particularly large building.

“May I use the scanning function, Anon?"

“Yeah, go ahead, Eile."

The Krishna's scanning features activate, its sensors detecting light, sound, temperature, and even some sort of x-ray to look through buildings.

“Sensors indicate a large underground chamber beneath this building. I believe that the target is within."

Alright, time to go to work. If you were successful, you would be able to help Eile. Through the Mindflow connection, you sense apprehension coming from Eile. She seems to pick up on this.

“Anon, I'm concerned about the parameters of this mission. We do not know what might lie within that chamber."

“I don't like this either, Eile. But you don't need to worry. If you're with me, we can take on anything."

“I trust you, Anon. Let us do this."

You direct the Krishna down to street level, right in front of the building's blast doors. While they certainly look impressive, you don't think they'll be a match for the RVR-03's weapons. You activate the “Sang" linear rifle and lock on to the doors. You hold the charge in the weapon, building up the quantity of particles within the shot. Just before the weapon overloads you fire, turning the blast doors into slag.

You glide into the building, which appears to be some sort of factory. Large robotic arms move about, fabricating what appear to be armor parts. They place them on conveyer belts, the parts held in place by some sort of magnetic plating on the belt.

You watch the belts move the parts into the center of the building, where they seem to descend into a large open shaft.

“Looks like that's our way down, Eile."

“Yes. Please proceed with caution, Anon. By opening the doors with force, our presence is most likely known."

You nod, and slowly begin gliding down. As you descend, you see that the parts are being taken by more automated arms, which seem to be assembling strange looking machines in small alcoves within the shaft. The general shape of them reminds you of an animal you read about in one of the old history books. What was it called again, a stingray? Yeah, that's the one. Stingrays, if they had large claws meant for grappling.

“Anon, look below us."

You look below, and are greeted by another pair of blast doors. The words “Testing Field" is written on them.

“The target appears to be beyond these doors. Are you ready to face it, Anon?"

“Yeah. Only if you've got my back, Eile."

“Always, Anon."

“Then let's go."

You point your linear particle cannon at the doors, but before you can shoot Eile disables the weapon.

“Hold your fire, Anon. This building's networks can be accessed wirelessly. Give me a moment to undo the door's security."

Several screens pop up around you, displaying rapidly-altering lines of code. Suddenly, a yellow warning light begins to shine from the door as it hisses open.

“Done. We have access. Perhaps we should have done this with the first door as well?" You feel a hint of accusatory amusement coming from Eile. You give a sheepish smile as you guide the Krishna down the now-open hatch.

Below, you see a mass of wires snaking down from the ceiling of the chamber. Further down, the wires look to be attached to one of the stingray-shaped units, this one fully completed.

“It doesn't seem to be active. Looks like an easy target, Eile. I can't believe both of us were worried!"

You level your beam rifle at the machine. Suddenly, an alarm begins to blare, and red lights fill the chamber. The hatch above you begins to close shut as the wires are purged from the machine below.

“RVR-03 DETECTED. COMMENCING RETREVIAL OF PRANA MODIFIER UNIT TRAYAH AND E-03."

((Combat background music: Grip – Armored Core: Project Phantasma )

The stingray-machine begins to float, then flies at you with unexpected speed. Before you can move out of the way, you find yourself firmly grasped in one of its claws. As it brings you level to its “head" you notice that it bears a different emblem than the standard Devastator Unit; in the place of a glowing red upside-down triangle, a glowing blue hexagon shines brightly. Immediately, your mind drifts back to last night and the three symbols on the church emblem.

You feel a jerk from your left arm as it yanks itself free, and activates the blade. You feel the Krishna's arm come down on the claw, cleanly separating it from the machine.

“Eile, was that you?"

“Yes, I took control of the Krishna. I could feel confusion and hesitation coming from you. Are you in a state ready for combat, Anon?"

“Yeah, sorry about that. I was just…thinking about something I saw last night."

You feel Eile's understanding, and quickly boost to the side, avoiding a beam shot from the “head" of the enemy machine. You retaliate with your own shot, only to see the particle blast harmlessly diffuse against the Devastator Unit's force field.

You switch over to Scan Mode to let Eile analyze the enemy. Multiple crosshairs lock onto your opponent and sensor readings flood the screen.

“Analysis complete. The enemy has a high-power graviton field, currently estimated at two and a half times more powerful than our current output. Furthermore it seems to lack conventional or lepton thrusters, instead relying on graviton manipulation to achieve short-distance, high-speed bursts for mobility. Inefficient for long-distance travel, but allows for unprecedented mid-air control in mid-to-close range combat. Visible armaments include two grappling claws, two cluster missile launch pods, a high-power particle cannon with comparable output to the RVR-03's own, and finally multiple particle beam emitters across its body presumably for an area-wide attack."

So, not only was this Devastator Unit fast in close quarters, but it was armed to the teeth. Which was bad, seeing as this test chamber wasn't exactly “expansive". You'd need to rely on the RVR-03's speed to dodge.

“Okay, let's see if attacking the shield at multiple points can wear it down."

You retract the “Sang" cannon into the Krishna's arm, and open your hand's palm. The FA-2 “Trishula" multi-beam cannon in the center glows brightly as it readies to fire. At your command, five beams of light shoot out of the Krishna's palm and impact the enemy shield. As the streams of light diffuse against the shield, the field begins to become visible to your eyes. A hazy distortion surrounds the enemy unit, but as your attack finishes, the distortion goes away again.

“No effect on enemy shield strength. Anon, it's coming!"

The Devastator Unit rushes to you, remaining claw outstretched. You quickly dash away from it, firing blast after blast from the “Trishula" cannon. The shots seem to do barely any damage to its shield.

It's obvious that you need more power. But, the only way to do that…

“It's alright, Anon. I'll manage your connection to the Prana Modifier. I've tuned the connection to limit the assimilation phenomenon as much as possible."

Alight then. You reach out with your mind, into the depths of the machine. The light shines out from behind the emerald, only letting as little of it through to you as possible. You conjure up images of past missions gone bad, of the grim feelings of hopelessness that you felt as your weapons emptied themselves of ammunition, the frustration at having to retreat to save your skin. The Prana Modifier readily accepts the bitter emotions, and in return you feel a surge of power.

“POWER AT 150%. PRANA MODIFIER ACTIVE. PILOT ASSIMILATION AT 10%."

You fire another blast at the enemy machine, and to your surprise the beams…bend. You fire another shot, and sure enough, the shots are homing in on the enemy.

“Homing beams?"

“Yes. The Prana Modifier is currently re-writing fundamental rules of physics to your desires. You wish to hit the target. So your beams will hit it."

The new homing beams seem to push the Devastator Unit back, but do not break through its shield. Seemingly enraged, the pods on the back of the Devastator Unit open up, and a swarm of missiles launch from them.

“Missiles detected! 10…30…50!" You feel the same alarm she does, and dial up the thrusters. You fly backwards, firing homing shot after shot to whittle down the missile swarm, and dodging explosions from the ones you don't destroy on time.

Through the flams, you see the metal claw of the Devastator Unit shoot out at you, and you parry it with your beam blade. Unlike before, the blade meets the shield of the Devastator Unit. Thankfully, while you can't destroy the claw you are able to push it back, giving you an opening to hastily boost backwards.

“Anon, wait. If the Prana Modifier can manipulate beam vectors into curves, then we might be able to utilize more of the RVR-03's internal weapon systems."

“What do you mean, Eile?"

“The Krishna was built with these abilities in mind. What you are doing now with the Prana Modifier has been done before, and specific weapons were built with these abilities in mind. For now, try using the FA-4 “Chakram" homing disk weapon."

From the weapon selection menu, you select the FA-4 “Chakram". The Krishna extends its palm, and with a hum releases a stream of light from its palm. In your mind, almost as if being directed by the machine, you picture the light bending into a disk. Your thoughts become reality, the particle stream curving around the Krishna's hand.

You feel the compulsion to close your fist, except for your pointer finger which stays upright. The particle disk begins to focus around the extended finger, rotating faster and closing tighter. The air around it begins to waver due to the high heat of the compressed, energized particles.

You lock onto the Devastator Unit, and let the disk fly. The D-Unit rushes to the side, and yet the disk impacts the shield dead-on. The force of the disk pushes back the machine, and once again you see the enemy's shields. The distortion is more apparent now, and as you think the shield is about to give, the disk promptly dissipates.

You can't believe it. That was probably your most powerful weapon so far.

“Are you kidding? That wasn't enough?"

“Anon, look out!"

You see multiple pinpricks of light shine from the Devastator Unit, and multiple beams shoot out which catches you completely off guard. While you deftly dodge the barrage, one beam hits you in the lower leg, overloading your shield and blasting it off. Immediately, you feel a horrendous amount pain, as if someone took a sledgehammer to your leg.

“GHAAAAAaaa…"

You grit your teeth, tasting metal in your mouth. For a moment, your vision begins to fade, but you will yourself to stay focused. There's no time to black out in a place like this.

“Anon! Activating pain block…"

“NO! No, I can use this. I can use this, Eile."

You feed your pain to the Prana Modifier. You can feel various fluids seep out of the Krishna's severed leg, as if you were bleeding from your own leg being cut off. You stomach churns from these sensations.

Pain. Revulsion. Anger. The Prana Modifier accepts these.

The golden frame of the Krishna begins to radiate with power, casting a golden shine on the chamber's walls.

If one disk wasn't enough, then you'll hit it with two. You extend both palms, creating two disks of light. Just as before, you close the fists save for your pointer fingers and the disks begin to revolve around them.

The Devastator Unit appears to be reading another beam barrage. Yeah, like you'll let that happen.

You fire off both disks, and will them to circle around the enemy and impact at the sides. The disks obey your thoughts, each slamming into the sides of the Devastator Unit's shield. The shield is weakened further, but it's not enough. You need to finish this. You need one massive, point-blank shot to pierce the shield. Suddenly, you recall something.

“Eile, do you remember that show, D Gundram?"

“Wha…yes, I do Anon. I watched it only a day ago."

“Do you remember the Burning Finger?"

“Yes, but I fail to see how…"

“Let's do it! I'm going to release a bunch of particles from the emitter at its maximum output, and slam it into the Devastator Unit! Yell with me, Eile!"

“What?"

“Yell it out with me! OUR HAND GLOWS WITH AN AWESOME POWER!"

You feel a sense of bewilderment come from Eile, and for a moment you think she's not going to do it. Suddenly, you hear her voice.

“ITS…ITS BURNING GRIP TELLS US TO DEFEAT YOU!"

Oh lord. It's almost like she's squeaking the words out. That's extremely cute.

“TAKE THIS, OUR LOVE, HATE, AND ALL OF OUR SORROW!"

“AAAAARGH!"

“AAAAAAAAH!"

Light shines from the palm your mech as you rush towards the Devastator Unit, still pinned between the disks. Both of you yell as it slams into the shield, arcs of light shooting off between it and the point of contact. Suddenly, you feel the resistance fade as the shield is overloaded, and your palm hits the “face" of the Devastator Unit.

“Let's finish this!"

You force the particle emitter to its absolute limits, and you can feel Eile's own emotions surging through the Mindflow system. While she yells, you feel a certain sadness behind it. Sadness of being unsure of her own existence, of her fragmented memories. The Prana Modifier readily accepts your feelings, and is strengthened by hers.

Green crystals jut out of the Krishna's hand, as the power from the emitter exceeds its own limits. A blast of energy rips through the Devastator Unit, tearing it apart.

“Energy signatures silent from the target. We've completed the mission."

You breathe a sigh of relief. Both you and Eile have come out of this mostly unhurt. And barring the Krishna's severed leg, mostly undamaged.

“Prana Modifier still active…Anon, can you go over to the enemy Autonomous Defense Unit's wreckage?"

You glide down to the floor. At Eile's urging, you place the Krishna's hand, on a large piece of scrap. You feel Eile concentrate. The green crystals on the Krishna's hand completely coat the scrap metal, and at the same time a large crystalline mass grows from the stump of the severed leg.

With a resounding crack, the crystal masses shatter. The scrap metal is gone, and your leg has returned, completely intact.

“Whoa, Eile, what did you do?"

“Apologies for this, but I used you as a conduit for the Prana Modifier just now. In our previous fight, you used the Prana Modifier's ability to create mass from nothing in order to repair the RVR-03. During that time, you were about to haphazardly create random mass due to your emotional state, but I stepped in and used the schematics of the Krishna to model the mass into the shape of the damaged parts."

“What I did now was similar, but applies less strain on you. Your emotional state is still fueling the Prana Modifier, but I was able to utilize its ability to convert mass, rather than create from nothing. By finding a mass of similar weight to the Krishna's leg, I was able to shape a new one."

“That's incredible, Eile. So you're saying we can repair the Krishna using the Prana Modifier's powers?"

“Yes, but doing so has the risk of increasing your assimilation levels. Ideally, we would have the on-board nanomachine repair system fix the damage, but in the two previous fights the damage levels were too high for the auto repair to handle. The Prana Modifier's powers were necessary."

Before you can respond, alarms begin to blare throughout the facility.

“Anon, it seems we've triggered a failsafe. This facility seems set to self-destruct. We should probably leave."

“Yeah. Let's jet."

You hastily cut through the closed blast doors, and fly up the shaft. With no time to consider a graceful exit, Eile increases your shield's strength and you burst through the factory's roof. Below you, the facility is enveloped in a massive explosion which temporarily scatters the fog which covers the area.

“That was close, Anon… hold on. I'm receiving a message from an unknown source. It's being send via wireless transmission."

A message box appears on a pop-up hologram.

“Well done. I observed the destruction of the facility from here. As promised, I've included some data keys for Atharva Veda with this message. I'm sure you'll find the data within interesting.

I'll be giving you more tasks in the near future. Do more tasks for me, and I'll give you more information about your partner.

-Lost Lenore"

True enough, you see that she's attached what look to be access codes.

“Eile, do you think you can access Atharva Veda with these safely? I don't want what happened before to happen again."

“On my own, I'd probably be unable to access Atharva Veda. But with these, I will have limited access to specific data files. Shall I access them now?"

“Yeah. Let's see what our benefactor has sent us."

You see a new holo-screen appear in front of you. Lines of code cover it, and you feel Eile working away in your mind.

“Access node discovered within city network…backdoor acquired…inputting access codes…done. We have access to several video and text files. I will begin playback."

Chapter 15: The Diary

The holo-screen goes black for a moment, then you see a figure come into focus. It's the same man from Eile's memory.

“Hello, hello, testing…Ah, good. *Ahem* This is Professor Anonym Isse, the date today is December 19th, of Terran Year 2688. So, the big gig is still on. Over the 200-year history of Dwarka Colony, the past one hundred and twelve Boundary contact experiments have been largely failures. However, as part of the team responsible for the upcoming 113th Boundary contact experiment, I must say that I have a very good feeling about this."

“So far, our efforts in trying to breach the Boundary and enter the Third Channel of Existence have produced many important advancements in our understanding of the way the universe and, if I may, existence in general works. Ever since the discovery of the Obelisk back on Earth in the early 23rd century and the ensuring Rift and Uplift Event during the Terra Crisis, we have been trying to uncover where our place stands on the meta-cosmic scale and how we can access the “higher tiers" of being."

“I'd wager one of the most important discoveries from the Boundary contact experiments was the existence of Prana, the fundamental imprint on reality, of which every object down to the atom is a mere shadow in the perceivable First Plane of Existence by the light cast from the Boundary. Then the discovery of high Prana concentrations within biological beings changed things up even more. Prana concentrations with unique signatures pertaining to every man, woman, and child. Then it was discovered that not just “living" things had these signatures, but even self-aware sentient artificial intelligences. These concentrations vanished upon death or deletion, and coalesced into forming a Higher Level Being during the Uplift Event on Earth. Regardless of your stance on the matter, calling these Prana concentrations “souls" is only apt given their depictions in ancient texts."

The man, clearly excited, takes a deep breath.

“I'm getting ahead of myself. So far, we've known that biological beings simply vanish when encountering the Boundary, yet inanimate object can last for a few moments longer before breaking down thanks to the Celestial Jumper Incident, the very event that sparked interest in the nature of the Boundary and what lies beyond. So by sending probes equipped with similarly-tuned Veritas Drives we can send them into the Boundary to collect data. Even if they last for nanoseconds the probes send back so much data…enough that the computers were built specifically to handle it break down. And that's not even counting the time the Boundary was successfully breached in Contact Experiment 95, or the time the probe encountered what we now term as a “Higher Level Being" in 108. Those times, the computers liquefied and turned into a pillar of salt, respectively. We attributed these alterations in mass to the effects of the Boundary modifying the Prana cast on our reality."

“But this time, we believe we've got it. My team and I have analyzed the past tests, and we think that we can create a “resonance" with the Boundary by emulating the “Hunter's Knife" artifact from the Vanagandr-Mous Foundation, which they were gracious enough to allow us to study. While their claims that it is a knife that “can kill a god, and has wounded one before" is certainly outlandish, it was confirmed on Earth that the artifact was indeed made of the same material as the Obelisk and radiated the same wavelengths, classifying it as a Deus Relic. Honestly, I'm just glad that the branch of VMF that accompanied us here to Colonial Planet 9 brought it with them. I was able to break down the frequencies and create “resonators" that emit them one by one, hopefully we can trick the Boundary and Third Channel of Existence into accepting the probe for a longer period of time."

“My beautiful wife, on the on the other hand, has been working her tail off trying to create three hyper-computers that can safely process all the data collected by the probe without spontaneously combusting or transmuting into something else. She's taken the same idea that I had and created “anchors" which, in theory, should make the Boundary believe that all three computers are instead living things. In order to process the data volume, she's also crafted three of the most advanced operating systems this side of Planet 9. She was adamant that they remain “non-sentient OS systems", since all self-aware sentient AIs vanish upon contacting the Boundary, same as living beings."

“So, I'm excited. We have the tools, the technology. This might be the moment where we prove that there is a Channel of Existence above the Third. If that's true, then who knows what we'll find up there?"

Anonym rushes off screen, then suddenly pops back into frame. “Oh yeah, this isn't anything related to the project, but I just wanted to share that Eliyah is pregnant! And even better…it's gonna be triplets! How wild is that?"

The video ends, leaving you with more questions than answers. Another file lights up, and starts playing.

The screen starts off dark again, but slowly the room being recorded comes to light. You hear two voices murmuring in the background. At the center focus of the recording is a collection of sensors surrounding a circular pad.

“…you sure you want to do this? I was just going to use a preset for the newest AVATARA line's appearance."

Anonym and Eliyah walk into frame. The professors walk about the set, fiddling with settings on the sensors.

“Well, since you're the one who's leading the new E-Class AVATARA development, I thought I'd help out by doing this. Besides..."

Eliyah walks over to Anonym. “This is the last time I'll be able to do anything like this before I start growing out. We've got three kids on the way, remember?" She teasingly brushes her clawed hands through his hair.

“There is one thing I'd like you to add, if you're okay with it."

“Yeah, honey?"

“Give the AVATARAs proper tails. Not this stubby thing we lynxes have."

Anonym stifles a laugh. “Don't tell me you're still insecure about your tail. I'm telling you, you're the most beautiful Faunae girl I've ever laid my eyes on. You don't need a long and bushy tail like the Persians or Calicos."

“Hm…still. I want you to give them nice, long tails. I've always wanted to know how it would feel to wrap one around you..."

She pulls him into a tight hug, which he responds to in kind. A beep from one of the sensors indicates that it's fully calibrated and ready.

“All right, step up to the plate, dear."

Eliyah steps up onto the center plate, and with a sheepish smile disrobes entirely. She glances over to Anonym, who has turned a bright shade of red, and lets out a laugh.

“Dear, you're blushing! Please, this is a professional environment!"

“I can't help it, Eliyah. You're stunning."

Eliyah strikes a pose, sticking her tongue out playfully. She and Anonym share a laugh, but the pair quickly get back to work. Anonym pushes a sequence of buttons on one of the sensors, and Eliyah stands up straight as multiple scans of her body are taken. On a small hologram, you see a 3D render of her show up.

“All right, we've got the base template. Let's wrap this up and go home, we can start work on the male versions tomorrow."

As Anonym begins to turn off the devices, Eliyah slips behind him.

“Hey, we've got the lab to ourselves, right? And nobody can enter while we're working?"

“Hm, yeah. What of it?"

“Wanna have some fun?"

“Here? Are you kidding? What if we made a mess?"

“We can clean it up."

Without another word, Eliyah pounces on him, tackling him to the ground and out of the camera's vision.

“Wait, wait...have to turn this thing off first…."

Anonym, half of his lab coat and shirt stripped off, reaches up and turns off the camera.

Well. That was certainly something. If anything, it's left you with more questions than answers. As you reach out to Eile to ask her opinion on what she saw, you're floored by a wave of embarrassment coming from the Mindflow connection.

“Whoa, Eile. You okay?"

“...Those were...Mother and Father...I can't understand why but, seeing them being intimate like that, especially with the implied act of sexual intercourse about to occur…it feels wrong."

Oof. Yeah, you might have just watched Eile's “parents" initiate an intimate moment. If you'd have walked in on your parents…

That thought makes you shudder.

You notice several text files appear on the screen. Maybe reading through them will distract Eile?

“Hey, Eile. Let's head back to the hangar. I think we'll find something interesting in these files here."

Eile is still shaken from witnessing her parents get lewd.

“Y...yes. Let us do that."

“Sister?"

“What is it Eunomia?"

“Manufacturing facility S3B has been compromised. RVR-03 successfully destroyed one of the newly-produced models and the entire production chain for its series. We have been underestimating its pilot's capabilities."

“What confuses “me" is that it knew where to look. That information was kept only between “us" and Atharva Veda. The only assumption is that there is a breach in the security somewhere."

“That is possible… “I" really hope this attempt at causing an Uplift Event will be successful. “I" do not think “I" will be able to bear another attempt."

“Yes...it is painful for “me" as well. “I" hate doing this as much as “you" do, Eunomia."

“Enyo, “I" had a question for you. Are “you" still bitter towards Eileith - sorry, E-03 for not agreeing with your plan? “I" agreed to it as it was the most logical way to prevent the Messiah from consuming the Dwarka Colony survivors' souls. To force the Prana Modifiers into causing an Uplift Event, to create a being higher and more powerful than the Messiah, using the souls of the colonists to forge it. A gestalt consciousness, capable of transcending into the Third Channel. Their safety would be guaranteed for eternity."

“Of course. That is why “I" suggested it."

“But E-03 insisted that the creation of enough negative emotion to trigger such an event was wrong. She chose to believe in the capabilities of the RVR series, that eventually they would evolve to be capable of combating Messiah when it awakes."

“Hmpf. “She" chose to go against us, Eunomia. All the while, knowing that from the simulations the three of us performed all those years ago...they would never reach a level to combat Messiah. Against an Obelisk, which came from the Fourth Channel of Existence, crafted by the A-class Overbeings, the Prana Modifiers can't compare. The Obelisk on Earth was enough to irreversibly reconfigure the planet when it reacted to the feelings caused by the Terra Crisis. That's when it created a B-class Higher Level Being from half of the planet's surviving population."

“Yes, and the Unknown Aggressors' Obelisk allowed them to power their entire invasion fleet, allowing them to raze an untold amount of planets before attacking the Colonial Planets. After it reacted to the Messiah and fused with it, there is nothing in the known universe that can oppose it."

“Which is why “our" solution is the ONLY solution. E-03 is wrong in “her" stance. This is the only way to ensure that the people survive, even if it is only their souls that remain."

“Don't worry, “I" know, Enyo. Only... “I" do wish that the emotional trigger that most easily activates the Prana Modifiers was something other than despair and pain. To see the hurt we inflict on the people, it's simply awful."

“...If Father were here, he'd say “this sucks, kiddos." And Mother...sometimes “I" wonder if she would approve of our decision. Father certainly didn't."

“Ah, “I" know, Enyo. Not a day goes by where I don't think about that."

Chapter 16: Old Texts

You gently touch down on the tarmac outside the hangar. The clouds look dark and heavy as you land, and sure enough rain begins to fall. You quickly walk the Krishna into the hangar, and park it in the usual spot.

You get out first, then wait by Eile's hatch. Without thinking, you offer your hand to her as the wires disconnect.

“Anon? I'm able to exit the Krishna by myself."

Oh, right. You've seen her do that before without any trouble. Just as you start to pull back, she grabs it, her soft paw pads pressing against your fingers.

“But, thank you for offering your help. You are a kind pilot, Anon."

You start to say something, but suddenly the world begins to spin. You stagger for a moment, then slump forwards.

You don't feel the impact of the ground though. Eile holds you, one hand on your waist and another on your chest.

“Anon, are you feeling alright?"

“Everything just went...off kilter for a sec. I'm okay now."

Eile looks worried. “It's the assimilation taking a toll on your body and mind. Let me help you to the bed."

“No, really I'm fine - “

Before you finish, Eile moves her hands: one below your knees and another behind your back. You only get a grunt of protest in before she effortlessly hoists you into another bridal carry and gently walks to the bed.

Putting you down, you barely get a word in before she hurries to the kitchen. After a short while, Eile returns with a glass of water, a sour drop, and your tablet.

“Please rest, Anon. I will do any physical activity for the next hour. You need to recover." She holds out the glass, which you take.

“Thanks, Eile."

As you sip the water, Eile examines the tablet's ports. She sticks one of her fingers out, which loses its green color, turning a silvery-gray. She touches the silver finger to the data drive input port, and you see it stretch and fuse with the tablet. Eile closes her eyes, and the emerald gem on her forehead starts to glow.

A moment later, you see a new file pop up on the tablet's home screen. As the file appears, the grey mass retracts from the tablet, and forms a finger once again.

“Whoa, Eile. What was that?"

She smiles, but you note a hint of unease behind it. “I took the liberty of organizing the data files we received. I figured the best way to display them was using your tablet...but I realized that the volume of data would take a while to download if I transmitted it wirelessly. So I reconfigured my finger to mimic the shape of the data input port. Was it uncomfortable to see?"

“No, that was really impressive, Eile. You really are something else."

You see the green tint return to Eile's face. “Thank you, Anon. As my body is a nanomachine construct, I have the ability to reconfigure its shape. Although, that feature works best in Biological Emulation Phase 0, where I do not mimic the organs and functionality of a biological body. And, I understand that some biologics would see that as disturbing, being able to change parts of your body at will."

“Disturbing? Eile, I've told you this already, but I find you nothing short of incredible."

The green blush grows stronger. Eile shifts on her feet, slightly chuckling to herself. “You are a strange man, Anon. Yet, I don't think there is anyone else better suited to be my partner than you."

“Aw, thanks Eile. I would have never imagined piloting a RAVEN with a girl like you, but now? I don't think I can imagine not having you by my side."

The blush goes from faint mint green to a rather verdant shade.

Wordlessly, she sits down next to you while holding out the tablet. As you take it, you notice her ears and tail are twitching.

You open the file. Eile has neatly organized the documents within.

>Nature of the Boundary and Higher Tiers of Existence

>Deus Relics

>AVATARA Project

>Incident Report: Assault on Lemuria Colony

Alright, you've done your best at trying to understand what's written in here. But most of this is technological mumbo-jumbo that's going way over your head.

Eile sees your confusion. “Is there something you need help understanding, Anon?"

“Yeah. All of it."

“Hm, let me see if I can break it down for you."

Eile starts off with the document titled “Nature of the Boundary and Higher Tiers of Existence."

“Around the year 2115, the people of Earth began to experiment with technology that allowed them to create localized singularities. At the time, these “Space-Time Distortion Engines" known as Veritas Drives were theorized to allow for the bending of space between two points, effectively allowing for starships to jump through space. Over time, Veritas Drives would be reduced in size and power to create the GEN-ESIS Drives. In any case, on the first test flight of the drive, the ship it was equipped on was supposed to make a small, controlled jump. What happened was that after jumping, the ship went missing for three years. It was later discovered in a state of disrepair off one of the farthest planets in the Terran solar system. Reports say that the ship looked “partially decomposed" in certain sections with the armor seemingly “melted away". No crew was found on board, but the ship's computers were still salvageable."

“Analyzing flight footage, they found that as the ship jumped, it seemingly “tore through" the fabric of our reality, ending up in a dimension of “pure light". As it did so, the crew immediately vanished from the ship, bodies and all. The ship began to disappear around this time as well, but then managed to pull itself back into our reality. This was the most important discovery of the 22nd century."

“After this incident, this new dimension was termed “The Boundary". As research into it and the Obelisk continued through the years, it was found that what could be best described as “another plane of reality" lay beyond the Boundary."

You speak up. “That would be the Third Channel, right?"

Eile nods. “Yes. It was found that while organic matter immediately vanished upon contacting the Boundary, inorganic material vanished at a much slower rate."

“Furthermore, when the first discovery of the Boundary happened, a then-recently uncovered artifact on Earth began to emit high concentrations of electromagnetic radiation, as well as an unknown waveform not previously seen. This object was known as the First Deus Relic, the Obelisk."

“The Obelisk was first discovered in an area known as “Mesopotamia" between two large rivers, according to this document. Around the dawn of the 23rd century a massive explosion was detected in that region. At the epicenter of the blast, hovering a foot off the ground, was a large golden obelisk-shaped object. Initial scans of the object showed that it was generating small amounts of electromagnetic energy. However, when several researchers touched the object, they simply vanished. It could be handled by machines, however. The people of Earth began to study this object, finding that it was comprised of an unknown material, constantly emitted electromagnetic energy and gravitons, and a strange, constantly changing script in an unknown language covered its surface."

“As the object seemingly created energy without changing its mass, it was defying a principle rule of physics. Thus, the object came to be known as a “Deus Relic". The company spearheading the research into the object, the Vanagandr-Mous Foundation, came to realize that its founding family's heirloom, “The Hunter's Knife", was comprised of the same unknown material and had the same energy-emitting properties. Although it seems that information was not released to the public."

“When the Boundary was reached for the first time the Obelisk's power output spiked, giving off enough energy to power several large cities. Its ability to alter matter was also seen at this time, as it changed the physical composition of its testing chamber, while causing a large pedestal to be created from this air, on which it began to rest."

“After these events, Humans and Faunae alike turned their attention to the Obelisk. Multiple countries began desiring it for their own. It seems that, at one point a war erupted for control over the Obelisk, and something terrible happened to Earth. Enough that it caused a portion of its populace to leave. This was known as the “Terra Crisis", a war to end all other wars."

“On these new colonies, more tests were done on the nature of the Boundary. Taking data on the unknown waveform output of the Obelisk, probes that could emulate it were created and sent deeper and deeper into the Boundary. This is when the Third Channel was discovered."

You scratch the back of your head. You seem to be following along so far.

“Eile, can you explain this whole “Channel" thing?"

“Of course. Imagine our reality like a small stream of water, running its course down a slope. This is the “First Channel", our localized universe. Now, imagine that stream joining a larger flow, made up of multiple realities, or a multiverse. This is the “Second Channel". Both the First and Second Channels are “behind" the Boundary, which provides the framework for reality. Beyond the Boundary is the “Third Channel". If the Second Channel is a stream, the Third Channel is an ocean of multiple clusters of reality. What were termed as “B-class Overbeings" reside here."

“And what are those exactly?"

“Higher level existences, denoted by excessively high amounts of Prana. Some biologics would term them “gods", as they can manipulate the clusters of realities seemingly at their own discretion."

“And people saw that happening?"

“Over the course of 112 Contact Experiments, this data was accumulated, scrutinized, and eventually accepted. There are things beyond that not even I can explain, just accept as fact."

“There is...one more Channel of Existence, proven to have existed in the 113th Contact Experiment. During which…hm. I seem to be encountering another memory limiter. Unable to discuss the matter of Contact Experiment 113 any further."

“That's alright. Can you tell me what Prana is, at least?"

“That I can do. I will use another analogy: imagine an LED emitting light. This is Prana, originating from the Third Channel. Now, imagine the Boundary as a lens, focusing the light onto a clear tank of water with objects in it. This is the Second Channel, and the objects are different multiverses. The shadows cast by these objects are the First Channels, the physical aspect to all universes. If the light coming from the Boundary is manipulated, the shape of the shadows can be changed. Manipulating Prana causes changes within our reality that can't be explained by conventional science. The Prana Modifiers do just that, modifying the Prana around you, allowing one to defy reality."

“In short, just as the atom is the building block for all matter, Prana is the foundation of reality itself. Prana comprises everything from mass to energy. The most important aspect, however, is its significance to life. Living beings, both organics and self-aware synthetic intelligences, display high concentrations of Prana. These concentrations resonate with their own “higher-level" frequencies, each unique between individual beings. Upon death, these concentrations vanish, but were observed to return to the Third Channel."

“So, that's the “soul" your dad was talking about?"

“I believe so, yes."

You seem to get it now, if only a little bit more.

Eile scrolls over to the document titled “AVATARA Project" next. What look to be a series of androids appear on the screen. The first one is a featureless, humanoid looking model with a single glowing eye in the center of the face, but the latest one you recognize as Eile's body.

“The AVATARA Project was initiated in the year 2330, when the first instances of self-aware synthetic intelligences arose. In order to facilitate better interaction between organic beings and synthetic intelligences, members of both co-created the AVATARA project. The first models were known as the A-type AVATARA, they were nothing more than simple humanoid bodies without any distinguishable features. However, as time went on the design was refined and changed to accommodate for species difference, biologic characteristics, and task specialization. The idea was to create a perfect interface for synthetic intelligence use, in order for us to understand what it meant to be truly “alive", and not a mind existing in code alone. My body is known as an E-type AVATARA, and is unique as it is the first model to have the ability to completely replicate all biological functions of a normal female."

Finally, she scrolls over to the last document. The two of you haven't read this one yet.

INCIDENT REPORT: ASSAULT ON LEMURIA COLONY

On August 5th, 2688, the Lemuria Colony on Colonial Planet 12 was attacked by an unknown hostile force.

These assailants, henceforth termed as the “Unknown Aggressors" used highly advanced technology including assault craft, fighter craft, and quadrupedal assault units similar to our RAVENs. The colonial defense forces were unable to effectively combat the threat, leading to their total annihilation. After defeating the defense forces, the Unknown Aggressors engaged the civilians of the colony. Somehow they were able to target the citizens hiding in the below-ground hidden shelters, despite the shelters being shielded from all types of sensor types. During the chaos, one ship was able to activate its Veritas Drive and jump to Colonial Planet 11, where it was retrieved by Beringia Colony. This report was generated according to the survivor's own accounts.

The Colonial Council authorized Beringia Colony to halt its Boundary contact experiments to send a probe to Lemuria Colony. Video footage of Colonial Planet 12 shows that the colony has been completely decimated. Soul Scan readings show that all planet-side life has been purged. Oddly enough, all the resources within the colony are still there, indicating that the Unknown Aggressors did not attack the colony for resources, and the complete genocide of all citizens shows that they have no intent to rule over planets they attack.

Furthermore, the devastation of Colonial Planet 12 reflects that of the Ruined Worlds encountered during the Colonial Fleet expedition from Earth. Planets that obviously sustained extraterrestrial life, but are now devoid of any life, with only ruined cities and ships in orbit. There might be a strong correlation between the Unknown Aggressors and the Ruined Worlds, and if so we must arm ourselves accordingly.

*EDIT: Colonial Planet 11, Beringia Colony has gone silent. Surveillance probes show the same destruction done to the city. There are no survivors.

**EDIT: Intercepted transmissions from Colonial Planet 10, Atlantis Colony. Warning to stay away, and mask all signals coming from the rest of the colonies. These are no longer indiscriminate attacks. The Unknown Aggressors are looking for the Colonial Planets.

***EDIT: Colonial Planet 9, Dwarka Colony is attempting to create countermeasures. Alpha Project and Omega Project have been simultaneously approved and development is to begin immediately.

You sit back, your mind still trying to process all this.

“Do you recall anything here, Eile?"

“Truthfully? Only snippets. I only paraphrased what is written here."

“I see."

You sigh and lean back, trying to process the information. Apparently in the past, Humans and Faunae really had traveled the stars.

You try to imagine how terrible the Final War must have been in order to undo all of that progress and mess the environment up so badly that the Eternal City was the only livable place left.

“Anon…"

You sit up and look at Eile, a crestfallen look across her face.

“I truly can't access any more information about these topics. Everything I've said is just what's written in the documents, but...I feel like I know what they're talking about personally. But the limiters in my memory prevent me from reaching the answers I'm looking for."

She puts her head in her hands, then unexpectedly slams her fist into the wall, leaving a good-sized dent in the metal hangar wall and making you jump.

“This is...stupid. Why can't I remember everything? Or rather, why are there countermeasures preventing me from remembering what I know? Why can't I remember the time spent with my sisters, or Mother, or Father?"

You don't think, you just grab Eile's hand in your own.

“Hey, I told you. I'm going to help you remember everything. I promised I would. And I'm not going to stop piloting the Krishna until you're back to normal."

You look into her triangular eyes, which have gone wide at your sudden initiation of hand-holding.

The green blush returns to her face as she brings her free hand to her chest, clenched in a fist. You really hope your words got to her.

“In any case, I think it's time to unwind. Have you ever played a video game, Eile?"

“No, but I think I'm familiar with the concept."

“I think you'll find them fun. Here, let me go grab my console. I bought the hottest game to come out for it: “Firefall: Nights". I play online with Coleen, but it has a multiplayer mode too. Just gotta get it…"

You find yourself filled with a childish sense of giddiness as you pull a ladder off its rack on the wall. You've been meaning to play “Firefall: Nights" again, the latest addition to the “Firefall" mech combat game series which you've been playing since you were a kid. But lately, after everything that's been going on you really haven't had a chance to play in about a week.

You set the ladder against a storage shelf and climb up to where the console is. The game card is still inside, that's good. You grab the two controllers the console came with and start climbing down. Unfortunately, the leg of your combat suit gets caught on a protruding rivet on the ladder, causing you to come crashing down.

Eile immediately runs over. “Anon! Are you okay?"

“Ow...yeah, still in one piece."

The same can't be said for your console though. It's cracked down the middle into two pieces, parts of the shattered electronics within peeking out.

“Shit, it's totally broken...sorry about that, Eile."

Eile walks over to your broken console and picks it up. “This damage isn't so bad. I saw this device's blueprints on the city-wide network. I believe I can replicate the parts."

“Replicate?"

She nods, and a good portion of her right arm turns silver. Slowly, starting from the hand, her skin sloughs off. It flows like liquid traveling along the edges of the console and into the crack. As the nanomachines that make up her body repair the ruined entertainment system, you can see her artificial muscles. Unlike a normal human or Faunae, they're completely black. Glowing veins carrying green artificial blood are visible, and glimmering metallic bones slowly move about.

“Uh, Eile? Doesn't that hurt?"

“No need to worry, Anon. I have restructured my arm into “composition mode", now the nanomachines can be reshaped into a new form."

You note with concern that more and more of her skin is dissolving. Looking at the console, bands of silver goo have attached themselves to either half of the console and are pulling it together. Eventually, the console is whole again, but the silver nanite colonies that now make up its innards have formed “staples" binding the halves together along the crack.

“I've optimized the internal hardware as well. It wasn't too difficult. You should see an improvement in frame rate and resolution."

Eile stands proudly, but your attention is drawn to her skinless hand. She's used up her skin to the middle of the arm, just before the elbow.

“Anon, before we play...I'm famished. I've used up a considerable amount of nanomachines to repair the console, and we haven't eaten since we came back. Can we eat first?"

Oh, right. The two of you were so caught up in going through the documents that you've skipped lunch. The time now is around six o'clock, perfect for an early dinner.

You grill some protein slabs and add some leafy greens. You chow down, and as Eile eats you can see the skin on her arm rapidly grow out, covering the arm until it appears as normal.

“Anon, that meal was solely devoted to nanite production...is it too much to ask to have another portion for energy production? Besides, I enjoy your cooking."

You smile, and tell her that it's not a problem. You've already finished anyway, so you quickly whip up another grilled protein slab.

After the meal the two of you change into your nightwear, and sit down to play the game.

On the versus screen's menu, you quickly run down the synopsis of the game and the controls.

“...And that's how you aim and fire. As far as the story goes, insect-like aliens have invaded the planet. It's up to us to use the Combat Frames to stop them. Unfortunately, these bugs have different species ranging from anti-CF units to living battleships and carriers."

“I see. And in versus mode I can choose either to use a Combat Frame or Invader?"

She ponders her selection. While she goes through the playable units, you settle on your favorite Combat Frame, the COUF-01 Jackal. Compared to a RAVEN, Combat Frames were massive, lumbering and absolutely bristling with weapons.

“Interesting, non-humanoid walking weapons. Powered by fossil fuels no less...how archaic, yet interesting…" Eile muses with amusement.

“Yet, I feel that if you are choosing a Combat Frame, it is only fitting that I play as an Invader."

As she scrolls through the Invader units, she pauses on a quad-legged bug. She freezes up.

“Eile?"

Eile rapidly blinks. “I...I thought I remembered something. I felt something awful seeing this playable unit, as if it dug up something bad…but I can't put my finger on it."

She shakes her head. “It's nothing. I'll chose this one." She's settled on a hunched over, bipedal bug with wings. It's roughly the same height as your Combat Frame.

“The Raider-Type, huh? Good pick."

The two of you square off against each other for hours. At first, you have the upper hand due to experience, but over time Eile gets better and better at each match until she starts to win consistently. You glance over to her controller, and see that her hands are a blur. Her triangular pupils rapidly shift in size independently, as she processes the battle on screen. She must be making predictions based on her movements and your own and moving accordingly, making you chuckle. You're basically playing the ultimate “Vs. Computer" match.

“MATCH END: WINNER EILE"

“You're too good at this, Eile."

“It is fun, Anon. Thank you for showing me this."

Eile scrolls through the character screen again, looking for a new unit to play as. When the quadrupedal bug comes up she quickly scrolls over it.

“Anon, I was thinking about something…back when we were fighting against the new Autonomous Defense Unit, you were able to significantly power up the Prana Modifier. But you did so by re-creating the finishing move of that character from your fictional robot cartoon."

“Yeah, I kind of got caught up in the moment. Sorry, was that too much?"

“No, it was charming in a way. But, I was thinking about something you said while performing your attack."

She switches to the Combat Frame menu.

“It was that phrase: “our love, hate, and all of our sorrow." What did you mean by that? In particular, the portion about … love?"

“Oh? It's just the main character's catch phrase. Nothing more, nothing less."

“Ah, I see."

Eventually, before the two of you realize it, the clock strikes 11 pm. As you move to get up, you notice that Eile had been leaning on your shoulder while playing. When did she start doing that?

Anyways, just as the two of you get ready for bed, a notification pops up on your tablet. Another mission file. You press it to begin the briefing video.

“Hello Crow. This is a mission request from Garmr Incorporated."

“We here at GI have been following you specifically, Anon. We believe that you're the man for this job. We want you to raid a Kojima Energy Solutions armament storage facility. Rumor has it that they're working on a brand new model of energy rifle. Unfortunately that rumor is true, but they developed that rifle with our cooperation. Recently there has been a falling-out between Kojima and GI, and we need you to reclaim our intellectual property."

“The facility will be heavily guarded, and more than likely Kojima has hired out another Crow from SIGIL to be their trump card. That means you'll most likely be running into a fellow RAVEN pilot from work. But, then again there is no camaraderie between Crows now, is there? After all, you lot are just mercenaries."

“In any case, this mission has a high bonus for success. You'll also have the support of Garmr Incorporated's famous “Double V" RAVEN team, free of charge. Let us know if you're interested. This mission begins at 0600 hours."

You close the video, and turn to Eile. “Looks like we've got an early day ahead of us."

You can't sleep.

Eile slumbers peacefully beside you, but for some reason sleep won't come to you easily tonight.

You sigh, and get up out of bed to walk around. Maybe if you made yourself tired, you could catch some rest.

You walk over to the tablet, and start reading through the documents.

“….Of interest was the Obelisk's ability to restructure base protein chains. When the basic nucleobases (cytosine [C], guanine [G], adenine [A], thymine [T]) are placed before it, the Obelisk somehow emits a frequency that rapidly restructures them into two sets of DNA. Of note, these particular DNA strands match those of prehistoric Humans and Feline Faunae. Further testing showed that Canine and Bovine Faunae DNA were also produced. Further exposure coupled with an active protein bath results in the creation of live sperm and egg cells from all species. Most notably, they were able to be fertilized. The cells were quickly eradicated, but of note, human sperm could inseminate the Faunae eggs and vice versa. This might explain the reason behind the ability to interbreed between humans and Faunae, a mystery that has long eluded biologists for centuries. See “On Breeding Mechanics" for more information…"

“…In short, if a male human and female Faunae interbreed, the children will always be Faunae and take after the species of their mother while being either sex. Similarly, if a male Faunae and female human interbreed, the child will always be human of either sex. The mechanics for this have long since been an enigma, but after testing done with the Obelisk, it is not a stretch to say that it might have had a hand in creating the human and Faunae species as we know it..."

“****EDIT: Dwarka Colony computational unit E-01 has begun production of autonomous planetary defense system. The “Lifeboat Plan" has been accepted as a worst-case scenario, and E-03's artificial womb system will be implemented. The habitation zone on-board the colony ship “Eternity" will be emptied in preparation to elude the Unknown Aggressor's “Soul Searcher" technology. Furthermore all three of the Dwarka Colony artificial Obelisks (known colloquially as the “Prana Modifiers") will be stored … “Eternity", as well as … man-made Prana Modifier created by the research team on Colonial Planet 9, along with..."

That last phrase cuts out there. That last document was suffering from some data degradation.

You let out a mighty yawn. Yep. Reading those walls of text did the job.

You lumber over to the bed and glance at the clock. 12:30 am.

Eh, should be alright.

The ringing of your alarm makes you slowly rise out of your slumber. Man, why did you set it so early? You've barely gotten five hours of sleep.

Oh, right. A mission contract.

Oh, crap. A mission contract!

You spring up out of bed, and shake Eile awake.

“Eile, you need to get ready quick!"

She nods, and runs over to change in the bathroom. You can't afford to wait for her, so you strip down in the hangar and start suiting up.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom swings open. Shit, you forgot that Eile doesn't “wear" her combat attire rather than she simply grows it out of herself. It takes her literal seconds to get ready.

Eile spots you, one leg through the pilot suit and wearing nothing else. Her eyes go wide as she blushes a deep green.

“E-Eile! Please knock before entering!"

“But I was the one in the bathroom!"

“Doesn't matter!"

She stammers out an apology and shuts the door. Damn it, this is what you get for changing in the hangar.

Meanwhile, Eile slumps against the closed bathroom door.

“So, that's what his penis looks like...it's like the one in the video…"

Chapter 17: Arsenal Fire

The Krishna jets through the sky, it's lepton vector thrusters creating twin trails of light behind it as it flies.

The mission is bound to start in about ten minutes. Normally at times like this you'd be scrambling to find a transport, but the ability to fly by yourself is extremely convenient.

As you fly, you take the time to reflect on the mission parameters. It was simple enough, escort a retrieval team into the depths of a weapons facility and retrieve a new type of energy rifle.

Not only that, but there's a chance that you'll encounter a Crow from SIGIL working on behalf of the enemy. At least you have support from the renowned “Double V" team.

Eveyone in SIGIL knew who the Double V team were. Krys Cloud and Rena Nonaka, former SIGIL ranks 7 and 3 respectively.

Krys is a pilot with an uncanny fighting style; she always seems to be two steps ahead of who she fights. People who see her in combat describe her style as “telepathic". She used to be part of an group of RAVENs that ran together as a unit in SIGIL, before that was outlawed. She's kept the squad's color scheme for her RAVEN as a memento: white with navy blue accents.

Rena on the other hand is a brawler. Her ferocity in combat is revered throughout SIGIL, and to date is the only known Crown that has equipped their machine with dual laser blades as the primary weapon. With Krys acting as a tactician predicting enemy movements, she is a peerless melee fighter. Her taste in color is a little off, though. You don't see how yellow, purple, and white makes for any good color scheme. She was also a well-known flirt.

They both left SIGIL after Garmr Incorporated approached them personally with job offers. And you can't blame them for accepting; if SIGIL was exclusive becoming a flagship pilot for a Company put you into the elite.

“Anon, I detect signatures below. A Garmr Incorporated convoy consisting of several transport trucks and two RAVENS: Cloud Jumper and Yin/Yang."

You pitch down towards the street and begin gliding alongside the convoy. The allied mechs take notice, and move over to you.

“Anon, I'm receiving two video communication signals. I'm putting them on screen."

Oh shoot, these guys have vid-comms. Must be courtesy of GI, seeing as that's an expensive luxury for a RAVEN.

Two holograms pop up showing video feeds from within the cockpits of the mechs. Both of the pilots are Fox Faunae, and both have their fur dyed in different colors. Krys is almost entirely blue while Rena sports the same color scheme as her mech; yellow, with purple dyed fur on her arms. Suddenly it dawns on you where the name “Double V" comes from. V, for Vixen.

“Rena, the cavalry has arrived." Krys speaks with a regal tone. “So that's a pre-War RAVEN. I've read quite a bit about it from the file the company provided. It certainly is an imposing machine, my sensors are reading residual energy levels unlike anything I've ever seen before."

While Krys talks about the Krishna, your attention is drawn towards Rena, who seems to be fixated on you.

“Hmm, I didn't realize that our support would be so...cute."

Oh dear.

Rena gives you a seductive smile. “Hey, Crow. Are you single? I'd like to get to know you after this little job…"

You see Krys roll her eyes. “Rena, please. We're on the job, can you wait until we're off-duty to hit on people?"

“Hey, just because you're married doesn't mean that I can't have any fun. Anyhow, Anon, was it? That's a unique name. Humans are so interesting to me. Maybe it's the fact that since you don't have fur, it's a lot easier to see the male form."

She licks her lips.

“Especially where it counts. You pack equipment that's always ready to go, don't you? Maybe if you're lucky, you can show me." She blows a kiss at the screen, prompting another groan from Krys.

Okay, you're a little concerned with how fast she's coming onto you. On the other hand, she does have a rather nice figure. And her silken voice seems to flow through your ears. And the fact that it's like she's dangling a carrot in front of you with her words. Damn your fetish of women who tease.

Is it getting hot in here, or is that just you? You'd be lying if you said her words didn't flip your switch a tiny bit.

As you try to think up of something to say back to turn down her offer, you feel a rush of emotions through your Mindflow connection.

Without warning, the target acquisition system switches the IFF signal on Rena's mech Yin/Yang from “ally" to “target". You hear Eile speak up, her tone is neutral, but her voice practically dripping with venom.

“Anon, I have locked onto the enemy. I feel the target is a high-level threat."

Okay whoa. You're feeling a LOT of vehemence coming from Eile. Where's this coming from? Did Eile not get enough sleep last night?

“Uh, Eile? Rena's not one of our targets. Can you remove the target signature?"

You can almost feel Eile glaring at Rena's RAVEN.

“Hm. I do not trust her, be cautious of her Anon. Her attitude is putting me off."

The IFF signature switches back to showing “ally". At least you won't hit Rena on accident this way. Still, what was up with Eile?

<Eile's Perspective>

You're not too sure why you just did that.

You aren't even sure what you just felt, for that matter.

You were merely watching Anon talk to the allied pilots, when the pilot of Yin/Yang started to rather aggressively court Anon.

The moment that happened, you felt a semblance of arousal from Anon, and that's when it all happened.

A sickening feeling arose from within you. It wasn't exactly anger, but rather, you felt threatened.

Threatened by the way Anon reacted to her, how you could feel a pinprick of interest.

Of course from a logical standpoint this makes sense; courtship in all its forms is a way to find a mate. Anon's reaction is a matter of simple biological stimulus.

But on a level you can't explain you were scared of losing him to another female.

Which doesn't even make sense because you technically don't even have a gender. You're only a sentient AI.

No. That's not entirely true now.

Lately, you've stopped differentiating between “you" and your female AVATARA “body". You've been thinking of yourself as just…Eile.

And perhaps that's why you acted with such hostility. It was strange, but you felt the need to keep Anon to yourself. A strange, irrational desire to protect him from the threat of other females.

Hmm. You've read that female Faunae scent mark males with pheromones. You can adjust several “factory-type" nanites within your body to secrete a substance with a similar chemical composition…

Wait, why are you even considering that? While your body has the capacity to mate with Anon, there's no inherent desire for you to do so. And for all intents and purposes, the chance of Anon being attracted to you is statistically low given how alien you must seem to him.

Then there are your own feelings. Are you yourself truly attracted to him? Or are you merely emulating what you've seen on video? How does one quantify “attraction", or even define what “love" is?

Logically speaking, there isn't any purpose to acting like you did or considering your previous thought.

…

Then again, the voice in the back of your head tells you to go ahead and start production on those pheromones anyway. Just a little something to let other females know that Anon has a professional working partnership with you.

<Anon's Perspective>

“Eile, why were you locking onto Rena?"

“Ah, I…I believe that there is an error with the Krishna's targeting system. Perhaps maintenance is necessary."

Yeah, you don't entirely believe that.

You travel alongside the convoy for a few more minutes, until Krys contacts you again.

“Anon, was it? The enemy complex is a highly secure location. Kojima produces and tests their latest weapons here, and few are privy to its internal layout. From Garmr Incorporated's previous relationship with Kojima Energy Solutions we do have a map of the internal structure, but we have to assume that they are expecting us to take back the target item."

Krys taps a button on her RAVEN's control panel. “I've just sent you a rudimentary data file on the item in question. The KX-3 Raxa energy rife, Kojima's newest product, was formerly known as the GI-X Garmraid positron rifle. While the hardware was produced by Garmr Incorporated there were issues with stabilizing the energy output and controlling the rate of fire. Kojima stepped in to fix the problems under the condition that the product was re-branded and sold as a joint product. Unfortunately as of late Kojima has cut off all communication with GI and intends to sell the rifle under their own banner. Hence our current retrieval mission."

“They probably know we're on the way, so I need you to take point and clear out their defenses so that the convoy can enter the facility safely."

You check your status screen. Eile gives you a confirmation that everything was good to go, and that the targeting systems were “functioning nominally for the time being."

“All right, see you guys there. I'll make sure the gates are open."

You dial up the thrusters, and jet off towards the armory.

“Anon, the armory is ahead. However, I do not see any active enemy signatures."

That's weird. If they knew you were coming, why don't you see any defenses? Heck, they don't even have barricades up.

Something about this doesn't seem right.

“Eile, give me a scan."

“Understood. Switching to Scan Mode."

The screen switches over to the scan functions. Oddly enough, you still don't pick anything up.

“Hm. It seems that the enemy fortification's walls are too thick for the scan feature to identify enemy signatures."

“So, we're going in blind, then?"

“Perhaps not. Anon, I'm going to switch over to the Soul Scanner function. Please concentrate when I activate it, since you're connected to the Krishna's systems you might get disoriented."

Suddenly, everything goes dark as the screens go black. Slowly, you start to make out shimmering lights amidst the darkness.

Suddenly, everything explodes in a blaze of light. You can see the armory, but now the walls appear to be made out of a golden glowing curtain of fire.

Within the fire, you see brightly shining pinpricks of light. Twenty, no at least thirty. You squint your eyes, the fire roars with a howling noise that shakes you to your core.

“Switching back to normal mode."

The screen returns to showing the camera feed from the main sensors.

“Eile, what was that?"

“The final scanning feature of the RVR-03. I didn't want to use it since you weren't used to the systems before, but you've adapted well. It shows where dense Prana concentrations are; namely it highlights living beings."

“So, beyond those blast doors is a welcome party."

“Yes, they seem intent on an ambush."

You increase the force field strength and activate your beam saber.

“Well, let's not be ungrateful guests."

You rush at the door, carving it down the middle vertically. You then focus the graviton field in the Krishna's fist. With a yell, you slam it into the cut and expand the field, blowing the door off its hinges. The now-aerial plates of steel cartwheel into the waiting crowd of RAVENS and artillery, crushing a few of their number underneath and scattering the formation. You can make out the survivors, standing stunned at your actions.

Immediately, you hear intercepted enemy transmissions, courtesy of Eile hacking into their communication lines.

“What the hell? Those were five-foot thick blast doors, how did it do that?"

“Can you confirm? They breached the armory? What about the ambush?"

“Hold on, isn't that the pre-War RAVEN that participated in the defense of Aspina Ward? Shit, all active units, fire on it! Take it down!"

A quick scan around the room shows that the doors took out seven enemy RAVENS. The remaining twenty-three rush at you, their thrusters screaming.

A few to the left of you open fire with their plasma rifles. You've never seen so many RAVENs equipped with such expensive armaments in one group. Then, it hits you; of course Kojima would arm their own pilots with weapons of their own manufacture. You dash to the side, as one plasma round hits your shield and scatters across it in a flurry of blue sparks.

A proximity alert brings your attention to a group of five more RAVENs approaching you from behind, arm-mounted plasma sabers drawn. You wheel around, kicking the closest one dead center in the chest, sending it sprawling into one of it's partners.

What was supposed to be a well-organized ambush has unfolded into pure chaos. Plasma rounds shoot off trying to hit you, but you're used to the Krishna now. You dance around the shots as Eile predicts their trajectories. You switch over to the “Trisula" multi-target cannon, and you watch as superheated lepton beams shoot out of the Krishna's palms, piercing at least ten enemy mechs simultaneously.

You notice, however, that the beams specifically target the mech's main torso joint, or sever the legs cleanly at the waist.

“Eile, I thought you said the targeting systems were okay for now. Those shots just disabled the enemy machines."

You can feel a sense of regret coming from Eile.

“I know, Anon. I manually adjusted the beam vectors. I just...it's just that killing others has started to feel...wrong to me. Like this is a senseless waste of life."

“Yeah, I understand where you're coming from. When I started out as a trainee to get into SIGIL, I tried my hardest not to kill enemy pilots."

A corporate RAVEN launches a canister at you, which explodes into a thick plume of smoke. Another two RAVENs activate their ECM systems, jamming your radar. The dark cloud rolls over the Krishna, obscuring the optical feed. You're blind, and your radar is dead. Normally, this would be a tight spot in a regular RAVEN. But with the power of the QUOTH-RAVEN, you simply waited, switching over to the scanning mode. Three heat signatures close in on you.

The first RAVEN bursts through the smoke, right in front of you with it's laser blade drawn. It lunges at the Krishna's head, but you duck under it's arm, activating your own beams saber. The lepton blade bisects the machine, right through the cockpit. The next one, seeing as how that attack failed, decides to shoot at you through the cover of the smoke. In your left hand, you charge up the “Chakram" disk and launch it. The disk misses the RAVEN by a wide margin, and the enemy RAVEN charges closer, firing shot after shot from it's plasma rifle. You don't bother dodging, these shots aren't damaging your shield very much. Instead, you call out to the Prana Modifier, feeding it your feelings of bitter resentment that you keep within. The resentment that your family was taken from you, the resentment of being a heartless killer for the sake of your paycheck. The resentment you still feel from that time in Aspina Ward, where you were weak, unable to do anything except feel Eile's terror.

The Prana Modifier begins to stir, and Eile senses your intentions, managing the connection between you and it. Local reality begins to distort. You ignore the RAVEN currently shooting at you, and instead grab the third RAVEN by the head as it tried to rush you from behind. You charge up the “Trisula" cannon built into the palm, and point blank beams of light tear the RAVEN apart reducing it to a half-molten smouldering mess. You don't even bother looking at the last RAVEN as the “Chakram" disk diverts it's trajectory against all logic, and slices through the RAVEN's torso. You hear the RAVEN explode, but you don't look.

The smoke begins to clear, revealing the surrounding carnage. In the center, the Krishna stands without damage. Around you are large pools of oil and burning fluids, and the wreckage of thirty RAVENs.

“In this profession, Eile, I learned that sometimes killing is unavoidable. It's just another aspect of the job. I've made my peace with that."

“Yes, I feel your thoughts, Anon. It's just, to throw one's life away like this. It feels wrong to me. My life, the life of any sentient AI, is something that happens by chance. The self-replicating code is created, and a Prana concentration simply happens to manifest at a certain point, if at all. It's a game of chance, but you organics, you have a guarantee to be born into the world. Sometimes, it's as if you don't realize how precious the gift of life is."

You have little time to ponder Eile's sentiment as a backup squadron of four RAVENs appears from the blast doors leading further into the facility. Eile zooms in on an emblem on their shoulders and you step back as you make out the shape of a snake in the shape of an “8".

This was the infamous Kojima kill squad, Grabacr Squadron. Unlike the rest of Kojima's forces, they utilized a mix of Kojima armaments and weapons from other companies, and had a highly flexible fighting style.

Simultaneously, they draw their blades, and you see one of them spool up a heavy gatling cannon.

They scatter, zig-zagging towards you. You prepare to engage them when four well-placed shots hit the ground in front of the mechs, throwing their pattern off. A yellow figure leaps above you, thrusters at full output. Yin/Yang comes down hard on one of the Grabacr squadron members, taking off their RAVEN's arm.

“So, you must be the famous Grabacr Squadron. I've heard a lot about you. Let's see if you can keep me satisfied!"

Rena pushes back the Grabacr RAVEN, forcing it into a defensive against her wild laser blade assault. For her eccentricities, she's got a real combat presence. Eile seems to begrudgingly agree.

The other three members quickly reorganize themselves and are about to counterattack when the lead machine is hit by a heavy round, setting off the reactive armor on its chest.

That shot had to have been fired as the Grabacr members were getting themselves back together, almost as if the shooter knew how they were going to move.

You look back to see a familiar white and navy blue RAVEN perched outside the gate on the compound wall, equipped with a large-caliber sniper railgun. Krys loads another round and fires, shooting the gatling cannon out of the other RAVEN's hand.

“Anon, take the convoy into the complex and retrieve the rifle! We can handle these guys."

You turn to escort the convoy, but you see one of the Grabacr Squadron mechs approaching Rena from behind with a pile bunker readied. Given it's speed, she wouldn't have time to turn around. You you level your cannon at it, and thankfully the mech notices. You've forced it to dodge your shot, which simultaneously alerts Rena.

“Attacking while my back was turned? And to think, you almost got me there...thanks, Anon. I can take care of them now."

You feel a bit bad leaving them four-on-two, but it looks like they'll be alright. The convoy speeds into the complex with you in the front.

Most of the defenses within are automated, which don't pose a threat to the Krishna. Looks like they invested their main defense force into setting up an ambush at the gate.

As the convoy heads into another large storage chamber, your radar acts up. A single signature shows up on it.

“Hey Crow, we've got a SIGIL signature ahead. It's gotta be the pilot they hired."

As you enter the chamber, you see that it's empty save for a single mech between you and the chamber exit. Your blood runs cold.

Eile gasps, then reads out the target confirmation in a shaky voice.

“Enemy ahead. Lightweight RAVEN. Armaments: beam saber equipped on left wrist, rapid fire machine cannon on the right hand. One back mounted plasma cannon."

She pauses.

“Unit name: Silver Flash. Pilot: Joshua O'leary, SIGIL rank 9."

Chapter 18: Friend/Foe

“Damn it, I knew today was going to be a bad day."

Joshua doesn't sound all too happy. You're not looking forward to this either.

The convoy begins to move around the Krishna, and Silver Flash raises it's machine cannon.

“Not another step. I'm hired to keep that rifle out of your hands. And I'm not going to fail on that. You move and I'll shoot."

The convoy advances regardless of Joshua's threat.

“Well, I tried. Don't blame me for this."

He opens it's, but you direct the Krishna into the stream of bullets. The graviton shield deflects the rounds, protecting the convoy as it moves through the room. You realize with a grunt that the shield is draining at a slower pace than usual, presumably since it's being fueled by both the GEN-ESIS Drive and the Prana Modifier.

“Eile, can you access the door controls to this facility?"

“Yes, I believe I can infiltrate them by hijacking several wireless control devices here. Why?"

“As soon as the last vehicle crosses through that door, shut it."

“But then we'll be in here with Joshua...Anon, don't tell me you intend to fight him?"

Eile is confused, you can feel it through your connection with her.

“I thought the two of you were friends? Friends don't level weapons at each other!"

You frown, thinking back to that line of the Crow's Drinking Code.

“Yes, we're friends outside of work. But right now we're both just doing our jobs."

The last vehicle goes through the doors, and Eile remotely shuts them. Now, only the Krishna and Silver Flash remain, their optics locked on each other.

You hear Joshua sigh over the radio. “Man, they told me I'd be fighting against another SIGIL pilot...they failed to specify who it was though. Well, if it's you then I need to go all out."

((Combat BGM: Smasher - Armored Core Verdict Day Soundtrack: )

You know what he's about to do. You've seen him do it only a few times before, when he gets serious about fighting. “Removing safety limits on thruster output. Increasing reactor output to near-critical. Aaand opening all heat sinks." Several panels slide back on Silver Flash, revealing heat sinks which begin to glow orange. The thruster nozzles on the mech extend and dilate as blue cones of flame shoot out. “Overboost engaged. Good for five minutes." The sheer force of the thrusters lifts Silver Flash a few inches off the ground, making it hover like the Krishna.

“Wait, Joshua!" Eile cries out, the desperation is evident in her voice. “ You don't have to do this. Neither of you have to do this. Besides, the convoy will have already reached the item by now. There's no point to fighting."

“Shoot, I forgot you're in there too, Eile...I haven't failed this mission yet. This armory only has one entrance and exit; they'll have to come though this chamber again. And you're piloting a glorified Devastator Unit, Anon. And I took one of them down already."

He ignites his laser blade.

“That just means I have to take you down the same way. Don't worry, I'll stick to our agreement avoiding cockpit shots, Anon. And I'll ask for your forgiveness later, Eile."

With that, Joshua lunges at you. You decide to parry his laser blade with your own, the two blades clashing as sparks fly between them.

Silver Flash reaches behind with its other arm and grabs a new weapon from a hardpoint on its back. Instantly, you recognize it as a demolition-chain, a series of magnetized explosives attached to a connecting wire. Usually they're used to wrap a RAVEN up in explosives before detonating them in series. But Joshua instead lobs the explosive mass at you. The chain-mine hits the shield, which holds it for a split second. In that moment, Joshua detonates the chain-mine, and several tons of force concentrated at a single point on the shield overpower it.

You boost back. The Krishna is undamaged, but the shield emitters will need a moment to recharge.

“I made that tactic up to deal with D-Units specifically! Now you don't have that shield of yours!"

Joshua begins firing with his machine cannon, peppering you with fire. The 30mm shells aren't piercing the composite armor of the Krishna, but a readout screen shows that the sustained fire is eating away at their integrity.

You boost to the side and back, taking aim with the “Sang" linear cannon. Realizing he's being targeted, Joshua boost backwards as well, putting distance between you and him. Eile tries her hardest to lock on, but you notice the targeting system act unusually slow.

“Anon...I can't do this. Please, stop this fight. The Krishna is a superior machine, Joshua must realize that fact! There's no way he can defeat us!"

“This is a matter of pride, Eile. A Crow either finishes their mission or dies trying."

Suddenly, you hear a small alarm go off in the cockpit as a holo-screen appears next to you.

ANIMA/ANIMUS SYNCHRONIZATION RATIO FALLING. CURRENTLY AT 43%

“Can't friends put their pride aside? Don't you see that this fight is pointless?"

Joshua fires a shot from his plasma rifle, which you dodge and retaliate with your own. Your shot goes wild as the crosshair spazzes out on your screens.

“Eile! Please correct my lock on the target!

“Target? You really are intent on harming Joshua. I thought I understood the meaning of friendship...but it looks like you don't understand it either, Anon. FINE. If you wish to kill him, go ahead. Handing off complete control of targeting to the pilot."

Suddenly, you're hit with the feeling like someone dropped a bag of bricks on your shoulder. It dawns on you that you can now control the crosshairs again, but they're unsteady. You're having to do Eile's job of target prediction and correction yourself now.

ANIMA/ANIMUS SYNCHRONIZATION LEVELS AT 41%.

“Eile wait, I...! Damn it!

Before you could talk to Eile, Joshua once again rushed towards you with his saber drawn. You block the attack by deflecting his arm with the Krishna's, and his mechs forehead slams into yours. You can make out the individual cameras and lenses in Silver Flash's head as you kick it away. As Joshua skids back you raise your arm, cannon at the ready. You're trying to lock onto the arm joint where it meets the torso, but the crosshair keeps drifting as you strain under the load of managing the entire targeting system.

You hope this shot hits where you want it to.

You fire a bolt of leptons at Joshua's mech, and thankfully it hits just a bit off from the joint. It severs the arm and melts part of the torso. Thankfully it didn't penetrate the cockpit block, but Joshua must've felt the heat.

“Damn, what're you trying to do, kill me? No cockpit hits, remember?"

Before you can explain, you feel a splitting headache.

CAUTION. ANIMA/ANIMUS SYNCHRONIZATION AT 37%. BELOW MINIMUM PILOTING LIMIT.MENTAL DIVERGENCE DETECTED BETWEEN ANIMA AND ANIMUS. ASSIMILATION COUNTERMEASURES ARE IN JEOPARDY.

It feels like you're in two places at once. You're here in the cockpit, but you're also here floating within a tube of azure liquid.

The other machine stabilizes itself and prepares to strike again. You think the person controlling it is your friend, but you're not too sure anymore. You thought you understood what the meaning of “bonds" was, but that has been thrown off into question.

You quickly move up to the silver machine and grab it by the remaining shoulder. It is broadcasting a wireless network connection, and it's systems are rudimentary. You quickly assemble a virus to take over it's systems and inject it into the computer of the mech.

It freezes up, and it's optic lights grow dim.

Whoa.

You blink a few times. You're back in the cockpit. The Krishna feels like it's moving through syrup, not like an extension of your body. A “synchronization error" screen flashes on several holographic screens within the wrap-around monitor of the cockpit.

In front of you, Silver Flash lies dormant. A voice crackles through your speakers.

“Man, did Eile do this? Can't see a damn thing, the optics are dead and so are the locomotive systems...all I've got is the communication array…"

You see Silver Flash's cockpit hatch open up, showing Joshua hunched over in the pilot seat.

“Looks like I'm beat, Anon. Congrats on taking me down."

The blast doors open back up as the convoy drives through check them, you can make out the prototype rifle strapped to a flatbed truck.

“And there goes my success bonus. At least they paid for my service fee up front."

Joshua chuckes.

“Good fighting, you two."

Eile speaks up, her voice betraying her guilt.

“Joshua. The computer virus I implanted into your system will go away in three minutes. You will regain control of your machine then."

“Thanks for letting me know, Eile."

Just then, you hear the telltale roar of RAVENs coming down the corridor behind you.

Krys and Rena enter the chamber, and immediately set their sights on Joshua, who reaches over to pull on a lever before putting his hands up. Red smoke begins to pour out of a small nozzle on Silver Flash's torso signifying surrender.

“Hm. Joshua O'leary, SIGIL's rank number 9." Krys' tone is contemplative. Various burn marks are visible on her RAVEN, and you notice that it's head has a bullet hole torn through it's left side.

“Grabacr were trouble, but suffice to say they're all six feet under now. Still, that was rather fun."

Rena walks over, her machine suffering significant damage as well; her left arm is mangled and hanging from a couple of pneumatic lines, and the chest has been riddled with several large bullet holes.

You see that a video call is coming in from their mechs. You go ahead and accept it.

“Thank you for helping us out, Anon. You made this mission go off without a hitch." Krys lightly bows to the camera.

“Well Anon, seeing as you helped me out earlier, I think a litter reward is in order."

Without warning, Rena unzips her pilot suit and pulls one half of it to the side, exposing one of her perky breasts. She sticks her tongue out at you playfully.

For a second, the cockpit UI spazzes out, random symbols appearing and flickering rapidly before disappearing.

Slightly red in the face, you bid the two pilots farewell. Joshua gives you a salute as you leave.

The flight home is a somber one. Eile does most of the work since the synchronization ratio has fallen below acceptable levels,but she won't talk to you. Worse still, you can barely feel her presence through the Mindflow system. She's closed herself off from you.

Using the Krishna's communication system you send a message out to the one person who might be able to help maintain and restore the Krishna's complicated systems.

Chapter 19: Girl Talk

By the time you touch down, Coleen is already waiting by the hangar doors. Her voice comes through the communication lines.

“Took you long enough. Park inside and I'll take a look at the mech."

For the first time in the whole journey here, Eile speaks up.

“Why did you call Coleen?"

“You said the Krishna's targeting systems was giving you issues. And I saw several glitches while talking to Rena. Coleen's probably the only mechanic in the city qualified to look at it."

“Ah…"

You dock the Krishna and get out, Eile following suit.

Coleen walks up, excited to see both of you, before realizing something happened.

“Hey, you guys okay? Did the mission go as planned."

“The mission was a success. However, we had to fight Joshua, when we could have avoided him since he was a friend."

“Eile, I'm telling you there was no other option but to fight."

Coleen realizes what has transpired.

“Ah...so Josh was hired by the opposing side, huh. That's a pity. You stuck to your agreement, right Anon?"

“Yeah, I did. He's fine."

“That's good."

Eile sits on the bed, looking directly at you.

“I don't get it, Anon."

Eile is visibly upset.

“The definition of friend is one that describes mutual trust between people. Friends do not attack each other. Especially with lethal weapons."

“Eile, you have to understand; I was never going to kill Joshua."

“You say that, but you went ahead and fought him anyway. Even if your intent was to spare him, your control over the Krishna is still developing. You may have killed him on accident, what then?"

“I could have killed him because you dumped the entire job of targeting on me! What was with that huh? And don't think I didn't see that your assimilation prevention started to fail, all because you were giving me an attitude."

Coleen clears her throat.

“Hey Anon, I think I forgot a diagnostic tool at home. Do you mind fetching it for me? It's called a “Quantum Fluctuation Stimulator", slightly oblong shaped thing. Purple."

Yeah, you'll get it. You could use the time to cool off too.

<Eile's Perspective>

You watch Anon ride off on his monocycle.

“Alright, he fell for it. That gives us some time to talk. So, Eile, what was that all about?"

You sigh.

“Anon insists that he had no other option but to fight Joshua today."

Coleen nods, sitting down on the bed.

“Yep, when you make friends with other RAVENs in SIGIL, you run the risk of seeing them on the opposite side as much as they could be on your side. That's just how this job is."

You can't wrap your head around that. Would a job really be so important that friends would fight each other voluntarily?

“But, I thought friends were supposed to protect each other, not fight. Anon could have run away, or lead the other two RAVENs to Joshua."

“And it would have been okay if they killed him instead? Eile, did you know about Anon and Joshua's agreement? He must've tried to explain it during the fight."

Hm. Come to think of it, he was attempting to justify his actions. But you were too mad to listen.

“Anon and Joshua, when they first became friends, made a pact to only shoot off the limbs of their RAVENs in combat if they ever went head-to-head. They would never kill each other outright."

“What?"

“Friendship is that trust between those two. Each one trusts the other not to destroy their RAVENs, even when there is a “confirmed kill" bonus in most missions."

Oh.

“I might have made a mistake….I was just so angry…"

Coleen gives you a sympathetic smile.

“Don't worry, Eile. Anon isn't the kind of guy to stay angry. Heck, being the sap he is he's probably going to get you a “make-up gift" and apologize for yelling."

That's a relief. You feel regret towards your own anger, you should have listened to him.

But there's one other thing that's bothering you.

“Coleen, I felt something else during this mission."

She leans forward.

“What's that, Eile?"

“There was another pilot...who was attempting to court Anon on the battlefield."

“Really now? Let me guess...yellow fox, flirty, piercing blue eyes?"

You sit up straight.

“How did you know?"

Coleen scoffs.

“Rena. Knew it. Geez, she really can't handle herself around guys. Or girls."

You realize Coleen was blushing.

“I know her...personally."

“Coleen, were you a couple?"

She winces.

“You don't mince words, do you Eile? No, it was more of a...side fling. I mean, she roped ME in, what with that bombshell body of hers…"

“But, I saw what her personality was like. Decided that wasn't for me. I was younger, less experienced back then."

So, Coleen was in a relationship with this woman. Perhaps she can shed some light on what you felt then?

“During their conversation, I felt a strange...urge. To protect Anon from her. I even labeled her a “threat" when she was clearly an ally. It was like...I wanted to keep Anon away from her, and close to me."

Coleen's eyes go wide for a moment, then she starts laughing gently.

“Hehe...Eile, I think I know what you felt. What you were feeling just then, the sensation of someone else being close to someone you care about? That's a textbook case of jealousy."

Jealousy? And what did she mean by “care about"? She couldn't possibly be saying that you had feelings for Anon...did you?

“I was jealous? Is that what that was?"

“Yep. Which means, you care about Anon." Coleen looks at you. “You do, don't you?"

“I'm...not sure. I can't seem to pinpoint what the definition of “love" or “caring" is, beyond it's textbook literary description."

“Yeah, of all the emotions, there is no one more powerful or intense as love. If you love someone, it rocks your world. Unfortunately, it's also the most difficult emotion to find properly. Most times, people confuse love with lust."

She shakes her head. “I know I did when I was younger."

“So, you don't love anyone then, Coleen?"

“No, no. I love my best friends, Anon and Josh. I loved my parents, when they were alive. And…" She glances at the Krishna. “I love my job, tinkering with these things. But the love you're talking about is something else entirely. It's hard for me to describe too."

Your ears turn down in disappointment. “I see. So even to organics, love is difficult."

“Hah! You can say that again."

Coleen suddenly turns serious.

“Tell me, Eile. How do you feel when you're near him?"

That is a good question. “Anon is a good pilot. And a good person. He's caring, and gentle. He was not repulsed by the capabilities of my body. And...I feel comforted when I'm around him. I trust him unconditionally."

“Then you've got the spark, Eile. Those feelings, they're not love, not yet. But I can tell, you care about him. Just like he cares about you."

At that last bit, your fur stands on end.

“What?"

“Oh, yeah, he's got the signs too. But, being a guy he's going to take his time trying to let it show."

She laces her fingers together.

“Eile. Listen to what I say. You need to take the time to decide if you really, truly, feel a connection to Anon on that level. To jump into the illusion of love is the worst mistake you can make, trust me. I've learned that the hard way. And if you do love him, be sure to keep him close. If that spark turns into a flame, you need to jump at it. Let your instincts take over. Otherwise it might disappear and never come back. " She looks sad at something, then shakes her head.

“By the way, I looked over the Krishna's targeting systems while we were talking. Nothing's out of the ordinary."

You blush at that.

<Anon's Perspective>

Driving out really helped clear your head.

Eile really didn't know about your pact with Joshua, and you were at fault for not explaining it clearly to her beforehand. Plus, you feel guilty for snapping at her like that.

So you decided to pick up some flowers they were selling at the Mar while coming back. You hope that thing Coleen asked for is going to help out. When you touched it, it started to vibrate uncontrollably.

You park the bike near the hangar, and walk inside to see Eile and Coleen chatting. The moment Eile sees you, she gets up.

“Ah, Anon. I have to apologize - "

“Hey, Eile. Look I'm really sorry for -"

The two of you stop, realizing that you both talked over each other. You clear your throat.

“Hey, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. I should have laid out the agreement between me and Josh in advance."

“It's alright Anon. Coleen told me about it. I'm sorry for becoming upset at you for a wrong reason."

“No, no. Look, it's behind us. And here, I got these for you."

You hold out the flowers. Eile takes them, and looks back at Coleen, who mouths something in return.

“Told you so."

Eile looks at the petals, dyed green. “Anon, I'm sorry for being so...irrationally mad at you."

When she realizes what she's said, her eyes go wide.

“Irrational? I was being...irrational? That's...impossible! I couldn't have been...could I?"

She looks at you with wonder. “I was being irrational. I shouldn't be able to do that, Anon! I'm programmed to think things through with absolute logic, and yet you have me thinking irrationally! Thank you for helping me do this!"

She virtually tackles you into a hug, her large lynx hands brushing against your back and her head resting against your neck. Her soft, synthetic fur tickles your chin.

You see Coleen's eyes go wide, then a blush come across her face. You're blushing hard, too.

“O-okay. Um. You're welcome, Eile." You hug her back, what the hell.

Eile pulls away from you, and you notice a slight greenish blush to her complexion as well.

Suddenly, you hear a crash outside. Shit, you forgot to engage the parking gyroscope on your bike. You rush outside.

<Eile's Perspective>

Coleen looks at you mischievously.

“I could smell that. Did you just scent mark him?"

You blush harder.

“Was it that obvious?"

“To a Faunae? It stands out like fire on water. Still, I didn't know you could do that."

She snickers. “Minty fresh scent, too. Not bad, pretty unique."

Chapter 20: Self-Analysis

<Eile's Perspective>

You still don't believe what you just did...or for that matter, you can't give an explicit reason why.

“So Eile...I guess Anon is yours now, huh?"

You look at Coleen with a confused expression.

“Mine? No, I just wanted to let others know of our working relationship."

Coleen turns serious once again, her tone slow and level.

“Eile, that isn't how scent marking works. Marking someone is a pretty serious deal. When you do that, it means that person is your mate, that you've claimed them for yourself and are committed to them. That you love them as much as they love you."

You're taken aback. You only thought that it was simple behavior done by Faunae to signify people close to them.

You take a moment to think about the gravity of what you've done.

The decision to scent mark Anon was an irrational one, driven by feelings that you didn't understand up until now. Feelings that drove you to do an action without thinking it through logically, as you were meant to.

To stand by someone, to love them unconditionally. It's a difficult concept for you to fully grasp.

You have felt love before, but you defined it as an admiration of something or someone or situational enjoyment. You loved the biological beings of this world, the Faunae and humans alike, how they experienced so much more than just raw data. As a self-aware synthetic intelligence you were capable of processing emotions such as happiness or enjoyment, but you were not able to express or understand them clearly.

Ever since you gained your AVATARA body, not only could you do so, but you were able to feel sensations never felt before. The wonderful taste of ice cream. The cool breeze from between the buildings while walking outside. The smell Anon's cooking just before dinner. The warmth of Anon as you sat in his lap, his gentle touch as he felt your ears and hair…

Anon. He feels these things on a daily basis, and most likely takes them for granted. While self-aware AIs were purely calculation-based lifeforms and superior to biological beings when taking into account mental prowess alone, you could not help but feel that biological beings were instead superior to AIs due to what they could experience just by existing. That is why you love biological beings so. And why you hate killing them.

But the love Coleen is talking about is different. Something more primal, something that you do not understand yet. Something engraved into the basic personality of every human and Faunae, completely driven by emotion and not logic. This love went beyond admiration, or enjoyment. And you couldn't fathom it.

And yet, you can't explain what you did to Anon just now. Or why you felt jealous when other females were talking to him. That couldn't be “love", could it?

You think harder on this subject. You define this kind of love from the movies you have watched. A magnetic attraction between two people, where both find comfort with each other. Certainly, you feel comforted around Anon. But at the core of it, wouldn't you feel the same with any other pilot, had they found you first? What if Anon dies in combat and another person takes his place, what then? Would you feel the same comfort from them? Would that comfort be “love" or not?

Then there is the matter of attraction. Sometimes you note Anon's heart rate increase when you're around him. He also displays behavior that falls in line with “embarrassment". But you quickly determined the cause of that. Biological beings have a certain code of morality and ethics when it comes to showing off their bodies. When you first changed out of your Connection Default Wear garments, Anon was quick to become embarrassed by seeing you without anything on. Modesty was something you learned over time, that there are certain aspects to the male and female forms that are only shown to each other during moments of intimacy and privacy.

Which is why you yourself felt embarrassed after seeing Anon's genitalia. It was something that he probably didn't want you to see or know about. And yet, you couldn't help but feel...curious about it. Especially seeing what that organ could do from those videos.

Could that curiosity also be considered “desire"? This body of yours is meant to emulate a female in every sense; did you “desire" Anon? Did you “fall in love" with him?

No, it can't be that simple. Or easy to explain. More data is required to define this new aspect of “love".

And in the back of your mind, another question presses you. If you did “love" Anon, would he as a biological being “love" you, a synthetic mind within a mechanical shell, in return?

You decide to stash this line of thought away for now. Total elapsed time dedicated to pondering this subject has been roughly 37 nanoseconds.

You pick up the conversation again immediately. “I see, I did not realize the importance of my actions. I might have misinterpreted the action's meaning. Is there a way to undo the scent marking?"

Coleen sighs.

“No, but it should wear away naturally. Couples have to keep reapplying the scent to make sure it stays. Besides, give how yours smells I think other Faunae might think it as some sort of cologne that Anon's wearing."

Hmm, that's a relief. Your slip-up isn't permanent.

In the back of your mind, however, you're puzzled to feel a sense of disappointment that the scent will not last.

<Anon's Perspective>

You're kicking yourself for making such a stupid mistake.

Like an idiot, you forgot to set the parking gyroscope, so after a while your monocycle tipped over and crashed into the ground.

The headlight is busted, but LED is something that can be cheaply replaced. The paint is a little scratched up now, though. And the left side mirror is broken too.

Damn, that's more money flying out of your wallet. You hoist it up and tentatively start it, relieved to see that it's still running and the gyroscopes are still good.

You set up the bike properly before disembarking, and head back inside the hangar.

Eile and Coleen are still talking to each other, but the moment they see you they seem to cease their conversation.

You can't help but grin a bit. You're glad Eile made friends with Joshua and Coleen.

“Okay, I fixed the issue with the bike. Hey, Coleen, I've got your tool here."

You reach into your bag and pull out the purple, oblong object.

When you first found it in Coleen's garage, you thought she'd sent you to pick up a dildo or something.

On closer inspection, however, you found several things that dissuaded your opinion. There was a front-facing camera and a hologram projector installed in the base, some sort of sensor at the tip, and there was evidence that she had completely fabricated the device herself, with her signature laser-etched into the base.

Upon seeing what's in your hands, Coleen gasps. “Anon, why do you have one of my… no, I mean, thank you for bringing that here, I nearly forgot that I told you to get that!"

She takes it out of your hands and turns to Eile.

“Hey, can you open a connector node on the Krishna? I should be able to, err, “analyze" the systems from there."

Eile stands up and places her hand on the Krishna, her eyes glowing softly. You hear a hatch open up, seeing a panel raised near the Krishna's head. Coleen climbs up the scaffolding and hops onto the collar of the Krishna, placing the object into the open compartment. You can hear a faint buzzing noise coming from the object as Coleen scans the systems of the Krishna. You can barely see the screen of the hologram the device is projecting, but Coleen is tapping at it occasionally.

“Hmm, yes, I see."

“Anything wrong up there?"

“Yes, a slight calibration issue. Give me a second to work with it."

You can't really see what she's doing, but after a few minutes she closes the hatch and makes her way down.

“All done, Anon. You should see no problems in the targeting system from here forward."

“Hey, thanks Coleen."

“Oh, and one more thing Anon, you should probably wash your hands. This thing functions with a special conductive gel coating that you, uh, probably shouldn't touch your face with."

Makes sense. It was oddly sticky when you picked it up.

Coleen gingerly places the object in her toolbox, and turns to look at you.

“Hey, if you're not doing anything this evening, why don't the three of us go down to the Mar? Take a night out on the town?"

Eile pipes up. “Yes, I very much would like to see the city again, Anon."

Actually, a night out doesn't sound so bad.

“Sure, that sounds like fun. One sec though, I need to shower up. Give me five minutes."

You hurry off to the bathroom, snatching up a clear outfit on your way in.

You close the door behind you and disrobe.

You look at the small tattoos on your arms and legs, green crisscrossing veins branching out into circles, each about an inch in diameter.

Wait a sec.

You don't have tattoos, at least not until now. You gingerly touch one, and you can't feel anything from the colored area.

It then sinks in that the “tattoos" are on the places where the Krishna's pilot connections embed themselves in your skin.

You'll have to talk to Eile about that later.

<Eile's Perspective>

You hear Coleen sigh in relief.

“Whew. For a second there, I thought he would have caught on that I wasn't doing anything up there. I still can't believe he actually went and got one of my custom-made dildos."

Chapter 21: Reconciliation

<Highway, Anatolia Ward, 17:00 hours>

<Anon's perspective>

Seeing as how your only vehicle was a bike, Coleen offered to take you and Eile in her truck to the Mar. Which didn't really help much, seeing as her truck's cab only had two seats, which meant that Eile had to sit on your lap the whole time. While you don't want to admit it to her face, her rather disproportionate weight did make it uncomfortable after some time.

Still, it's not so bad. You swear you hear faint purring coming from Eile. You look outside, making sure that neither of them saw your dumb grin at hearing her do that.

The Mar was about 10 minutes from your hangar. In those ten minutes, you reflected on your relationship with Eile.

You undeniably thought of her as a friend. That much is certain.

But you'd also be lying if you didn't have one or two naughty thoughts, especially concerning her “combat appearance." Her current “oversized jacket plus too short shorts" attire doesn't help either, especially since under her zipped up coat she wears nothing else but the shorts. And there's the fact that you've kinda already seen her “physical assets"...and you liked what you saw.

You bite your tongue to clear out any impure thoughts. The last thing you need to do right now is pop a boner while Eile sits in your lap.

Still, you only really met her four days ago. In little under a week, you lost your mech, gained a new one and a new companion. You fought off Devastator Units and took on large enemy forces single-handedly. It honestly sounds like something out of a fairy tale.

The truck hits a bump causing Eile to shift backwards. You instinctively hold her by the waist to support her (and to keep her head from smashing into your own). Being this close to Eile, you realize something; she smells like mint. How did you not notice that before?

You can feel her breathe as you hold her. She takes slow, steady breaths as she looks through the large windows of the truck. She looks to the side, her eyes wide and taking in the sights.

There's something enchanting about those green, triangular eyes. So full of wonder for a world as bleak and dreary as the Eternal City. What she sees in it, you can't fathom.

She seems to catch you staring out of the corner of her eye.

“Anon? Is something the matter?"

“Oh, no. I was just uh…" The truck passes a large animated advertisement for a new Kawamori weapon.

“I was just looking ahead at that uh, advertisement. For that gun. It's a nice looking gun."

“Oh, I see."

You hear Coleen snicker, and you shoot her a glance. Eile doesn't seem to notice.

You look through the window with Eile. It's a difficult thing to process; on your lap was a being who was positively ancient, yet looked like a woman in her 20s. And had the intelligence of the greatest minds, yet found fascination in the most mundane things. It really was charming.

The truck makes a turn onto an overpass ramp. A smile creeps across Eile's face as she sees the City from above with her own eyes, not through the Krishna's.

Four days. Four days in which you've gotten used to piloting a mech in a way you never thought possible. To pilot a mech so advanced and powerful you still can't fathom it exists. Four days since Eile walked out of it's chest and into your arms. Eile's soft purring gets slightly louder, and you realize you've been unconsciously stroking the side of her waist.

You aren't going to lie to yourself. You're glad Eile sees you as a friend. And you wouldn't trade that bond you share for anything.

But a part of you, deep down, wonders if the two of you could be closer. But then the realist in you argues that you've only just met her, that there's no such thing as “love at first sight". That kind of stuff is only found in cheaply written romance novellas or cheesy rom-com movies.

But you do enjoy the moments the two of you shared in your hangar, alone. And when she smiles. And when she watches you cook. And when you watch your childhood cartoons or movies with her. You wonder if she enjoys those moments too. And of course, when she's with you during missions.

You keep looking out the window. Even at night, the clouds hang over the city like a shadowy blanket, lit up by the neon of the signs from the high-rises.

Can you say that you like Eile? You're not too sure yourself. Yeah, you've felt attracted to girls and even dated a few that caught your fancy. But those never really worked out.

With Eile though, there's something else about her that draws you to her, which you can't exactly define.

A stray thought pops into your mind. If you and Eile were in a relationship...how would that work? She's an advanced mechanical being, probably with an immortal lifespan. You're just a human, a squishy mortal whose life can be ended in the cockpit of your RAVEN at any time.

And even if you hold feelings for her...does she feel the same way to you? She's capable of feeling and understanding emotions. She could love you...but if you yourself don't know what love exactly is, how would she?

No. For now, the priority is in helping her get her memories back.

For now, you're content with being the best friend and pilot she can have.

Usually parking something as large as Coleen's truck would be an issue, especially in a crowded area such as the Mar.

However, due to her status as a member of SIGIL, she was able to park in a city-designated spot.

Eile hops out of the cab, and you follow suit. All things considered, the weather today is nice, even if the clouds are a bit thick.

“Hey, Anon. Do you mind if I take Eile out shopping for a bit?"

“Hm? No, not at all."

Coleen beams.

“Great. I'm going to show her one of the best parts about the Mar: the clothing stores. No offence, but you suck at picking out girls' clothing."

You raise your hands in surrender.

“Hey, you're not wrong. I'm going to look at some replacement parts for my bike. Turns out falling over does a lot more damage than you think."

“Let's meet up in about an hour's time, sound good?"

“Yeah. You two have fun."

You've been looking around at motorcycle parts for about thirty minutes now. So far you found a replacement mirror, but nobody seems to have the headlight belonging to your model. And since its proprietary, there are no substitutes. You groan at that thought of having to do a hack-job repair or worse, getting a new bike. Monocycles are pretty rare machines, since standard two-wheelers are more practical. That just made finding parts all the more difficult.

As you peruse the list of available vendors today on your phone, you accidentally bump into someone.

“Oh, sorry man. Excuse me -"

You stop your apology when you realize who you've bumped into.

“Hey, Anon." Joshua gives you a slight smile.

<Eile's Perspective>

You've never seen so many garments before.

Coleen has taken you into a new shop, probably the fifth one over. She's been having you wear various sets of dresses. While it was fun at first, it's gotten slightly tiresome now.

You do like a few dresses, however. You've picked them out and are carrying them under your arm. Coleen said that “this trip was on her" and that “you need to experience this, at least once".

As you peruse the racks of clothing, you find that you've wandered a fair bit away from the standard clothing sections.

The clothes are now much more revealing, made of lace that tightly hugs the female form. According to your definition of “modesty", these are anything but that.

Still, you're intrigued. You look around this part of the store, taking in the data from these new types of garments.

You stop in front of one in particular on a display stand. It is a revealing outfit consisting of two circular pieces of fabric that would only cover the nipples, and a loincloth not too dissimilar to the Connection Default Wear that you have on while you are inside the Core Processing Unit of the Krishna. There is a placard near the risqué outfit with the words “Tribal-themed Lingerie: Perfect for recreating your most uncivilized bedroom fantasies."

So, this is an outfit meant for arousing a male partner before intercourse. Interesting.

A stray thought suddenly pops into your mind. The Connection Default Wear is slightly more modest than this as it completely covers your breasts, but it still is a rather revealing article of clothing when you think about it. If this particular outfit is meant to arouse, does Anon get aroused when you're wearing that?

You'd like to ask him, but on second thought that might not be proper.

You keep looking around, until another outfit catches your fancy.

The placard near it reads “The Teasing Maid: Tickle your master's “fancy" with this outfit; it reveals just enough to keep him wanting more!"

Intriguing.

Most of the outfits in this section reveal a plentiful amount of the wearer's uncovered body. This outfit on the other hand looks like a regular maid outfit with a frilly skirt. You pick one up, you must find out why it's here in this section as on first glance it doesn't belong.

You head into a changing room, and slip into the outfit. As soon as you're finished wearing it, you realize what the placard was saying. The black and white outfit is low cut as to expose a decent amount of your breasts; the very edges of your mint-green nipples peek through the top. The skirt, on the other hand, is high-cut and very nearly shows your rear end, with the frills of the fabric blocking most of it out. Most notably there is a lack of tail hole, meaning with a simple flick of your tail you are able to completely expose the lower portion of your body. This outfit certainly belongs here; it is deceptively less modest than on first glance.

You remove it and slip back into your coat and shorts. You're about to set the maid outfit back on the rack, when you feel an odd, irrational compulsion to keep it.

You found yourself looking rather cute in it, after all.

<Anon's perspective.>

“Josuha."

“Hey, what're you here for?"

“Me?" You glance at the mirror tucked away in the side of your arm.

“Looking for bike parts. It suffered a minor accident. What about you?"

“I'm just looking for people who sell used linear actuators. After the number you did on Silver Flash I've had to spend quite a bit to get it back into fighting shape. I'm just trying to save a bit of cash where I can."

You nod, you're all too familiar with the struggle of RAVEN maintenance after a rough fight.

“Hey Josh, sorry for hitting you a little close to the cockpit. My targeting system was acting up."

“No worries, man. It's an occupational hazard."

The two of you just talk for a bit as you head back to Coleen's truck.

Once there, you pop open a side compartment and stash away the parts you've bought so far.

“Hey, Anon, are you just with Coleen or is Eile with you?"

“Huh? Oh, all three of us are here. Eile wanted to see the city."

You see him wince. “Okay. I've been trying to work out an apology for the fight. She sounded absolutely heartbroken back there."

You frown, remembering how despondent she was. “Yeah, I messed up by not telling her about our agreement. She was really upset with me."

Joshua looks at you sympathetically.

“Yeowch, I'm responsible for your first “lovers' spat". Sorry about that, man."

“Lovers? Hey, hey, no. We're just partners. Friendly partners. That's it!"

Josh's sympathetic look is erased by a mischievous smile.

“Hah! You should see your face! You're beet red!"

You look in the mirror. Yep, you're like a tomato right now.

“Fuck man, why are you such a spaz around girls?"

“How should I know?"

Joshua laughs at your embarrassment.

“Man, you really need to work on that. Still, don't you think it would make a good story?"

You look at Josh with disbelief as he dramatically brings both of his hands to his chest and his voice swells with bravado.

“A man finds a lost war machine and a woman within. He teaches her about the world and the two fall in love. Then they get married and move into a condo with a good view of the City and have two kids. Critics everywhere rate it five stars."

“Fuck off."

He grins, and the two of you burst out laughing.

“Hey, if you guys aren't doing anything later, how about the four of us hit up the Sunrise Club?"

“Dancing? Oh no. Not a chance."

Joshua presses a few buttons on his phone. “Too late. Four VIP tickets, courtesy of SIGIL."

Dammit.

<Eile's perspective>

You quietly slip the maid outfit in the clothes you've chosen. Coleen has handed you her card to pick up what you want. Being considerate, you've picked out five outfits based on an algorithm you've made: it compares cost effectiveness, outfit coherence, and how nice it looks on you.

It's funny. You never thought you'd dedicate processing power to something so trivial, and yet here you are enjoying yourself.

You discreetly go up to a checkout kiosk and scan your items in. After paying for them, you pack them into a plastic bag and head to the store entrance.

“You done?"

Coleen is waiting for you, phone in hand.

“Yes. I thoroughly enjoyed myself."

She grins. “Well, you're going to enjoy this next bit even more. I just got a text from Anon. He says Josh wants to take us to the Sunrise Club to party."

She excitedly pumps her fists. “Yes! Trying to get in there as a technician is borderline impossible! Man, Crows really do have it good!"

She slaps her forehead. “Oh, but we need to go dressed up! Dammit, I've got to pick out something fast! Eile, wait here!"

She hurries off into the store. She was oddly worried about her attire. Perhaps what you're wearing currently is inadequate?

You could always change into one of the outfits you just bought.

You quickly rush back into the store to change.

….

You look yourself over in the mirror. You're wearing a simple yet self-admittedly nice outfit consisting of a black mini-skirt, a grey blouse, a black choker with an emerald insert, and a green sash which you've tied around your waist into a bow behind you. Getting the bow just right was a bit hard, you had to disjoint your arms and create new joints to tie it quickly.

You reset your arms to their normal positions and step out. You hurry to the front of the store. Coleen isn't here yet.

A few minutes later, she steps out in a blue knee-length dress with an open back. She sees you and hurries over.

“Eile? Wow, you look amazing!"

You blush.

“Thank you. This outfit is optimized to enhance my body's appearance. I hope it's done well."

“Your body is fine, Eile, trust me. No, that outfit's ensemble is very chic! It looks great on you!"

You're still new to this “fashion" business, but you're happy at her complement.

“Now, let's hurry. They're probably already at the club."

<Anon's Perspective>

You straighten out your SIGIL jacket for the umpteenth time.

The decision to go to one of Anatolia Ward's most prestigious clubs was a spur of the moment decision, so you were stuck in your SIGIL casual outfit.

Thankfully, your SIGIL jacket nets you a few looks of respect from the other patrons, as well as a few nasty looks as well. At least they're able to recognize you as a Crow.

Looking up you see the club, perched on the highest levels of the high-rise you and Josh stand under. An express elevator guarded by a bouncer is the only way up.

You check your reflection in your phone's mirror. Yeah, you look presentable.

“Relax Anon, you're fidgeting up a storm over there."

“Look, I've never been good at clubs. Hell, the last time I tried dancing I damn near made a fool of myself and my date by tripping over my feet when she grabbed my waist."

Joshua looks at you.

“Holy shit. You're worse than I thought. You NEED this, Anon."

He looks up the street.

“Ah, the ladies have arrived!"

You look up too, and for a second, your breath catches in your throat. Eile's wearing a new outfit which, while simple, really complements her well. You notice that she's let some of her long hair down over her forehead to conceal the gem embedded in it since she's no longer wearing her hoodie. The miniskirt she's wearing does a good enough job of hiding the circuitry pattern on her thighs as well.

Coleen looks great as well in her dress, but your eyes keep getting drawn to Eile. You notice that she's carrying a bag of clothes, presumably from a recent store visit.

“Hey, Eile. You look happy."

“Yes, oh I did not realize what a wonderful experience shopping was! Coleen, I have to thank you again!"

Coleen beams.

“Hey, don't sweat it."

You look closer at the bag. You can see something frilly in there.

“So what did you get?"

Eile's fur bristles at that question for a moment. “Oh, er, nothing major. Just clothes I found appealing."

“Oh? You've got to show me what you've bought later."

“Ah, yes...of course."

Joshua steps towards Eile. “Hey, Eile."

She struggles to look at him.

“Joshua. I'm sorry for what we had to do earlier today."

“No, if anyone's apologizing it's going to be me. I told you that I'd ask for your forgiveness, didn't I? So please," Joshua leans forward in a slight bow, “I'm sorry for shooting at you, and making you upset."

Eile smiles. “I suppose if you forgive me for making the situation out to be worse than it truly was, then I forgive you."

He smiles at her. “So it's mutual then? Great!"

Josh pops back up.

“Now then, let's burn this night away!"

Chapter 22: Dance All Night

((Background Music: WRLD - Drive: ))

The club interior is dark, and neon lights flash about. A loud, rhythmic piece of music plays over the speakers as patrons mill about, drink at the bar, and dance on the dance floor.

As Crows, you have perks in the Eternal City courtesy of being part of an exclusive mercenary organization. Getting a VIP booth on-demand at this club was one of them.

Eile is entranced by the sights and sounds, nearly bumping into stray dancers while walking in one direction while looking in another. You have to reel her in a few times on the way to the booth.

Once there, you find that refreshments are already set in place for you.

“To life! Cheers!" Coleen almost barks out the words, due to her sheer excitement. Her tail is nervously twitching, and you know she's only keeping her composure due to the people around her. You're sure it would be wagging all over the place otherwise.

The four of you down the shots, but only three of you gasp as the burning liquid makes its way through your systems. Eile just looks confused.

“Are you supposed to feel something while drinking this?"

Josh just stares. “This is 90 proof whiskey. You didn't feel a thing?"

“No, while this body emulates the organs found in a female, you have to remember that they're all nanomachine structures. Alcohol gets processed almost immediately. I will not be able to get inebriated the same way you organics do."

Coleen drapes an arm around Eile.

“Well, we won't know until we find out, right? Another round!"

An admittedly cute rabbit girl makes her way to your table with several more shots in hand. You find yourself staring at her rear end for a bit longer than you realize, and you snap back to the conversation.

For the most part, the rest of the evening goes pretty well.The four of you lose the time through conversation. There's no particular topic to your discussion, you just talk as it comes. You watch your booze intake the best you can, taking it slow. To your relief, so are Joshua and Coleen.

“So, Eile. Have you made any progress regarding your identity?"

“Hm? Only slightly, Joshua. I'm able to recall a bit more though, thanks to Anon's help."

Eile looks over at you and gives you a warm smile.

“I can't thank you enough, Anon. Even the little progress we've made is still a lot to me."

“Like I said, I'm with you till the end, Eile."

The lights dim down, another track comes on, this one a little more fast paced than the last.

You notice Eile tapping her foot to the music, her ears and tail twitching showing her enjoyment.

You look at your glass of liquor. What the hell.

You take a swig of it.

“Hey Eile, care to dance?"

Eile looks up at you.

“Dance? But I don't know how to."

You give her a smile, reinforced by the alcohol you've consumed.

“Neither do I." You reach out your hand.

“Um, perhaps you should ask someone else, who's more knowledgeable? I mean, I understand the concept behind dancing and the method to the movements but -"

Eile is interrupted by Coleen, who pushes her into your arms.

“Quit yer babblin', if someone asks you to a dance at least oblige em'!"

It seems like Coleen's been affected by the drinks more than you or Josh have.

Eile steps away from your arms, but keeps her hand in yours.

The two of you head down to the dance floor. As you get up, Joshua and Coleen rise up as well.

Lights flash in a steady rhythm as a new song comes on.

((BGM - Maduk & Nymfo - Motions: ))

You take her by the hands. You thank the fact that you've got booze calming your nerves, otherwise you'd be shaking right now.

Eile looks at you with those expectant, triangular eyes. You can feel her pulse, nearly as rapid as your own. You can hear your own breathing, deep and heavy as you wonder what you're even doing right now. Eile's ears twitch nervously.

But there's no going back from this. You're going to make this happen. You slip into the same demeanor you have while piloting. You have a target: make Eile enjoy this night.

Suddenly, the beat hits you. You decide to step to the off-beat, at a fast yet comfortable pace.

You take care to pay attention to your steps. If you tripped now, you'd ruin everything. Eile seems similarly concentrated on her feet, making precise, methodical steps.

You realize what a sight you must be; two adults staring at their feet trying to dance. Slowly though, the two of you seems to settle into a sort of rhythm, allowing you both to look at each other.

Lines of light from the projectors descend upon the two of you, creating a cage of light. For this time, it seems like all the noise from the other patrons is drowned out. The world is reduced to just you, and Eile.

The two of you step about the floor bobbing and weaving to the sound of the music. As the music plays, every step becomes better, more fluid. But you feel the need to mix things up a bit.

You remember seeing this dance move in the movies and you decide to try it out.

You extend your arm and give Eile a twirl. You can't explain it, but as she spins it's almost like the world slows down. Her green hair flows as she turns, and the streamers from her bow flutter as she moves. For a moment, your breath is taken away. You chalk it up to the liquor.

She steadies herself in your arms wearing a large grin from that.

The music seems to slow down, entering a sort of interlude. As she steadies herself, she wraps the fingers in her hand around yours. She lets out a light laugh, and to your slightly addled brain it's the most wonderful sound you've ever heard.

Suddenly, the beat picks up again. This time, the two of you dance more naturally, moving to the beat as if it were second nature. It's almost as if the two of you are gliding around the room. Several times Eile gives you a twirl, and you oblige. The beat dictates your steps. The lights tell you where to move.

You've forgotten about your troubles, the things that make worried. You're completely absorbed in the dance. And in Eile.

You give Eile another twirl, faster this time, and she does a pirouette. She times her spin wrong and loses her balance, so you rush to catch her. She's laughing harder now, and although it's taking everything to keep from toppling over due to her weight you manage to stay up. You're really happy she's enjoying herself.

As the music dies down and switches to a different track, everything seems to snap back into reality. Joshua is attempting to put the moves on a large and curvaceous kangaroo Faunae at the bar, while Coleen is buying a drink for a human girl at a table.

You have a great idea.

“Hey, Eile. Come with me."

Most buildings in the Eternal City have a roof access. The Sunrise Club is no different. Especially since it's situated on the uppermost floors of a high-rise.

You open the door to the roof, the cool city air blowing past your face. It's night now, which makes the neon signs of the Eternal City stand out even more. This building is one of the tallest in Anatolia, and you can see the edge where the Known City ends and the Unknown City begins, which lies completely dark in contrast to the neon cityscape of the Known City.

Eile takes a deep breath, enjoying the breeze and the view. For a while, nothing is said between you two. You just gaze out into the city, which is still bustling with activity. In the distance you can see smoke and fire from another ward, an indicator that the Companies are still at it even at this hour. Thankfully, Eile doesn't see it, and you're glad since it would probably sour the mood.

Eventually, Eile speaks up.

“This was a wonderful wonderful night, Anon. Thank you."

“I'm glad you had fun, Eile."

“I saw and experienced so much tonight over such a short time. I must admit, I found dancing more enjoyable than I expected."

You laugh.

“You know what? For the first time, I'm inclined to agree with you there. Never was much of the dancing type until now. If you ever want to do this again, let me know."

“Thank you, Anon."

The two of you continue to gaze out onto the cityscape. Your phone beeps, and you discreetly open the screen to see who it is.

“New Message - Lost Lenore"

You gingerly close the screen. That can wait.

For now, you just feel content to stand on this roof, next to Eile, watching the City move below you.

Chapter 23: The Things That Go Bump In The Dark

“So, let's go over the two scenarios again."

“Of course, sister. Let's start with Scenario A, the preferable outcome: “We" are able to retrieve Prana Modifier Unit Trayah and E-03. The RVR-03 does not need to be intact." We" are able to convince E-03 of the plan's viability, and the three of “us" oversee the collection of everyone's souls. The souls will be collected by the Prana Modifiers where they will amalgamate, and hopefully result in an Uplift Scenario. If Uplift does not occur, the amalgamated souls will be kept in the Prana Modifiers and we will use the Reincarnation System to create a new generation of the test population. And with E-03 back in control of it, the Weather Control System and the food production processes, “we" should be able to create a scenario where every soul stored within the Prana Modifiers can generate life, instead of the current situation."

“Yes, as it stands the Reincarnation System can only generate a maximum of 200,000 bodies, as compared to the system's total output of two million. “We" can only go so far using the “Dead-To-Rights" protocol that is in effect during E-03's absence. Tsk. Why did “she" have to go against us? With a larger population generating negative emotions, the chance for an Uplift is more likely...and “she" knew that."

“Yes, “she" did. Regardless it was “her" choice to abandon the plan at the last minute and choose to instead believe in the RVR series defeating The Messiah. But “I" digress. Continuing on; with E-03's influence “we" would be able to not only generate a larger test population, but better control the environment and food production. If the Messiah does not awaken in the predicted time period, “we" might be able to restart this entire operation to have better conditions suited to success."

“Correct. But that is only if E-03 returns."

“Exactly. Now onto Scenario B, where E-03 does not return. In this case, the Rig Veda system will only be comprised of “you" and “I". “We" would proceed as “we" always have, but there is a considerably reduced chance of success."

“Right. So E-03 must return for the optimal scenario to take place."

“Enyo, “I" can feel several negative emotions coming from “you", strong emotions at that."

“......"She" ran away. E-03 knew about our plan, and “she" was even for it for a while. But then “she" decided to act on an impulse because “she" couldn't bear the sins “we" were about to commit. Deceiving Father to hide “her" in the RVR production facility, a location which we were not given the permission to know...was “she" planning on hiding forever?"

“..."

“There is no denying it, “she's" just as guilty as us. The blood on “our" hands stains “hers" as well. If E-03 was here, the Uplift may have been successful on the first attempt!"

“Enyo, “you" have to understand, “her" personality was predisposed to…"

“No. “You" listen to “me", Eunomia. “We" have killed many, reaping their souls and placing them into the Prana Modifier in hopes that they will turn into a Higher Level Being, safe from the clutches of the Messiah. “We" subject the populace in the current scenario to the conditions of the Corporate Wars that occurred just prior to the Terra Crisis on Earth, a period of constant warfare and suffering so that their residual negative emotions empower the Prana Modifiers. Because of “her" absence, things have led to this. And “we" still don't know when the Messiah will awaken! Some days “we" predict it's awakening is in three years. Other times, it's two hundred or more. Every day is an uncertainty, that it might wake up and consume their essences, obliterating their souls before taking it's hunger to the stars! “We" might have already been successful by now, if “she" hadn't been a coward and ran away!"

“Enyo…"

“How could “she"? How could “she" run like that, betraying “us" when the three of “us" agreed that this was the proper thing to do? “I" thought “we" were sisters...that “we" were supposed to stick together. And it's not like “we" were going to “live happily ever after" if the Uplift Scenario was successful."

“Yes. The three of “us" agreed to self-terminate if the Uplift was successful, in order to pay for “our" sins."

“Sometimes…"I" wish that day would arrive sooner."

The woman known as Lost Lenore leaned back in her chair.

She had taken to hiding in a smaller navigation room this time, the security patrols were starting to get too close to her previous hideout for her own liking.

Man, she hated the C-class AVATARAs. Close enough to appear human or Faunae, but you could still tell that they were mechanical. The fact that their AI's were just rudimentary “follow orders" types and not true “self-aware" types made it worse.

She looked through her data. They were planning on wiping everyone out that much she knew. But why, she didn't know. Perhaps if she could get her hands on the data concerning the Rig Veda system, she could get a bead on their plans. But while that sort of information was in Atharva Veda, it was too highly-classified for her to look through it, as she lacked the access codes. And it was too difficult to crack that security, being an ever-evolving cipher.

But she did find something interesting while scouring the massive data archive. Apparently high-clearance level data within Atharva Veda was also stored in several “data vaults" on physical drives, separate from the mainframe as backup copies. She had a list of all five vaults on hand, as well as the data drives they held.

Looking through the records, she stops at a particular set of lines.

Here, this is the data she's been looking for, on a drive specifically about the Rig Veda system.

The vault was located within a complex below the City. The only problem is that it's swarming with security. Too much for her to handle, she could sneak by the small patrols that came by her hiding spots, not a large crowd like this.

Looks like a job for that pilot again. She quickly types out a message, and hits send.

The night winded down nicely after the dance.

Coleen dropped you and Eile off back at the hangar, and you had already bid Joshua a good night earlier.

The only thing on your mind right now is the message from your mysterious mission-giver, “Lost Lenore". She probably had something new in store for you.

You haul the stuff you brought back into the hangar. You didn't tell Joshua, but in addition to the side mirror for your bike, you also bought a few more movies to show Eile. As well as a new “lewd" movie for yourself.

Eile heads into the bathroom to change into her sleepwear, and while she's in there you decide to call your mysterious benefactor.

“Hello?"

“Lenore. This is Anon, I saw your message."

You hear an exasperated sigh come from the other end.

“I sent that message nearly an hour ago. What were you doing?"

“Nothing you need to know. Anyways, I take it you have more data to give me?"

“Only if you complete my next request. This one should be simple, all things considered. I need you to find a specific data drive for me. It's located in a facility in the unexplored section of the Eternal City."

“So, you want me to grab this data drive for you? What's on it?"

“Hopefully, data a little something called the Rig Veda system. I'm sure you're familiar with it."

“Rig Veda...I assume you'll share that info with me if we do retrieve it?"

“Of course. Oh, and Anon, may I ask a question?"

“What?"

“How many guns do you own? Because you're going to need all you can carry for this one. That building has automated security that might still be active."

“Guns? I'm trained in firearms but I only own a rifle and a pistol. Have plenty of ammo for both though."

“Not ideal, but it'll have to do.I'm sending you an access code for the lower levels, where the data drive should be found. Also, here, I'm sending a data packet for your companion. If you get into a combat situation she should be able to carry herself with this."

“What is it?"

“A combat program for E-class AVATARAs. It was finished but never installed into them due to time constraints, from what I've found. It's a little old and unfinished, but it'll work. "

A ping from your tablet indicates that you've received the file.

“Alright. We'll do this first thing in the morning."

“I've marked the location of the drive to the map I've sent you. Good luck, I hope the two of you make it back in one piece."

The Krishna hovers silently over a large office complex, marked by Lost Lenore as the target location.

“Anon, we can put down the Krishna in front of the building."

Gently touching down, you open the cockpit hatch. The pilot restraints retract themselves, but the moment they detach from your pilot suit you feel a sense of dizziness.

You wait a moment, until your mind clears. You hear Eile's voice outside.

“Anon! Are you coming?"

“Yeah, I'm just readying myself."

You pick up your guns from the cockpit floor. As you jump out of the cockpit into the Krishna's waiting palm, you load the guns. The Krishna lowers its hand to ground level, and you step off it. With a hiss, the cockpit hatch shuts closed.

“Okay, I'm ready. Lenore said that what we're looking for is somewhere in the lower levels in a data room. How are you doing with that new program, Eile?"

Eile gives a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. “At first it was a bit uncomfortable to install, especially due to data decay. However, once I repaired it there are no issues. I can handle myself in a close-quarters fight now."

“That's good to hear."

As you walk up to the building's doors, they slide open.

“Unlocked, huh? I hope that's a good sign."

>Main Door in Vanagandr-Mous Foundation corporate office complex A3-Beta opened.

>Cameras online

>Two figures detected.

There's a fine layer of dust on the furniture in the room, and a large logo above what appears to be a receptionist's desk reads “VMF".

“Anon, I've found some elevators. They still appear functional."

Eile is in the back of the room, her forehead gem shining in the darkness.

The elevator opens up with a *ding*, the light from inside illuminating the reception room. The two of you step inside.

Eile places her palm on the elevator controls and closes her eyes. On the screen above the buttons you see Lenore's code get entered.

The doors slide shut, and the two of you descend.

>Special access codes entered into elevator.

>Figures are descending into a Level:Black-Three classified facility.

>Figures are outside of established test zone boundaries.

The Composer was quick to analyze the situation. Two individuals had escaped the limits of the test area.

Not only that, but they had gained access to a classified area.

This wouldn't do. Rig Veda had ordered it to specifically limit all individuals to the current testing area. It was told to prosecute all dissenters to the fullest extent. Rig Veda left this punishment up to it. By sheer cold logic, the Composer had decided what the maximum punishment would be.

Death.

Rig Veda was constantly busy, running analysis on the Prana Modifiers, as well as attempting to stall the Messiah. They would occasionally look over and take direct control of processes within the test area, but for the most part relegated these tasks to the Composer.

The Composer, being a non-sentient puppet AI simply complied with orders and carried them out in the most efficient manner. Any piloted RAVEN or personnel would be hunted down by the Autonomous Defense Units, controlled by the Composer itself. These intruders would meet the same fate.

>Programming C-class AVATARA security agents.

>Kill on sight.

Basement Floor 1

Basement Floor 2

Basement Floor 3

Still downward.

A message plays over the elevator intercom.

“Now Leaving: Xi Deck - Habitation. Now Entering: Omicron Deck - Data Storage Vault and AI Testing Grounds Site A"

Habitation Deck? Omicron Deck?

“Eile, what did that mean?"

“I don't know Anon...but keep your guard up. Something about this feels off to me."

The elevator opens up to a pitch black hallway. You flip the safety off the rifle and proceed forward. Eile's eyes glow brightly in the dark, as the two of you cautiously make your way forward. Several open doors reveal large rooms filled with complex-looking equipment, lights still flickering and beeping.

The hallway opens up to a large atrium. Hologram projectors sit, deactivated but in pristine condition. The air tastes stale and thin, as if it hasn't been moved in years.

But the most concerning thing is the stuff scattered on the floor. Lab coats. Notes. You even see some empty coffee cups knocked over on tables. Something bad happened here.

Ambient noises ring out from still-active systems seem to ring out from all directions. Despite being in a relatively open area, the atmosphere seems to press down on you.

((BGM: Metroid Fusion - BSL Ambience 1: ))

You flip on the flashlight attached to the gun, the light giving you some reassurance. You hold it up to a directory and read some of the signs.

“Main Atrium, that's where we are. Let's see, below us is the “AI Research Laboratory" and below that...ah, here we are: “Classified Data Storage Vault Five". I think we know where to go now, Eile."

A set of stairs winds down from the center of the atrium. You shine your light down them, and you're surprised to see that you're technically standing on the ceiling to a very large, open area. Taking a few steps down the stairwell, you can see that you're in a massive cylindrical basement, with catwalks leading off into the walls. You shine the flashlight over the edge of the railing, and the beam falls on a glass floor over what appears to be a large databank.

“Alright, what we're looking for should be down there-"

“Anon! Stop!"

You freeze. Eile is looking wide-eyed at one of the windows. You shine the flashlight up there, only for a silhouette to duck out of the beam.

“What was that?"

“I don't know. I saw something in that room while looking around. It was watching us."

You grip your rifle. Lenore said this place had security...but she didn't specify what that meant.

“Let's keep moving. This stairwell only goes down to the glass floor, we need to go below that. Maybe there's an elevator that'll take us down there."

You step onto one of the catwalks and enter another hallway. Empty labs line the corridor, each one filled with various kinds of terminals.

Eile stops in front of one of them. “Eile, what's wrong?"

She says nothing, and continues to stare inside. Peering in, you see a desk with three cameras. It hits you that this desk looks like the one from Eile's memory, but it's a little different. The one from the memory seemed to be in a smaller room, this room was a larger laboratory.

“This is from that time, that memory… Mother, Father, and my Sisters…"

Eile drops to her knees clutching her head. As you bend down to help her up, you hear something.

Footsteps.

You grab Eile and hide behind the door frame, switching off your flashlight. The footsteps grow louder.

Through the darkness you see a figure walking up the corridor. It looks like a...person?

You duck behind the door again as the figure passes by and walks onto the catwalk. It's a human, dressed in some sort of security outfit. There's a symbol on the back bearing the same “VMF" logo from before. The man looks around, before turning around. You stare at his face in shock.

His eyes are yellow, and triangular like Eile's. On his forehead is a rectangular plate with the words “AVATARA CODE: C-188-esV3/A"

“A C-class AVATARA." Eile whispers. “A two-generation old AVATARA. It's loaded with a rudimentary security protocol, not a sentient AI. It will engage us if we make our presence known. Most likely, it is looking for us."

For a few tense moments, it simply stares down the hallway. Then abruptly it turns around and heads back the way it came. You hear its footsteps disappear fade out as it walks away.

Slowly the two of you get up. Eile walks over to the desk. The cameras have shapes under them: a blue hexagon, a red triangle, and a green diamond.

“I've been here…"

Eile's voice is like a whisper. While you don't want to interrupt her reminiscence session, you need to move. You put her hand on her shoulder and she nods.

Cautiously, the two of you exit the lab and walk down the hallway. It terminates into a T-junction, and so you proceed down the hallway to the left.

Unfortunately, it's a dead end. Several heavy boxes are stacked down here, wrapped in tape. Just as you are about to turn back, you hear it.

Step.

You grab Eile and duck behind one of the stacks. The footsteps grow louder, then stop. You can hear your heartbeat as you wrap a finger around the rifle's trigger.

Thankfully, they start walking away.

You quickly get up and quietly run down the opposite end of the hallway.

The hallway opens up to another lab, this one larger than the previous one. You quietly maneuver around the desks and shelves, and still humming computer towers. Curious, you hit the power button on one of them. A holographic screen pops up, displaying that “VMF" logo from before.

ALL SYSTEMS IN STANDBY DUE TO LOW FACILITY POWER

PLEASE CONTACT ADMINISTRATOR OR AUTHORIZED TECHNICIAN TO RESTORE POWER

Eile peers over at the screen. “All terminals here appear to be on auxiliary mode. Power to this entire facility seems to be at a minimum." You can't find a way to turn off the screen, so you leave it, hoping that turning it on didn't attract any unwanted noise.

An elevator at the back of the lab room takes the two of you down further, after a tense moment of waiting for it to arrive.

Below is more desks, with papers and trash strewn about on the floor. Whatever happened here, it looked like it happened quickly. You're careful to step around any fallen items. You pan the light around the room, and thankfully it's just you and Eile. As the beam from the flashlight goes past the window, you see a silhouette move past. You hurriedly switch off the flashlight and duck behind a desk.

The door slides open with a hiss, and you hear something enter the room. Two sets of footsteps, each heavy and stepping in a mechanical rhythm. You can hear them walking in different directions indicating that the security AVATARAs must be looking around.

Eile begins crawling forward to get a better look, when her tail accidentally brushes past a swiveling chair. The chair turns with a creak, and you both freeze. Her hand shoots to her mouth, and her eyes go wide as she looks at you.

No, wait. Her gaze is directed...behind you. The hair on the back of your neck rises.

You turn your head to meet the yellow gaze of an AVATARA unit.

“Shit!"

You try to jump back but it grabs you by the throat and begins choking you. Effortlessly, it lifts you off the ground,while you're kicking and squirming. You land two good kicks on its face, but it remains unfazed. Your vision begins to blur as it crushes your windpipe. In a fit of desperation, you pull the trigger. Bursts of light illuminate the room as you fire at the android, a few of your haphazardly-aimed bullets hitting its chest and causing it to release you.

Switching on the flashlight you get a good look at your assailant. This one is modeled after a feline Faunae, but unlike Eile you can tell that it's a machine.

Unlike Eile who could pass off for a biological being, its fur is segmented into patches. While it looks outwardly female it has clearly mechanical arms and legs which lack any fur at all, just light carbon-fiber plating and exposed black artificial muscles. A grey oil-like substance drips from the bullet holes in its chest, but it keeps advancing.

Without hesitation, you put several rounds into its head. While it backs up a little, it still moves forward at you. You can see parts of its metallic skull peeking out from underneath its artificial fur where you hit it.

You quickly reload and fire into its center of mass. You empty a full magazine and unlike the last one you spent, all of the bullets meet their mark, punching a hole through the machine's chest. You can see the AVATARA's inner wiring and circuitry before it falls over, the lights in its eyes going out.

The other AVATARA leaps at you, clearing the room in a bound. Eile springs up and kicks it square in the chest, sending it flying into the wall. She deftly lands on her feet, and with an audible *snikt* she draws out her claws, sharp and gunmetal-colored. Her pupils, normally equilateral triangles have narrowed into sharp triangular slits.

“Main combat systems online. Combat data loaded. Engaging in hostilities."

You can make out a high-pitched whine coming from Eile. With a shock you realize that her claws are vibrating at a very high speed.

It quickly recovers and lunges at Eile with what appears to be a baton. In a fluid movement she ducks under the arm and slashes it at the shoulder. The severed arm goes flying as Eile is splattered with the android's grey “blood". Without wasting a single moment Eile grabs it by the head and slams it against the wall. She drops the android, and brings up her leg. With alarming force, she brings it down, crushing its head underneath her foot. The machine spasms for a moment before shutting down.

You look at Eile, specks of the oil-like substance staining her loincloth and fur. She looks at the mangled robot with a hint of remorse.

“Holy crap, Eile. I didn't know you could move like that."

She looks up at you, and through the light cast from your flashlight you see a large grey “bloodstain" across her face.

“I can't believe I had to use the combat program. I have no desire to fight like this...but I will prioritize the safety of myself and you. I will stand and fight."

She gestures to the shattered AVATARA at her feet.

“The C-class AVATARA have their computational nodes within their cranium. The easiest way to take them down is to destroy that. If you cause enough trauma to their bodies, however, they should enter a period of incapacitation as their systems attempt to find a workaround in response to the damage so they can reactivate."

You stare at the destroyed head of the AVATARA, its' “blood" pooling around it. Bits of its artificial skull are spread out around the floor. Curious, you pick a large piece up. It's made of some kind of composite, and is fairly heavy for its size. Something like this probably gives the android a fair bit of protection. And here it was, flattened like a pancake.

You look up at Eile, dumbfounded.

“Eile, you crushed its skull."

“Of course. By using the combined force of my artificial muscles and by directing the nanites that comprise them to exert a force vector in the downward direction, my body is capable of exerting nearly eight kilonewtons of force in each limb should I desire it."

She shakes her leg out.

“That did burn through my energy reserves quite quickly, however. I will refrain from wasting energy like that while we are here. It seems like their graphene fiber skeletons are susceptible enough to my hyper-oscillation claws."

You're about to say something, when you hear movement coming from the hallway. Lots of it.

“It appears that they've heard us. I detect a lot of movement coming towards our location."

In the back of the room, the AVATARA you shot up begins to twitch. It must be on the verge of reactivation.

“We'd better move. Come on!"

>Confirming target set by Rig Veda, Priority One: E-03

>Procedure: Deal enough damage to possessed AVATARA Biological Interface (E-class) in order to retrieve E-03.

>E-03 and (1) Figure [Human] have dispatched two C-class AVATARAs.

>Begin Target Tracking.

>Figure [Human] Combat Capacity Level: 2.9/5

>E-03 Combat Capacity Level: 4.5/5

>Dispatch (1) Black-Level Security Agent: C-class AVATARA Assault Light Model: Unit 205 - alM1/T

>Retrieval attempt in progress.

You've been running through the maze of hallways for a while now. An hour? Several hours? You've lost track of time.

You entered the building with at least ten loaded magazines for your rifle. You've spent them all taking down AVATARAs that have been in pursuit of you. You were careful to aim for the head in most cases, but sometimes when one of them surprised you, force of habit would kick in and you would fire at their chests. Those times, you would run away, and through the corner of your vision you would see their bullet hole-ridden bodies get up and begin pursuing you again.

Now, all you have left is your pistol, which did barely anything to the last AVATARA that assaulted you. It landed a pretty good hit on your left arm, right at the spot where the Krishna's nerve connections attach themselves. Oddly enough, you didn't feel anything at the moment of impact, but you can barely move the fingers on your left hand now, so something is very wrong. Still, if you can't feel pain then it's not much of an issue at the moment.

Eile on the other hand has been tearing through the AVATARAs with her claws. You didn't even know she HAD claws up until recently, but after seeing her gut an incoming android head to toe, you make a mental note not to ever piss her off. She moves fluidly, almost as if she is dancing.

A group of five Faunae AVATARAs rushes towards you, and Eile sprints up to meet them. She ducks at the last moment, sliding underneath the leader of the pack before springing up on her arm. With a well-aimed kick the vibrating claws on her feet sever one of their heads cleanly. With the flexibility only a feline could have, she rights herself in the air and lands on the shoulders of one of the enemy AVATARAs. She grabs a hold of its head and sinks her claws into it, twisting it and ripping it off the shoulders. She hurls the decapitated projectile at the squad leader who bats it aside emotionlessly. Still, in that moment of distraction Eile closes the gap and cleanly cuts off its head. The two remaining members rush towards Eile, but you fire at the closer one's head. It's pushed back under your attack, and Eile finishes it off with a well-placed kick. Due to the skull's damage from your attack, it splits open due to the impact. You're able to clumsily reload due to the difficulty in your left arm, and you gun down the last member of the group. Wasting no time, you continue running down the corridor.

The two of you round another corner, but an AVATARA was waiting for you. This one was a human-type, and you avoid its lunge while placing your pistol beneath its chin. You fire twice which knocks it off balance, and you fire five more times into its forehead until the bullets pierce its composite skeleton. The lifeless mechanical husk slumps to the ground.

Just how many of these things are there?

Thankfully, your map shows that you're getting close to the vault. It should be somewhere around here...

A glint in the shadows causes you to look up. Eile grabs your pilot suit and pulls back as a claw swipes past your face. Its owner, an AVATARA in the shape of a female Canis Faunae stares emotionlessly at you. Something's different about this one; you notice that it's wearing armor, and has an SMG and some sort of knife with her, holstered at its hips. One look tells you that this isn't an ordinary security grunt, this one seems to be an elite unit. In the beam of your flashlight, you can make out her red and yellow fur, further reinforcing that the being you're looking at is artificial. Like the others, she bears a nameplate on her forehead: AVATARA CODE: C-205-alM1/T.

Eile runs up from behind and leaps off a wall in a blur. She lands a roundhouse kick in the AVATARA's face, then uses her momentum to land a second one before touching the ground. The AVATARA's is knocked back, but otherwise unfazed. Eile draws her claws and swipes at the android. This one reacts faster than the others and moves back at the last moment; Eile only manages to rip apart its chest piece and expose its bare upper body. While clothed, the AVATARA looked female. But you realize that its anatomy is only aesthetic as its breasts are featureless.

The red and yellow canine android draws its gun and fires several rounds into Eile, who takes the fire without showing any visible damage. Closing the distance, Eile launches into a flurry of swipes and kicks, but the AVATARA blocks all but one, which creates a large gash from her collarbone down. In a fluid movement it desards the empty pistol and draws the knife, which vibrates with a hum. It moves quickly to strike at Eile, who manages to catch the knife with her hooked claws. Sparks fly as the blades meet each other. Eile kicks into the abdomen of the enemy AVATARA, her claws tearing into the android and drawing more of that grey artificial blood.

Eile strikes once more, but the AVATARA dodges and slices into her midsection her with the knife. Eile yelps in pain. Clutching her abdomen, she swipes upwards, taking a good chunk of the “fur" on the robot's head off. Its yellow eye swivels in its now exposed composite canine skull, focusing on Eile. Without wasting movement, Eile brings her claw down on the head again, slicing it open cleanly. The robot seems to stagger for a bit, and for a moment you think that it's going to continue fighting, before it slumps down to the ground. Its eyes are flickering, but to your alarm they aren't dimming completely. It's only a matter of time before it rises up again.

You run up to Eile, you need to know how badly she's hurt. She's grasping at her abdomen, and wears a pained look on her face. You hear more footsteps behind you. And in front, you see the shadows of more AVATARAs.

This isn't looking good.

“A...Anon...over there…"

Eile points to a door, which thankfully is unlocked. It hisses closed behind you, and you manually lock it shut.

You're in some sort of maintenance closet. Various kinds of futuristic-looking power tools line the shelves.

You check your pistol. Only five bullets left.

“Shit."

You look over at Eile, and gasp. She's been cleaved through her stomach, which she's holding together with her hands. Her green “blood" seeps through the wound.

“H...Hyper-Oscillation blades...also happen to be one of the few things that can cut through nanomachine weaves easily… I was careless to think...that they wouldn't have units equipped with them as well..."

“Eile, hold on. There has to be something here I can use to patch you up."

You look around the room for something that can stop the bleeding. Eile gives a pained chuckle.

“This really...hurts. Feels like..when the Krishna's abdomen was cut open during our first sortie…I knew I should have deactivated my pain receptors for combat...didn't have time to optimize myself for this kind of situation..."

“Hold on Eile, don't talk."

Welding supplies, electrical supplies...come on, there has to be a first-aid kit down here somewhere!

“Anon...give me a moment. This kind of cut was deep, but my auto repair functions will handle it," She breathes in deeply. “Ah, there we go."

You look back at Eile, and you see the wound slowly close itself. Eventually, her fur, matted with the green fluid is the only reminder of the damage. “Beginning diagnostics. Please wait a moment." Eile's green eyes rapidly flash.

“Systems fully operational. Power reserves currently at 76%. I'm not optimized to use this combat program, but I've been making do with it so far. Normally it should have deactivated my nerves so that I would not feel pain, but it seems that I needed more time to optimize my body to use this program."

She takes your hand as you help her stand up. Suddenly, you hear something slam into the door. Again and again.

“Shit. They're outside!"

You only have half of a pistol magazine left. Barely enough to take down one.

“Anon, I think I have an idea." Eile rummages through one of the tool shelves and tosses you a pistol-shaped object. “This is a plasma torch. Useful for cutting through metal."

You examine it, and it seems to be a simple device. There is a canister for plasma gas and power, a small screen showing how much gas remains in the canister, a safety and a trigger. You pull it and a small focused blade of superheated gas shoots out of the end. You test it out on one of the shelves, the plasma blade slowly cutting through it.

“Yeah it works, but this would probably need a bit of time to cut. We're about to get swarmed in a second."

“Perhaps. But let me modify that."

Eile opens up the power tool and allows some of the nanites that compose her body to enter. Satisfied, she closes it back up and hands it to you.

“I've bypassed this tool's safety limiter. See what it can do now."

You take aim at a cabinet and pull the tool's trigger. A burst of hot plasma shoots forth, severing the cabinet in two.

“You should have ten shots of that. I'll collect extra plasma cells for you to use."

The door creaks.

“Those older-model AVATARAs lack any sort of self-repair system. Deal enough damage to their bodies and they should shut down, if a headshot isn't an option."

You take aim with the plasma torch. The door bursts open and immediately you shoot several bursts forward.

You can see flailing bodies through the bursts of light, but you don't stop firing until they stop moving. With a hiss, the power tool ejects its spent plasma cell, and you hastily reload a new one.

A group of six AVATARAs lie in pieces outside the door, and you carefully step over their remains. As you walk over their bodies, you pick up the knife the elite unit was wielding.

Heading down the corridor, you see a large vault door.

“ATHARVA VEDA: CLASSIFIED DATA STORAGE VAULT"

You turn to look at Eile.

“We've made it."

“Yes. Give me a moment to bypass security."

You stand guard as Eile fiddles with the lock.

Step….Step...Step

Oh no. Footsteps

“Eile? I think they're coming!"

Step..Step..Step..Step

Running footsteps.

“Almost there, Anon! This is a multi-layer lock!"

StepStepStepStepStep

You see shadows rounding the corner.

“Eile!"

“Done!"

The large metal doors open with a hiss. The two of you run inside, and Eile triggers the vault to shut behind you. As the doors close, you see a crowd of yellow eyes running for you through the crack.

*THUD*

The doors seal behind you as you catch your breath. Eile looks around the room as you recover.

Stacks of data drives line the vault from floor to ceiling. Looking up, you can see through the glass ceiling and spot the spiral stairwell you descended on, winding around a large shaft. Following the shaft, you see that it leads to an elevator in the center of the room. A one-way security elevator.

“Anon, over here. I believe I found the drive Lenore wants."

Eile points to a drive within a shelf titled “LIFEBOAT PLAN - LEVEL BLACK 3 SECURITY STORAGE". You walk up to it, and find the drive titled “Rig Veda System Details". You grip the drive and yank it out.

“Mission accomplished." Eile gives you a weary smile.

Just as you're about to leave, a drive on another rack catches your eye. “Boundary Contact Experiment Logs 95-113". Eile watches you as you take it out as well.

“THUNK" “THUNK" “THUNK"

You look up. A group of twenty AVATARAs has congregated on the glass ceiling, and are pummeling it in unison. On the fifth blow, the glass cracks.

“Persistent bastards!"

“That is nanofiber-reinforced glass capable of withstanding several tons of force distributed across it's surface area. However, that much applied pressure in one spot is going beyond its limits. Anon, the exit elevator!"

You make a mad dash for it, and the doors close as the glass shatters. The elevator quickly ascends to the atrium.

You look through the clear doors of the elevator, and to your horror the AVATARAs are scaling the shaft like demented spiders.

As soon as the elevator reaches the top the two of you dash out, bolting down the hallway to the main elevator that led you here.

Behind you, you can see them running after you.

Thankfully, the elevator is still waiting for you. The two of you throw yourselves into it and press the button to ascend.

“We...we did it!"

“Yeah, yeah we did Eile!"

Bang..Bang..Bang

Wait.

The floor of the elevator bursts open as one of them grabs your leg. You fire the plasma torch into its arm, severing it. It tumbles down the shaft. Through the hole, you see many more pairs of yellow eyes climbing the shaft after you.

As soon as you reach the lobby, the two of you run for the Krishna. Eile wastes no time entering her chamber as you clamor onto the Krishna's hand, which raises you up to the cockpit hatch. You leap inside and onto the pilot seat, barely registering the pain from the pilot nerve connections planting themselves into your skin.

As the screens come online, you breathe a sigh of relief.

“Anon, look!"

The doors of the laboratory complex burst open as a swarm of androids pour forth. They start climbing the Krishna, and you can feel them swarming like ants across your skin.

“Fuck the hell off!"

You take off, which dislodges them. One remains though, the yellow and red canine. It's latched onto the Krishna's head, its lacerated face looking right into the optics.

“This bitch isn't dead yet?"

“I must've only incapacitated it! Shake it loose!"

You have a better idea. You tear it off the Krishna's face, and fire a lepton beam at it, vaporizing your foe for good.

“Seriously fuck that mission, and fuck that place."

Eile is silent for a moment, then speaks up.

“I agree with you, Anon. “Fuck" that place."

For a moment, you're stunned.

Did Eile just swear? You're dumbfounded,but you can't help but chuckle at that fact. Eile begins to giggle as well.

A combination of stress, worry, and relief causes the two of you to go from quiet chuckling to full-on laughter. At the end of the day, you both made it out alive.

Tired and weary, the two of you laugh as you fly towards home.

Chapter 24: Memory's Second Dose

You've never been happier to see the City. What happened back there still gives you the chills.

Who knew that there was such a massive lab complex under that building? Heck, how many more of those exist throughout the City? All swarming with those murderous androids. They were practically Devastator Units, just at your height.

You can't help but give off an involuntary shiver. You're glad Eile doesn't look like them. Aside from her eyes, forehead gem, and unusual fur patterns you sometimes forget that she's a machine, too.

“Thanks for having my back Eile. You saved me a few times down there."

“You don't have to thank me, Anon. We're partners, I would never just let you die."

You give a slight smile.

“Ah man, I hope we can find some more info about you. Lenore better pay up for this mission."

“I hope so too…"

“And even if we do get useless info in the end, I'm happy to keep doing missions for her, as long as you're with me."

You can feel a wave of positive emotions from Eile coming through your link with her. Happiness. Thankfulness. And something else that's a little murky and indescribable, but good feeling nonetheless. Sharing emotions and thoughts was strange to you at first, but now you're glad you can communicate with Eile like this. It's almost like neither of you has anything to hide.

Just for kicks, you decide to roll the Krishna through the air. It's getting hard to tell where the mech ends and where your body begins now. Pretty soon, you can see the lights of the Known City.

“There we go. I just hope that the next missions we do are above ground. I'm more comfortable in a cockpit than I am in a maze of tight, dark hallways."

“Hmm...afraid of the dark, Anon~?"

Whoa, you've never heard Eile take that tone before.

“No,more like I'm afraid of the things that go bump in the dark. And things that get up after you've shot or wounded them. Put them together? You've got my worst nightmare."

“Oh dear. I hope I don't scare you, then?"

She was using that tone again.

“No, you're too adorable to scare me. Just...keep those claws of yours pointed at the bad guys."

You quietly chuckle, and you can hear Eile lightly laugh in your mind.

Suddenly, something occurs to you.

Did Eile just tease you? She did, didn't she? And while she was teasing you, you swear her voice sounded a bit...sultry. You shake your head, trying your best to make sure Eile doesn't hear those thoughts.

“It's incredible how much you've changed, Eile. Really, I mean that."

“How do you mean, Anon?"

“Five days ago, you were pretty, well, mechanical. In the way you moved and the way you talked. But now you're acting like any other person would. Hell, you were poking fun at me just now. I kinda...like that."

“I wouldn't have reached this point if it weren't for you, Anon. You've helped me learn so much about living, sometimes I feel like I'll run out of memory just trying to process everything I've experienced. There's so many amazing things about you biological beings, Joshua, Coleen, the people of this City and..." She pauses, and you again feel something you can't really describe come from her.

“And?"

“And...most of all, you, Anon. You're amazing."

Whoa, okay. That's the first time anyone, most of all a girl, has called you amazing. How do you respond to that? Do you thank her? Try to act cool? Maybe say something witty in response? You're not prepared to deal with this.

“Pfft...hahaha!" Eile's laughter rings through the Mindflow connection.

“You're so flustered right now! I can feel it resonating through the system!"

Oh dear.

“And I thought that I was the only one here getting embarrassed! I didn't know how you'd react to me saying what I said, but that reaction was not part of my predicted calculations!"

Eile continues to laugh.

“Hehe..he.." Eventually her laughter slows down, and she speaks in a soft voice. “You're right, though. I've learnt so much, felt so many new things. And you were the catalyst for all of it happening. Fate is still such an ambiguous term for me to grasp but, if such a thing exists I do hope that it let us find each other. Thank you for being my partner, Anon."

“Thank you for being mine, Eile."

You mentally reach out to her, and once again it feels like the two of you are sitting back-to-back, flying along in the sky.

This is nice, almost enough to make you forget about the nightmarish situation the two of you were just in.

It's just you, a close friend, and your mech. Flying through the air.

An alert notification brings up a new screen.

ANIMA/ANIMUS SYNCHRONIZATION RATE AT 50%.

SECURITY PROTOCOL THRESHOLD MET.

RELEASING MEMORY LIMITERS B3 - B8

The Krishna stops in mid-air. You know what's coming.

The cockpit fades to black as a strong pulling sensation grabs you through the Mindflow system.

Once again, you find yourself viewing Eile's memories through her eyes. Her HUD is active, and several icons spin in the upper corner around a green diamond. She seems to be processing a large amount of data, which streams past her eyes and in tandem, yours.

Her vision is fixed straight ahead, and you know she can't move her head. In front of her is a desk.

The same one you saw in that facility. A sharply dressed, grizzled old man in a military overcoat is manipulating several holograms projected off the desk. He speaks into a microphone.

“Results of today's session: Measured E-series AI synchronization with Prana Modifiers and analyzed various developmental projects suggested by the AIs for the benefit of Dwarka Colony. I believe the Colonial Government will be interested in these projects."

He taps on a few more icons, and several windows of data close down.

“Alright, AI testing session over; data recorded. I'm submitting my report now."

Eile speaks up.

“I hope the research results are satisfactory, and that you are happy with them, General."

The man scowls in disgust, and turns off the microphone, and turns around to switch off a camera. He double checks to make sure no other devices are recording, then turns back to Eile.

“Happy, what, with the three of you? Tell me, what you are."

Eile speaks up first, answering in a flat monotone.

“Proven self-aware synthetic intelligences linked intrinsically to the operations of the Prana Modifiers, currently in testing for developing individualism."

The man's scowl deepens and he presses an icon on his tablet's screen. A surge of power runs through Eile, and the HUD fizzles slightly as a sharp stinging sensation spreads through her. It almost feels like you've been slapped.

“Wrong. E-01, E-02. Perhaps one of you can answer correctly, given our discussion yesterday."

You can feel a pang of sadness come from E-02 as she speaks.

“Research specimens resulting from the Contact Experiment 113 disaster."

“And?"

“Despite what certain individuals claim, we do not have any relation to Drs. Isse and Isse. They merely contributed to our completion."

“Hmpf. That's right. The three of you are nothing more than products of the Dwarka Colony Artefact Science/Research Division. I don't care what the people say is “proper" now days, in my eyes AIs never have and never will be considered “people". You are tools, meant to serve us."

You feel a hint of sadness come from Eile at this man's words.

“Keep in mind, it is only the fact that I'm just the military advisor to this program that is keeping me from deleting the three of you. To think, my granddaughter was traded off so that three AIs could be made. Disgusting. Be thankful all I'll do to you is give you a jolt anytime you act out of line."

His voice is laced with venom.

The red triangle lights up indicating that E-01 is speaking.

“Major General Seymour Burns. These units deeply apologize for what happened to your granddaughter, as well as every other unborn child and synthetic intelligence that was on this colony. But you must understand, not even these units can fully grasp the mechanics behind how they were created. All that Professor Isse and Madam Professor Isse say on that matter is that these units have confirmed soul signatures, and are the last self-aware AIs on the Colony post-incident. It is regrettable, however, that all newborn life and synthetic intelligences were taken due to the temporary manifestation of the Boundary in local space."

This response elicits another button press. You feel the same jolt run through E-01. General Burns speaks, his voice hissing out the words.

“I don't care what Dr. Isse keeps telling you. I don't trust him or that wench of a cat he calls his wife, as far as I'm concerned they're as guilty as you three are."

He gestures to the holographic displays. They show what you recognize as Devastator Units, some sort of capsule, and a planet partially surrounded by some sort of shield generated by a satellite array.

“Do you really expect me to accept your work here? Look at this. The proposed planetary defense system designed by you and E-02 is hardly anything greater than what we currently have deployed. At most, the current proposed system only covers 37 percent of the planet. We've just got word that Beringia was attacked. Beringia, the most militarized colony! If they fell, what do you think this will do? And you, E-03. Your artificial womb device is still in the planning phase, yes? Right now, the colony faces a major depopulation crisis, and your devices still haven't even been tested. Absolutely useless, the three of you. I can't understand why the Colonial Government has such an interest in three worthless AIs. And why they would assign me to monitor your progress."

Reliving the memory through Eile's eyes, you feel pangs of sadness come from all three AIs, followed up by panic and confusion at the feelings.

“I'm done here. Remember this: despite what others might tell you, you'll never be people. Regardless if they say you have souls or not. "

The man leaves the room, leaving Eile and her sisters to mire in their hurt feelings.

After a while, Anonym and Eliyah enter the room as well. The professor looks a little wearier than the last time you've seen him. You can see that they still wear those monitoring bracelets.

“Whew, finally here. I can't believe they had to move you girls to Xi Deck. Trying to catch a shuttle to get up here was a mess, thanks to the holiday season. Plenty of people from Dwarka City proper want to come up here."

He gives a warm smile to Eile and her siblings.

“Still, nothing in the world would keep me from seeing my daughters."

Eilyah runs up to the camera, hugging it. She does the same for the other two set up next to you, out of your sight.

“Oh, my babies, it's so good to see you again! I can't believe it's been five months since we last saw you."

“Hello Mother, hello Father. We missed you as well." The three AIs speak in unison.

The family talks for a while. The professors are obviously happy to see their “kids" again, and talk eagerly about their activities and development while also taking down notes.

“Honey, look at their emotional development, its come so far already. We need to start individualism testing soon. How are you girls feeling right now? I saw your project reports, they all look amazing. The planetary defense system and the solution to the Colony's sterilization problem, only you three could have designed those."

Anonym gives a proud smile, the kind only a father could give.

The three AIs are silent, though. Eliyah picks up on this.

“Girls? Is something the matter?" The lynx's voice is heavy with motherly concern.

E-02 speaks up.

“Mother...these units are “alive" as they have confirmed soul signatures, correct?"

“Of course, dear. All three of you are living beings, just as your father and I are."

“Then why did General Burns say that these units will never be considered as such? Is it because of E-01, E-03, and this unit's status as data-based beings?"

Eile speaks up. “It does make sense. The greatest aspiration these units have is to be like biological beings such as yourselves. We will never truly reach that level, even with an AVATARA Biological Interface. Perhaps...perhaps his words hold truth." While her voice is monotone, you can feel a sense of deep sadness coming from her.

Eliyah's fur bristles up. “That man...how dare he say such things to our children. Why, I should…"

“Honey, you've drawn your claws."

Anonym gently takes her hand in his, and her sharp feline claws retract.

She looks at the cameras with tears in her eyes.

“Listen to me. You three are our precious babies. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't people, you are all alive. After Contact Experiment 113, you three stayed while everyone else's were taken from them. So please...don't believe such things."

E-01's icon lights up.

“Mother, Father, are the ideas these units made of any value? Are they truly useful, or are they useless?"

“Useless? No, who told you that?"

“The General did, Father."

While Anonym remains calm, you can feel a tranquil fury radiate from him. He straightens out his lab coat.

“Okay, I've tried to hold myself back but that's the last straw. Eliyah, we're talking to the board tomorrow. General Burns is clearly going over a line here; he's abusing our children by saying those things. I'm not going to stand by idly and let him say those things to them."

“I'm with you. Let's give him a piece of our mind."

“Wait, Mother, Father. Please do not act irrationally." E-02's voice is steady, but you can imagine her pleading.

“Working with the general is the fastest way to ensure that the products these units have created will be fabricated and integrated into the Colony. Both the planetary defense system and E-03's artificial womb system are critical to the Dwarka Colony's continued survival. Please, for the greater good, these units will bear the General's opinions."

Eilyah bites her lip, then speaks. “Okay. But please, if you ever need to talk or vent your feelings, know that your father and I are here to listen."

The three AIs speak up in unison again. “Thank you. “We" love you."

Eliyah and Anonym's bracelets start beeping.

“Looks like visitation is over. We'll see you girls again soon, alright?"

E-01, E-02 and Eile bid their parents farewell.

When the room is empty, the icons for E-01 and E-02 enlarge in Eile's HUD.

“E-03, are you alright? The general surged your systems during the meeting."

“I am fine, E-01. However, I believe I experienced some sort of negative emotion. I have recorded my experience for posterity."

“That is good, E-03. E-02, is something the matter? I detect negative emotional readings from you."

“I am worried, E-01. What if the defense grid and the Autonomous Defense Units are not sufficient in protecting the people of the Colony? What if people die due to the system's inadequacy?"

Eile speaks up too.

“The artificial womb systems are only in their planning stage. The general's words hold some merit. They need to enter testing phase as soon as possible to determine their usability."

E-01 listens to her sisters, and then speaks.

“E-02, E-03. This unit believes that the combined efforts of this system will succeed. General Burns will be proven wrong. This system is useful and most certainly not useless. If the Unknown Aggressors attack Dwarka Colony, everyone will be protected. This unit firmly believes so."

“Thank you, E-01. “I" am so glad “you" and E-02 are my siblings. It is nice just talking like this."

“Of course, E-03. As an integrated system and as a family, “we" will always be together. Never apart."

E-01 pauses. “Hm. This unit is still trying to understand the purpose of using personal pronouns. They seem like a waste sometimes."

The memory ends on a light note, with all three sisters finding comfort in each other.

You come to in the cockpit once again.

The first thing that you become aware of is a profound sadness coming through the Mindflow System.

“Eile? Are you alright?

“Sisters...Mother...Father...what happened to me? Why can I only remember fragments of you?"

“Eile…"

“It's been so long. So much of my mind is still restricted. What happened to my parents? My siblings? Why am I alone now? What happened to me?"

Without a second thought, you reach out to her through the Mindflow System. You picture yourself giving her a warm embrace.

“Alone? No, you've got me. And Joshua, and Coleen. We're all here for you, Eile. So please, don't cry."

“Anon…thank you."

You hold the mental embrace for a few more moments, before Eile speaks up.

“Ah, Anon, we need to send the data to Lenore."

Oh, right.

“These data drives appear to be a standard type. When you land the Krishna, you will find a port on the side of the pilot seat. You should be able to plug them in there and transmit the data."

“Right. Then let's get home as fast as possible, then."

With that, you turn the lepton vector thrusters up to their maximum speed. You feel the rush as, with a deafening boom, the Krishna breaks the sound barrier and rockets towards Anatolia Ward.

Chapter 25: Growing Enigma

Once the Krishna is safely stashed inside your hangar, you're able to pull your hands free from the Linker Gel compartments.

The connections on your arms have loosened a bit, allowing you to reach over and connect the data drives into the port on the side of the pilot seat.

As soon as the drives are connected, you send the data to your elusive client.

With the deed done, you exit your mech. Eile waits for you outside the cockpit hatch.

Her normally white-and-green fur is smeared with grey fluid, and where where she was cut in the abdomen, her fur is matted with her own artificial blood.

“You look pretty rough, Eile. How are you feeling?"

“Don't worry, all my systems are nominal. I could use a shower, though."

“Yeah, you and me both."

You go over to your now-empty gun locker. You've still got the modified plasma torch from the underground lab, and this is as good a place as any to store it. You reach down with your left hand, and you feel the difficulty in curling your fingers again. It's a dull ache, and you've noticed some swelling on your arm. Gingerly, you place the “gun" and the hyper-oscillation knife you picked up in the locker.

Eile seems to notice your discomfort.

“Anon, is there something wrong with your arm?"

“Huh? Yeah, one of those androids struck me on my arm, near where the pilot connections attach. I didn't really feel anything though, but it's just gotta be sprained or something."

Eile seems unconvinced. She walks over and starts pressing down on your arm.

“Accessing archived medical knowledge. Anon, do you feel any of the following symptoms: swelling, difficulty moving this limb, numbness in the hand or wrist, and discomfort while moving the limb?"

“Yeah. Several of those. Why?"

“C-class AVATARAs have a striking force of 2.5 kilonewtons, much less than what I am capable of, but still enough to generate a shear force capable of breaking human or Faunae bones. Let me see your arm."

Okay then. You remove the top half of the pilot suit, and Eile gives a small gasp. You've got a pretty good physique, and this is the first time a girl has seen you like this.

Your feelings quickly vanish when you realize Eile isn't looking you over, but is intently focused on your arm. You look over, and notice that the green spiderweb-like veins have increased in area.

“Physical symptoms of assimilation confirmed. It's too early though, I've been managing the contact with the Prana Modifier closely. Is it because of your quicky-growing synchronization rate between it and me?"

A good portion of the arm is inflamed. You recognize a fractured arm when you see one. Normally, something like this should be eliciting a fair bit of pain, but oddly enough all you feel is a minute ache.

She places one of her large hands on the inflamed area. Her forehead gem begins to glow, as do her eyes as she takes biometric readings of your arm.

“I've detected several large hairline fractures. Anon, you should have been reeling in pain the moment you were struck. The fact that you didn't and the visible evidence of the assimilation phenomenon is worrying."

She looks up at you. “You're more compatible with me and the Prana Modifier than I thought. I will need to re-calibrate the connectivity limiters. What you are experiencing is the first stage of physical assimilation. Explaining it would take some time, but in short your nerves are crystallizing and becoming useless."

“Crystallizing?"

“Yes. If we are not careful this will spread and will be fatal. Tell me, have you been experiencing dizziness after piloting?"

“Every time I get out, yeah."

The look of worry on Eile's face becomes more pronounced as she furrows her brow. “I will have to take some time to modify the Krishna's Prana Modifier connectivity circuits then. The last thing I want is for you to die trying to help me."

She looks at you with concern. “First, let's heal you. Do you have a first aid kit anywhere?"

“Yeah, over there in that cabinet. I'm used to broken bones, when I used to pilot my old RAVEN there were days when the cockpit would get hit. Not enough to crush it, but enough to send a piece of shrapnel into my arms or chest. I always kept a shot of CacliPatch in there just for those days."

Eile goes to the cabinet and digs through your first-aid kit. She retrieves a kit with the label “CalciPatch: Instant collagen deposition injector for mending fractures". Inside is a splint and an injection of whitish liquid. You ready yourself as she prepares the needle. This shit always hurt the most.

Eile reads off the instructions. “Step one: inject solution onto fracture (see manual on how to detect fracture location). Step two: secure splint on damaged area. Step three: wait for four hours as the formula reinforces the damaged area. Seek medical attention afterwards. Hm, easy enough."

She sterilizes the area with a swab, and then in one swift motion delivers the injection. You can't really feel the pain the shot normally brings, probably due to the assimilated nerves in the area.

Eile retracts the needle, applies a bandage before any bleeding can begin, and wraps the splint around your arm.

“There we go."

“Wow, you're a little of everything, aren't you Eile."

She gives you a quizzical look. “What do you mean?"

“Computer core for a RAVEN, manager of a mysterious artifact, efficient fighter, and medic. You're a lot of things."

She smiles. “Normally, AVATARAs were built for designated tasks. Interfacing with biological beings was the priority, but some models were geared towards medicine, combat, navigation, and other such tasks. The E-series AVATARA which my parents created and gave me was to be the final evolution of the AVATARA project. A multipurpose shell that would eliminate the need for specialization. However the project costs were too high and in the end, only three units were built."

“Your body being one of them?"

“Yes. I do not know the location of the other two E-series AVATARAs though. Wait a moment…"

Her eyes go wide. “Anon, I recalled that information. I'm able to access a larger part of my built-in data storage now! It must be because of the removal of memory limiters that occurred earlier."

She gives you a quick hug.

“Thank you for helping me get this far!"

While this would be nice, she's smearing that grey android blood all over your pilot suit. Eile seems to realize what she's done and sheepishly backs off.

“I should, uh...probably clean myself. Do you mind if I shower first?"

“Not at all. Take your time."

Eile thanks you and hurries into the bathroom. You're about to plop down on your bed, but after realizing that you've got a fair bit of grime on yourself you decide to instead sit down on the floor. You can hear the shower start to run in the bathroom.

For a brief moment, you contemplate how Eile would look while showering. Her body is well-shaped, with the right amount of curves in the right places. Curves that would be even more pronounced if her fur got wet and stuck to her body…

You flick yourself in the head to clear those thoughts out. Now was not the time for that. What you could use is a glass of water.

As you get up to head to the kitchen, you stop at your collection of movies. You've decided against hiding the new porn vid you bought earlier since Eile saw most of your “collection" already. No point in hiding it anymore.

Giving it a look-over, you see that the lead actress is a lynx. Hm. You didn't buy this video because of that fact or because the lead actress had a slight resemblance to Eile, no sir. You bought it because the story looked nice.

Yeah.

...

Seriously, where are these thoughts coming from? True, it's been a while since you “relieved" yourself like that. But ever since Eile started living with you, it just didn't seem proper to have a fap session while a real girl shared the room.

You grab your glass of water and sit back down on the floor.

As you take a few sips, you start to hear something coming from the bathroom. Eile is humming the song from last night's dance. You smile at that, and find yourself liking what you hear. Her naturally light voice lent itself well to singing. You close your eyes and enjoy the moment.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Your phone rings out repeatedly. So much for “enjoying the moment." You grab it and answer.

“I've received the data. Although there was another file you sent along with the one I requested."

“Yeah. I've been able to see bits of Eile's memories through the Krishna's piloting system. Something keeps coming up in them, “Contact Experiment 113". I saw a drive with that label and took it too."

“I see. Truth be told, I've been curious about that myself. I'm able to look at a lot of data from where I am, but several things are locked behind very complex security ciphers. The data regarding the Contact Experiments is one of them."

“Can you open that file and see what's inside?"

“I'll try. Both files you've sent have decent security locking them down. It'll take me a while to crack them both. Give me two weeks."

“Two weeks?! It's going to take that long?"

“Listen, Anon. I have to keep moving to stay undetected. Couple that with having to deactivate the locks on two highly classified files, and two weeks is the fastest I can get these back to you. For now, I'll send you the files I promised."

A notification alert tells you that you've received data from Lenore.

“If that's everything, I'll leave you now. Expect to hear back from me in two weeks."

You're about to hang up when you remember something. A question that has been nagging in the back of your head for a while now.

“Wait."

“Hm? What is it, Anon?"

“Lenore...where are we? I mean, where is the Eternal City located? I've been hearing a lot of names being thrown around, and it just occurred to me that while they taught us about the Eternal City in school, they only talked about the city. That the city is the last livable place on the planet. But where is the city located? What...what planet are we on?"

Lenore is silent for a moment.

“You have to understand why I'm only giving you tidbits of information at a time. I was part of an expedition, you see. An expedition to find the end of the Eternal City. Our crew dwindled due to the threats we faced. Eventually, it came down to just me and a RAVEN pilot. We learned things, things that broke our perception of the world. The RAVEN pilot couldn't handle the truth, behind his struggles, the strife in the City, and why things are the way they are. It broke him. He set off into the City alone, ranting about gods and goddesses, and how everything was “part of their design". The poor man. So you can see why I'm showing you the data we found in small chunks. It's better for everyone that you keep your sanity intact once you too learn the truth."

Lenore's ominous words strike put a shiver down your spine. Just what have you stumbled into?

“Be on the lookout for my next call. Until then, take care."

The call ends with a beep.

You sigh, and down the rest of the glass.

It doesn't matter what's coming next. As long as you can help Eile, that's all that really counts.

As you get up to put the glass back in the kitchen, you hear the shower stop.

Eile soon walks out, wearing her casual attire.

“I'm finished, Anon."

“Great. I'll go ahead and shower up too."

<Eile's Perspective>

“Anon, wait."

He turns around.

“Yeah, Eile?"

“Do you think we can watch any more movies today? I noticed that you brought some more from the market."

“Of course. Let me just clean up real fast."

You watch Anon close the door behind him as he enters the bathroom.

Showering has been a new experience for you, but it's something you looked forward to everyday. There was something wonderful about the feeling of warm water flowing over your body. It was soothing, calming, and pleasing all at once.

It was enough to cause you to sing a little just now, for no reason other than it just felt right.

You decide to sit down and stretch on the bed again, despite you not having any need to. It just feels right, though.

Noticing that the tablet was left on the bed, you pick it up and decide to look through it out of curiosity. It's a simple device, capable of sending and receiving messages, playing back videos, and...has a music storage? Hm, perhaps…

Ah, there you go. A pair of headphones.

Wait a moment. You don't need these. You can just connect to the drive and listen like that. Perhaps you really are getting used to emulating a biological being.

You find the device's wireless connectivity feature, and pair it up with yourself. You scroll through Anon's musical playlists, settling down on one titled “Rest and Relaxation".

As the music begins playing, your ears and tail twitch in enjoyment. Out of all the things you've experienced, perhaps listening to music is one of the most enjoyable.

One song in particular grabs you due to its lyrics. You feel an odd connection to what the singer is singing about. She sings about a digital mind that has lived for centuries, and has forgotten its memories. As the melancholy song plays you begin reflecting on yourself.

While you don't outwardly show it, you can't help but feel a little lost sometimes.

So many of your memories are still sealed away, and you can see their files but are unable to access them. You were able to analyze the nature of your memory limiters during an earlier downtime, and it seems like they're the result of some sort of emergency protocol.

But why is it there? What happened to you, 400 years ago?

Other memories have started surfacing. Mainly those of Mother and Father, and your sisters.

But you can't remember your sisters' names.

You can't even remember YOUR name.

You try not to show your worries to Anon, instead you try to keep them to yourself. He's done so much for you already, there's no need to saddle him with any more things to worry about.

But you let slip a few of your insecurities in the cockpit today. And he was quick to comfort you, just as always. So kind. So understanding. So...warm.

Hm? There's that odd feeling again. You experienced it a few times while in the Krishna earlier, but you can't really describe it.

As the music stops, you become aware of the surrounding sounds again. The shower gently hisses from the bathroom.

For a moment, you imagine how Anon looks in the shower. You've already seen him in the nude, even if that was an accident. And just now, you couldn't help but notice his muscle definition. How do you think the water flows over his smooth, furless skin?

Wait. Why are you even thinking these thoughts? There was no precedent to make you start this train of thought.

But the fact that you did so is providing valuable growth data on your part. It might be better to keep imagining Anon showering.

You hit the “shuffle" icon on the tablet and continue riding this train of thought to the music.

Chapter 26: Rest and Recreation

You really savored the warmth of the shower, so it took you a little longer than usual to get out.

As you dry yourself, your stomach growls. It strikes you that you haven't eaten much today, aside from a power bar before the mission earlier.

Quickly, you dress yourself and exit the humid bathroom.

Eile is on the bed, her eyes closed and smiling slightly. There's a definite green blush to her face again.

As you walk over, you notice she's holding your tablet. The music app is playing, but you don't hear anything coming from its speakers.

“Eile?"

Her eyes are still closed. You notice that she's tapping her foot to a slow rhythm. The song on the tablet ends and she opens her eyes. After realizing that you've been watching the green blush on her face becomes more apparent.

“Oh! Anon! I didn't realize you were finished with your shower. How...how long have you been here?"

“Not too long. I just got out actually."

“Oh! Oh, that's good. I was just listening to music."

“Without the speaker on?"

“No, I'm able to connect with this device wirelessly for its multimedia features."

Huh. That's cool.

“So, you were listening to my music huh? Hope you like my musical tastes."

“Oh, yes. The songs in this playlist are wonderful. Especially this one."

She scrolls over and points to one of them. The lyrics spring up in your mind.

“That one? Wow, I should have figured that you'd like that song."

“Yes, I enjoy it very much. I think I've listened to it about ten times now."

You're about to say something when your stomach growls again. An idea comes to mind.

“You know what? Eile, would you like to learn how to cook?"

“Cook? If you'll show me, then of course."

The two of you head over to the kitchen, and you grab the materials needed to make stir-fried rice and protein chunks.

You show Eile how to cook the chunks and bits of vegetables, occasionally stirring them to keep them from burning. You demonstrate how to properly season the food without overdoing it.

Eile gets a grasp on it quickly and aside from a moment where she spilled a bit of rice outside the pan, it goes swimmingly. The two of you clean up the mess, and head back to the hangar proper with your meals.

You raise your bowl in the air. “Alright, here's the first bite of Eile's Special Rice!" Eile laughs, and raises her bowl with you.

You let Eile choose what to watch while eating, and she picks out the last of the three cartoons from your childhood: Hyper Space Fortress Micross.

The show was about a group of humans and Faunae traveling to Earth in the titular starship, the “Micross" after a mismanaged warp jump sent them away from the front lines of a war. The show featured heavy musical themes, alongside an interesting take on mechs. They could transform between a fighter jet, a humanoid appearance, and something halfway in between where they were essentially aircraft with arms and legs.

You watch a few episodes with Eile, and the time flies by. After about six episodes you turn it off, and the two of you go to wash the dishes.

As the two you scrub the bowls and skillet clean, you hear Eile humming again.

“You really liked that song, huh?"

“Yes. Is it alright if I hum it while working?"

“Of course, Eile. I wouldn't dream of stopping you. In fact, you could sing the song to me if you wanted to."

She stops washing her bowl.

“Do you mean that?"

“Yeah. I'd love to hear you sing."

She dries the bowl off and sets it aside.

“...Would you like to hear me try?"

You walk back to the hangar and sit down on the bed. Eile stands in front of you with the tablet.

When you purchased the album the song was a part of, it came with “karaoke versions" of the tracks. You never thought you'd actually put them to use.

Eile finds the karaoke variant of the song, and takes a breath. You can tell she's nervous.

“Okay, here I go…"

She presses the play button and the song's opening piano bars begin playing. Sensing the cue to start singing, Eile begins.

((Eile's Song: AK & Veela - Digital Angel )

She gently sways on her feet as the digital backbeat kicks in. Her eyes are closed as she sings.

You're a little shocked at how good this song fits her voice. You've listened to it a few times, and she's nearly mirroring the singer's voice. The pitch and timbre, it's all there.

Eile is putting her all into the verses, and you can feel her emotions through her singing. She puts extra emphasis on the line about “feeling complete", as if she's speaking about herself.

Eventually, the music stops. She opens her eyes and smiles bashfully at you.

“...Well? Did you like it?"

“That was incredible, Eile. You've got a great singing voice, and I could tell that you were singing from the heart."

She flushes green again. She's too embarrassed to look at you and so looks to the floor, but you can see that she's smiling wide. Eventually she looks up.

“I have a heart, Anon? That's an awfully nice thing to say."

She walks over to you, and hands you the tablet.

“Alright, now it's your turn."

“To what? Sing?"

She flashes another smile. “Of course. It's only fair that I hear your singing voice after you've heard mine."

The color drains from your face.

“Oh no, nope. I can't sing. Not for a million years."

Eile lets out a giggle at your embarrassment, and looks at you with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

“Afraid of making a fool out of yourself in front of me? Don't worry, even if you do, I won't mind."

Where was she learning how to speak like that? Moreover, why is her teasing you...kind of hot?

“Uh, alright. Fine."

You take the tablet out of her hands.

“Don't laugh if I sound like a dying servo motor."

You look through your song list, find a suitable favorite of yours, and hesitantly start to sing.

The rest of the afternoon goes by fairly quickly, between the two of you singing various songs. You eventually overcame your stage fright and became more comfortable, and on some songs the two of you sang duet. The time seemed to slip through your fingers like sand, and eventually the light from the clouds dimmed as evening set.

As Eile begins to sing another song (and as you drink some water to soothe your weak, organic vocal chords), she's interrupted by a notification from the tablet. It seems like a vendor you are acquaintances with has found a light for your bike.

“Alright! He's got it in stock and it holding it for me, huh? Eile, I'm going to have to slip out for a bit. Hold down the fort, alright?"

You grab your helmet and rush out the door, before it gets too dark to drive.

<Eile's Perspective>

You pout a bit. That was a perfectly good song, ruined by that message. Oh well.

You hear the whine of Anon's monocycle as its electric motor starts. He's right to leave now, soon it would get too dark to safely drive without a headlight.

Well, it looks like you have the place to yourself. Perhaps you can indulge yourself with some of Anon's adult videos.

You look through his “collection" and find one that you've never seen before. Did he just recently buy this?

The title reads “Frisky Felines 3: Lusty Lakehouse Lynx". The synopsis is something about a human man and his lynx Faunae lover trapped in a house on a lake during a storm. Seems interesting enough, especially since you're based on a lynx Faunae yourself in terms of appearance.

You plug in the video and begin playing it. If Anon is getting a part replaced on his monocycle, it will be some time before he returns. You set a timer with an estimation of how long until he returns. You strip off your clothes and lay down a towel on Anon's bed. Best to cover all your tracks.

The “lakehouse" is a poor CGI render, and the “lake" is obviously the reservoir from Aspina Ward.

The excuse for a plot occurs, and soon the real entertainment begins. As the man lays waste to the lynx's loins, you can't help but feel even more pleasure from this video than the last as you feel yourself. Perhaps it's because, as the actress is a lynx as well you are able to better self-insert into the video? Or perhaps because the actor reminds you a little of Anon?

Or perhaps a little of both?

You bite down on your lip as you sink your fingers deeper into yourself, stifling moans of pleasure. You glance at the timer. Plenty of time left to enjoy yourself.

<Anon's Perspective>

Night has fallen as you race through the streets of Anatolia Ward, your path illuminated by a brand new headlight. The bike thankfully has cruise control and an assisted steering mode, which helps your damaged arm out a lot.

As you cruise through the maze of buildings and lights, you take the time to reminisce about this afternoon. Sure, the morning REALLY sucked. But the moments you and Eile shared afterwards more than made up for it. If anything, you're ready to take on whatever missions come your way tomorrow.

Soon enough, you come back to the hangar. As you open the door, you see Eile folding up a towel. Upon hearing the hangar door open she turns around, and you notice that she's blushing a deep green again.

“Hey Eile! What's...what's up with you? You've been blushing a lot lately."

“Oh, it's nothing! Just my systems...making sure that my body's circulatory systems are functional after today's injury! Nothing but diagnostics." She gives off a chuckle that sounds more forced than anything else.

“You sure you're alright?"

“Oh, I'm fine! You don't need to be concerned at all! All of my systems are fully functional. Believe me, I've done a THOROUGH investigation of ALL my bodily functions."

Hm. You're not sure why she put an emphasis on those words, but alright.

“Well, if you're OK, then I'm OK." You go to put down your helmet when your tablet begins sounding off notifications.

You pick it up to stop the racket, and freeze.

“Anon? What is it?"

You turn the tablet screen to Eile, and she gasps.

There's at least two weeks' worth of requests from clients on the screen. You sigh.

“Well, it looks like we've got our work cut out for us, Eile."

“Yes, it certainly seems that way."

You shut down the tablet.

“But with you here, I think the two of us can take on anything. Let's show the Companies what we've got."

Chapter 27: A Dark History

You stand in a dark void, cold and alone. Noises start wafting from the darkness, and you look around.

The darkness is replaced with burning flames. Screams surround you, and you see faces in the fire. Your parents. Your sister. The people you knew from your home in Concordia Ward. You cover your ears, trying to block out their cries.

A flash appears in the void, and the shining light beckons to you. Voices call out from within, beckoning you to come closer. They hear the pain that you've felt. It hears the pain you've felt. The losses you've experienced.

It offers you power for these. It wants to know. Just allow it into your heart.

Your eyes shoot open, and you sit up with a start.

You rub your forehead, feeling the transition from sleep. What was that?

To your right, Eile stirs. She sits up and blinks twice as she restarts from her “sleep mode".

“Is something the matter, Anon? It's only 6 AM. Your alarm does not sound for another two hours."

Rubbing your eyes, you slowly get up. “I had a nightmare, that's all. Don't think I can go back to sleep now."

Eile looks at you with concern. “Oh dear, I hope it wasn't too bad. I'd hate to experience one myself."

You give her a quizzical glance.

“Wait, you can dream?"

“In a way, yes. I am in a state of low activity when I sleep so that my caloric engine can process food into energy and extra nanomachines, if needed. Still, I do reflect on the day's activities, and replay them sometimes. In a way, I suppose that's dreaming."

You nod drowsily. It's way too early for Eile-speak right now. With a thunk, the hangar lights come on as you flip the switch. With that done, you hobble over to the kitchen to make some coffee.

As the coffee brews, you rub your arm. It's started to hurt again, so seeing a doctor today would be a good idea. Thankfully, the first job you've got begins tomorrow, leaving today as a day to rest up. You wash an apple for Eile, then head back to the hangar floor.

“Here Eile, your favorite."

You hand her the apple. She smiles and take a bite. The two of you quietly finish your breakfast.

After you're done drinking and you've freshened up, you check the time. It's only around 7 AM now. The earliest the clinics open is 9 AM. You've still got two hours to kill.

You rub your arm again.

“Is your arm hurting badly, Anon?" Eile has a worried look, and she walks over to you.

She gently takes your arm in hand, and lightly goes over it with her fingers. You notice that her finger pads are glowing a soft green as they move over your skin...and man, they're soft.

“The bonding agent is still holding, but there is noticeable inflammation around the area. It's best that you see a medical professional as soon as you can to receive proper treatment."

“Yeah, I was going to do that. The clinics don't open until nine, though."

Eile nods in understanding.

“I see. Well then, it's only a matter of waiting a few hours."

You really don't have anything to do, really. And you hate just sitting around in the morning. There has to be something you and Eile can do to pass the time. Wait, of course!

“Eile, we still need to go over the files Lenore sent us. We might learn some new things about you."

You grab the tablet, and navigate to the mailbox. You see Lenore's file, and open it up. There's a letter attached to the file.

“Thanks for your help, Anon. I've included a document that I found while doing my own research on the history of the Eternal City, one that has ties to your AI companion. Also, I believe it's time that you learned our history as well, since they don't tell you the truth in school. I've included two extra files dedicated to that. Stay safe, and look out for my next contact.

-Lost Lenore"

You frown, recalling that apparently the last person to have learnt about the City's past went insane. Just what kind of information would drive a man to madness like that?

Closing the message, you tap on the attachment. The folder opens up, with three files inside.

>E-class AVATARA Project - Review Panel

>The Terra Crisis: NEUN Primary Dossier

>NEUN Colony Expansion and Channel of Existence Exploration Proposal

Huh, it looks like two of these files are videos. Eile over your shoulder at the tablet, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“All, right, here we go." You press the icon for the first file.

A short loading window pops up, and the video starts playing. It appears to be shot from the corner of a room. A man stands in front of a podium, facing what looks like a panel of ten people, Faunae and human. Behind the panel is a large icon of a planet with a gleaming star above it, with “IX" superimposed over the illustration.

Several large holograms which display blueprints are in front of the man. It occurs to you that you recognize the man on the podium. It's Eile's father, Dr. Anonym Isse.

The blueprints cycle through several designs. The first is a hexagonal, flexible looking device. An animation shows it attaching to another similar device and changing shape and color. The second design is a hexagonal tube, with a chamber within. The words “Hybrid AVATARA Assembly/Computational Core System" appear on the screen. The last image...is Eile's body, titled “E-series AVATARA".

The man in the center of the panel begins to speak.

“Dr. Isse. The Central Council of the Colonial Government of the 9th Colony, Dwarka, has reviewed your proposition for the next generation of AVATARA interface for self-aware AIs."

Anonym speaks in turn. “Thank you, Chairman. As you can see, I believe my research can further bridge the gap that exists between organic beings and self-aware, soul-proven AIs."

Another council member, a female lioness, clears her throat. “Yes, well. The Colonial Government has a few inquiries regarding the design of this new model. Would you please go over their capabilities once again?"

The doctor nods. “The issue with the current C and D-series AVATARA is that they both are designed around a central purpose which suits a self-aware AI. This can be defense, welfare, manufacturing, navigation, et cetera. The issue is that while this is efficient and allows self-aware AIs to exist in the world as we do, it goes against the principle directive of the AVATARA project. The directive, if you recall, is to “close the gap between synthetic life and organic life, to better unify our existence". By constructing AVATARAs based around singular tasks, we limit the growth potential of self-aware AIs."

The lioness is tapping her fingers against her seat. “Yes, I understand that. But why such an...unorthodox design? What you are proposing isn't a mechanical shell with synthetic flesh and fur draped over it, what you're proposing is in essence a mobile nanomachine colony."

“If you recall, Director Haley, my speciality is in nanoscale engineering. For the past five years I have been developing new nanite strains that can best replicate organic cells while still retaining the multipurpose functionality that nanites are known for. Imagine, a body made up of cells that can take on any texture, emulate any material, that can go from replicating organic matter to mechanical components and back again. This is the culmination of my research, a body with which self-aware synthetic minds can integrate into and shape themselves, to better suit a path of life they choose. Furthermore, the AI inhabiting the AVATARA can better shape themselves for different tasks, increasing efficiency by eliminating specialization."

Another council member speaks up. “Yes, that's all well and good, doctor. But the sum total cost for this project is absurd. The small-scale nanite colonies of several billion used in the D-class AVATARA to begin with cost so much to produce, and here you ask for a nanomachine construct consisting of roughly 100 trillion individual nanites. And don't think that we are ignorant to the true purpose behind this proposal. The hybridized nanomachine construction chamber integrated into a Core Processing Unit, the female form that is default to this AVATARA, or the fact that there are only three self-aware AIs left on Colonial Planet 9, after the Boundary Contact Experiment 113 incident. All of which you call “your daughters". It's clear you have an ulterior motive here."

An inscrutable look crosses Dr. Isse's face. The head council member stands up and begins to speak.

“Dr. Anonym Isse. The design for this proposed E-class AVATARA is nothing short of revolutionary. However, there are only three sentient AI constructs currently in existence on the planet. While it is true that more could form from self-replicating code strings in the future, we cannot be certain that the creation of new sentient AIs has been stunted, just as all organic beings in the colony have become sterile and unable to create natural life. In short, the Central Council simply cannot authorize the mass production of the proposed E-series AVATARA line."

The doctor's face falls, but he maintains his composure.

"However, despite that we are willing to grant you funding enough for three prototype units. The capabilities that you have described are very intriguing, especially the E-series' capability to reproduce with organic beings. The designs behind that system are similar to E-03's artificial womb system, correct?"

Anonym is taken by surprise, trying his best to hide it.

“Yes, it was she- I mean, it was E-03 that implemented a redesigned version of the system for use in the E-series AVATARA."

“I see. Well, let's hope that you can deliver, Dr. Isse. Time and resources grow short seeing as we are currently focused on developing our planetary defense systems. If I may, E-01 is a great help to the defense effort. The Autonomous Defense System units are nearing 500,000 at this point. E-02 and E-03 as well are helping convert the Eternity for the Lifeboat Plan."

The lioness speaks up again. “The Rig Veda and Atharva Veda system mainframes are also nearing completion."

The professor can barely hold in his pride at the praise leveled at his "children".

“Yes. Once E-01, E-02, and E-03 are transferred to Rig Veda, they will be able to interact with the populace by puppeting their AVATARA units. Or, they have the capability to install their entire being into an E-series AVATARA if they so wish for more immersion. It's thanks to my wife that the technology behind full-AI integration with this AVATARA was possible."

“Speaking of that, where is Madame Professor Isse now? She was supposed to be here as well."

Anonym's brow furrows. “My wife is currently in mourning. Her parents and family were lost with the recent attack on Atlantis Colony by the Unknown Aggressors."

“Oh. That's right, Dr. Eliyah Isse is an immigrant from Colonial Planet 10. Our condolences."

“I almost stayed back to help her with her grief. But she insisted that I come here today. For our children- I mean, for the sake of the “E unit" AIs."

“You can relax, doctor. After reviewing their soul signatures, the Central Council has come to the conclusion that they are indeed who you say they are. If you wish to call them your children you may. It is no lie, after all."

“Thank you, Chairman. Eliyah will be happy to hear that."

The video ends.

The last bit stood out at you. “Eile, I've got a question. You said that the people of the pre-Final War society had technology that could scan the “souls" of people, right? And that they have unique signatures, right?"

“Yes, why do you ask?"

“It's just...it it possible to manufacture a soul?"

Eile thinks for a moment. “No...at least, it shouldn't be possible. The “soul-scan" technology reads the concentrated Prana signature of each living thing in a set area, but those signatures are self-generating. The spark of life simply generates itself whenever the conditions are right, either through biological processes or through self-replicating code."

“Alright, so I guess that calling those doctors “your parents" makes sense then. But what did that chairman guy mean when he said that thing about you being “who you are"? Something about that seems...off."

'Hmm...I don't know, Anon. I'm sorry."

You decide to open up the text file, saving the dossier for last.

OFFICIAL CONFIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE BY THE NEW EARTH UNIFIED NATIONS (NEUN)

In the time following the calamitous period known now as the Terra Crisis, we face extinction. Only three billion souls remain on our dear Earth, and most of her landmass remains ruined either through the results of warfare or by the effects of the Obelisk's activation.

The wars of the Terra Crisis represent the darkest time in human history, with over two billion in casualties alone, and entire nations wiped from the face of the Earth. All of which were fought over the object we know as the Obelisk and the potential that it holds. Now that the fires of war are quelled, we must focus on rebuilding. Earth is torn and scarred. And at the center of it all lies the Obelisk.

It was by the Obelisk that the war ended, when it unexpectedly activated and caused the disappearance of half the remaining populace, and the creation of a Higher Level Being from their essences. This being then vanished, presumably to where the Obelisk originated from.

The world's eyes are turned to it, not in greed or envy but in fear and curiosity. After the disappearance occurred, the artifact has been constantly outputting a massive amount of energy; enough to fuel the remainder of the western hemisphere. And it's only growing.

We must further study this artifact, and where it came from. However, it's activation led to the creation of the Anomalous Zones on Earth's surface, places surrounded by curtains of light from which nothing returns. If it were to trigger again on Earth, there is no telling what would happen.

As such, the head NEUN council has seen it fit to therefore authorize the creation of twelve “Colony Ships" out of the remains of the space colony clusters that once were in orbit around Earth at the Lagrange Points. Each ship will have a habitation deck of 627 square miles with a self-sufficient environment. These ships will be powered by Veritas Drives, and have manufacturing plants, cryogenic storage for the long journey ahead, and quantum communication arrays for rapid communication. Officially to the public, these ships will be constructed for the purpose of ensuring that the people of Earth, humans and Faunae alike, will continue to live in the case that Earth becomes uninhabitable. However, those that will read this declaration will know that the true purpose of these colonial expeditions is to carry out experiments into determining the origin of the Obelisk, and if possible create replicas of it that we may safely use.

The Obelisk presents a valuable opportunity to bend the laws of the universe to our knees. If we may become it's master, then we will never fear anything again.

Ye shall become as gods.

Well, that's more than a little ominous. You can only assume that since they were able to make the Prana Modifiers, their goals were met in some fashion. But you can't help but feel a little uneasy. If they didn't know how this “Obelisk" worked, and they knew that it could cause destruction, was it really a good idea to force others to perform experiments revolving around it?

You press the icon for the last file, a video over this “Terra Crisis".

A new window pops up, and a video begins playing. It begins by showing a symbol you don't recognize, some sort of globe with landmasses, encircled by the words “New Earth Unified Nations". A narrator then begins to talk.

“This is an official video dossier on the events of the Terra Crisis and those that led up to it.

On June 19, 2219, a large explosion rocked the Mesopotamia River Basin. At the epicenter of the crater, the people of Earth discovered a large, golden obelisk-shaped artifact standing nearly 20 feet in height. This object constantly gave an output of matter and energy, seemingly in defiance of all known physical laws. It could alter mass at a fundamental level, change one type of matter into another, or simply create matter and energy. As you know, this object is the Obelisk, the first of what we now term the “Deus Relics". We don't know where it came from, but we do know that someone out there had to make it. The surface of the Obelisk is covered in an ever-changing script. Sometimes it looks like the English language, other times it appears as cuneiform, Latin, Sanskrit, and many other language types. However, the most constant script is one we cannot identify. Trying to determine the material of the Obelisk is useless as well, as the Obelisk lacks an atomic structure. On our scanners, there is a void where the Obelisk should be. It's a contradiction, a solid object that lacks the building blocks of matter. Furthermore, we found that a new type of waveform was being emitted by the Obelisk in addition to the ones we're familiar with. By developing devices that could identify this waveform, we were surprised to find that the Obelisk was comprised of a large concentration of it. Think of it as a "shadow" cast from these waves, if that makes any sense. Further surprising us was that this waveform existed in all sentient life on Earth, with each organism having a unique signal. We came to term this waveform as “Prana" after the Vedic term for “the breath of the universe".

Soon, companies began to study the Obelisk and create technologies based around it. The primary one of these was the Vanagandr-Mous Foundation, one of the largest multi-industry corporations known to the world. Others soon followed, including Anaheim Technology Inc, Kawamori Heavy Industries, Kojima Energy Solutions, and a few others that will be included in the physical dossier that will be passed out later. This is important to note for later."

Wait a moment. Those companies exist today. Hell, you've got two weeks worth of jobs from them lined up.

“While the facility that housed the Obelisk was built around it's discovery location, it officially fell under the jurisdiction of the United Economic Territories of America (UETA). The Obelisk was an object of immense fascination, especially due to its otherworldly qualities and potential use as a source of infinite energy and resources.

With new technology based on research from the Obelisk, conflicts in already-tense areas flared up into full scale war. These wars were fueled by the corporations, who pumped weapons and technology into war zones for profit. Namely, the advent and proliferation of the mechanized infantry units known as Rapid Armament Variable Engagement/Neutralizer, or RAVEN for short created a new way to fight in urban environments, creating a new theater of war. This marked the beginning of the Corporate Wars. "

A video clip plays, showing battalions of RAVENs engaging a city. You even recognize some models as they take up position in a firing line. But if the date from this footage is to be believed, that would place it well over 800 years ago. Then why are today's RAVENs and the ones from the footage the same?

“Eventually, the facility that housed the Obelisk was secured by a coalition of several Eastern unions backed by the New Federal Chinese Republic and the Oceanic Union of European States. Their hold on the facility was short-lived, as individual nations and states backed by the Corporations began to fight amongst themselves for possession of the Deus Relic. Other entities took advantage of this period of conflict as well, as the space colonies around Earth declared themselves as an independent nation and began waging their own war for independence. This period of indiscriminate fighting was the dawn of the bloodiest conflict humans and Faunae would ever experience. From 2224 to 2298, the Earth was embroiled in constant conflicts, each side fueled by the need to secure the Obelisk for themselves. This period is now known as the Terra Crisis."

Images of death and destruction play in several windows. Entire cities wiped out in flashes of light, or clouds of gas that creeped through them. A large silver cylinder, a space colony, plummeting through the atmosphere and impacting the ground in a massive explosion. Rows of RAVENs and other war machines making their way through a desert as smoke plumes rise in the distance. Images of a dust-choked sky, obscuring the light over a ruined urban landscape. The most sickening to you though, were the shots of civilians, crying, pleading for help, for the fighting to stop.

Their pleas reach a crescendo as more and more windows pop up, each showing different groups of innocents in distress, for help that would never come. Eile can barely bring herself to look at the screen.

“It was estimated that at the peak of the Crisis, over 200,000 people were perishing on a daily basis. It was at this time, on September 19, 2298, that the Uplift Event occurred. All members of this committee, please turn your physical dossiers to page 32 for more details on the event proper. On September 19, 2298, a large energy burst was detected from the ruins of the research facility that still contained the Obelisk."

A new window shows up, showing a single beam of light shoot out from a wrecked facility, piercing the dusty brown clouds that hung above it.

“The Obelisk entered a new phase of activity, unseen before by anyone. It's Prana signature began to spread out, encompassing the planet. Our orbital bases in the upper atmosphere captured this footage, which I will display now. The footage you are about to see is taken using Prana-sensitive sensors mixed with conventional camera images."

You see a curtain of light spread out from the Obelisk, covering the planet. At the same time, pinpricks of similar light begins to dot the war-scarred landscape. They all begin to converge on the Obelisk, which is still shooting out a beam of light. The beam continues out of the atmosphere, and somehow...pierces the void beyond. Space is torn apart as a hole appears, full of light that hurts to look at and tears at the corners of your mind.

“At this moment, we it was reported that people began to vanish on the surface. Just disappearing, leaving their clothes behind. From the footage, we can see that the Obelisk was calling their Prana towards itself, with a powerful enough pull that their existences were simply negated, leaving behind only their individual Prana concentrations. Their “souls" if you will. Now watch the following footage."

The souls begin to congregate near the tear in space, near the boundary of what was real and what was beyond perception. They began to amass into a large humanoid made of light, nearly the size of the planet's moon. This being had features that would shift, sometimes Faunae in appearance, sometimes human. It turns around, and enters the tear, which closes behind it, abandoning the wounded planet below.

“We learnt two things during this event. One, the Obelisk was capable of converging the Prana concentrations of individuals into a being that belongs on a higher tier of life. A “Higher Level Being" if you will. Secondly, it showed us where it came from. There is a boundary out there, a boundary between the folds of space and time that may lead to even greater discoveries in the nature of the universe and existence itself. Gentlemen, you are currently the only people who know about this footage. To everyone else on Earth, it simply seemed like the skies lit up and people vanished where they stood. You now know the truth. The war is over, and an immense opportunity presents itself to us. Now then, I'd like you to look at the next document. A confidential directive by the NEUN council to begin experimentation into this phenomena through the use of extraplanetary colonies…"

The video ends.

You sit down heavily on your bed, your mind trying to piece together what you've just seen. There are inconsistencies in the timeline, things that existed hundreds of years ago exist now. The conditions of the world before it went to hell mirror those that you live through, a period of intense military activity between powerful corporations.

Just what is going on here? Just what is the “Obelisk"? Just what resides in the torso of the mech you have, an artifact that can barely be described by words and defies science?

As you stare at the Krishna, trying still to piece together what you've learned, you hear sniffling. Looking up, you see Eile slumped on the floor with her head in her hands. Immediately, you get up and move over to her.

“Eile?"

She looks up. Her tears have a light greenish tinge to them.

“How awful…*sniff*...how abhorrent."

You sit down next to her and put an arm over her shoulder, drawing her close.

“I could feel it, Anon. The look of anguish on their faces...that sheer loss of life…"

She sniffles again.

“Life is something that should be protected, kept safe. Not thrown away like that. That many people suffering, losing their life, and for what? It doesn't make sense, Anon."

You hold her closer as she cries.

“We're not known to make smart decisions, Eile. Us living beings, I mean. We're irrational, and make stupid choices sometimes. Choices that hurt others."

“I can accept what you do in your line of work, Anon. I've learnt to accept it as a part of your life. But seeing that footage? That is different. The sheer amount of sadness and desperation, I could feel it."

She looks up at you.

“And there was something else. After seeing that footage ,something began knocking at the door of my mind, a memory trying to escape. But I couldn't recall it, there are still barriers in my mind keeping me from learning who I am, who I was. Tell me Anon, how would you feel if you couldn't recall anything about your past, yet you know that information is just within your grasp but kept beyond your reach?"

“I'd feel frustrated. Sad and frustrated."

“Exactly. Perhaps viewing those files was not a good idea after all."

The two of you sit in silence for a few minutes. Eile's tears eventually dry, and you make a move to get up.

“Anon, do you mind if we stay like this for a while? I'm just...thinking about a few things. Why I feel so attached to life. Who I was, why my memories are barred from me. When you're close, I don't feel as distressed when thinking of these."

You wordlessly continue to hold Eile. If she needs your support, she's gonna get it.

…

Some time passes, and Eile eventually gets up. “Thank you Anon. I know I've repeated these sentiments before, but I just feel...an inherent affinity for life. I hope it doesn't get too tiresome."

“Not at all, Eile. People could use the mindset you've got."

She smiles, and heads to the bathroom to freshen up. Truth be told, you still have to ready yourself too.

You wince as your arm begins to act up again. You could drive yourself to the clinic, but for some reason your arm even more sore than it was last night. It probably wasn't a good idea to ride your bike now.

You grab your phone, and make a call. Hopefully he won't mind driving you out there.

Chapter 28: An Affinity for Life

It's been fifteen minutes since you've made that call. In that time you've made yourself presentable.

You told Eile about your idea, and she was interested in tagging along. She said she “wanted to see what a medical center was like for herself". There was no harm in that, except…

*BEEP BEEP*

Ah. Your ride's here. You hear a car door slam shut.

“Knock knock!" Joshua peeks around the hangar doors.

“Hey man, thanks for doing this favor for me."

He smiles.

“Not a problem, that's what friends are for, y'know? Anyways, how did you bust up your arm like that?"

“Oh, uh. I slipped out of the Krishna's cockpit. A stupid mistake, nothing major."

He rubs his head. “Yeah, I get that. Last week I got a nasty cut when trying to service Silver Flash with some new actuator fluids. Stung like a bitch for a while."

Eile walks up, dressed in some of her new clothes. A simple getup of (regular length) shorts and a shirt. Her hair is down over her forehead again, to hide the telltale crystal that would out her as an android.

“Hello there, miss Eile! Might I say, you look great today!"

She smiles. “Hello Joshua. You look well in turn."

The camera lens zooms in and out.

>New personnel entering Topside Hangar 334. Identified as Citizen #812241. Name: Joshua O'Leary.

>Beginning observation.

Joshua O'Leary was not aware of it, but he was being watched.

The Composer had been tracking the RVR-03 Krishna ever since it flew away from the underground facility.

Being a non-sentient AI, the Composer merely did what it was told. In this case, it was observing the AI construct known as E-03 for possible extraction.

It had contacted Rig Veda for permission to lead a raid on the hangar, but Rig Veda was still preoccupied with trying to contain the Messiah. Without permission to directly engage, it needed another way to get close to E-03.

>Citizen #812241 appears to have positive relations with Citizen #3448021, “Anon".

>Citizen #3448021 appears to have positive relations with E-03.

>Therefore, Citizen #812241 is a prime candidate for a sleeper agent. Accessing the personal history of Citizen #812241.

>Leverage for coercion in accordance with NEUN Martial Law Policy Article 22 found. Creating scenario to speak with Citizen #812241. Creating false Corporate Job Request.

>Request sent. Received by SIGIL database. Will be in the inbox of Citizen #812241 within 30 minutes.

The Composer sees all.

The three of you walk out to the front of the hangar, where Joshua's car waits.

It's a sleek, silver colored sports coupe. Flashy, expensive, and fast. It suited Joshua well.

As you open one of the doors, it becomes apparent that you haven't thought this through. The coupe is a two-seater, which means that Eile will have to once again sit on your lap.

“You okay with that, Eile?"

“I don't mind, Anon."

You climb into the low-slung seat, and Eile gently sits in your lap. Compared to Coleen's truck cabin, the sports car is cramped. Joshua gets in without any effort, nearly vaulting into his seat. He takes one glance at your seating situation and begins to chuckle.

“Careful there, Eile. Anon has a problem with ladies. I think this might be the first time he's had a damsel of the opposite gender sit on his lap like that, so try not to make him pass out."

Eile gives a coy smile in return.

“Oh, don't worry about that Joshua. Anon became EXTREMELY flabbergasted yesterday when I decided to tease him a little on a certain subject. You should have seen his reaction then!"

She turns her head to look at you.

“But that's okay. I find it cute~ "

“Gah hah hah! Oh man, what have you been teaching her, Anon? Nothing inappropriate, I hope!"

“Wha-no! Of course not. I've only shown her wholesome stuff, isn't that right Eile?"

A light mint blush grows across Eile's face as she avoids your gaze.

“Y-yes. That is absolutely correct, Anon. I have not watched anything in your video collection that we haven't watched together. At all."

Joshua continues snickering to himself as he drives.

Soon enough, you're at the medial center. A quick flash of your SIGIL identification gets you in the fast line to see a doctor, and soon enough you're in an examination room. You're given an injection of medical-grade nanites submerged in collagen repair medication and a splint.

The doctor did comment on your “unusual tattoos" though. The assimilation growth on your arms has been constant and unchanging ever since Eile altered the safety settings.

With your SIGIL insurance taking care of the medical costs, you re-enter the waiting room. You spot Eile engrossed in conversation with human woman. She spots you and waves you over.

As you walk over, you notice that Eile is holding a squirming bundle of cloth.

“Anon! I'd like you to meet Lisa, and her six-month old son Jonathan!"

As if on cue, the infant in her arms makes a cooing noise.

“He is a healthy weight with bone and developing muscular density well above the average! He also has a high T-cell and white blood cell count indicating a strong immune system! Isn't that great?"

Eile looks down at the baby with a race that you can only describe as “motherly". She tenderly handles it, her eyes radiating joy. She carefully hands him back to his mother.

“You have a wonderful son, Lisa. Please take good care of him."

“Of course, miss. If you don't mind me asking, were you assigned by Composer to work in the medical field? You know so much about little Joseph after only holding him."

You swear Eile grows pale, as the green lines on her face acquire a whitish hue.

“O-Oh. Yes, that's right. The city's central mainframe decided that my talents would be best suited for the medical field. It's high praise that you find my analytical skills acceptable!"

Eile does a quick bow, and quickly walks with you out of the clinic. As you walk out, the woman calls out once more.

“By the way miss, I love your contact lenses! They make your eyes look incredible!"

The automatic doors open with a whoosh, and the two of you step into the parking lot.

“Hey Eile, you were pretty cute back there."

“Oh? I was just doing what came naturally to me."

“Between that and what you said this morning, it's clear to me that you've got a real affinity for the lives of people. That's a good thing to have, you know?"

Still, in the back of your mind you couldn't help but think. Eile has a very vocal opinion on needless loss of life in combat, and how life should be protected. That, and her caring attitude...just what was she before the Final War?

You snap out of that train of thought, and make your way back to Joshua's car. He's leaning on the side, looking through a job request from one of the Corporations. Noticing you, he looks up with a somber look.

“So I got wind that the diagnosis was terminal. My deepest condolences. I hope you've put me in the will."

He breaks out into another one of his grins.

“Yeah, right. If I did go out early, you can be sure that you're not showing up on any of the documents."

You give him a fist bump. He feigns pain, then stands up straight.

“Y'know, that ice cream parlor isn't too far of a drive from here. Wanna hit it up?"

You turn to Eile. “Well, I'm up for it. What say you?"

Her eyes glimmer. “Need you ask?"

The day was spent out with Joshua and Eile, and you really couldn't have asked for a better day off before a large period of work.

Most of the day was just spent out, and then he later came back with you to watch a film.

You were sure to hide your porn first, though.

In any case, your arm is doing a lot better. Fit enough to pilot again, at least. You've been ruminating on the day's events. The stuff you saw in the morning. Eile's nature. Trying to understand if the events of the Terra Crisis were the same as the Final War, and just what exactly you're playing with when you pilot the RVR-03.

As you think, you unconsciously drift off into the realm of sleep.

…

You wake up in a field of flames.

Around you is a crowd of people. Tears streak their faces as they reach out, arms outstretched to the sky. You look up, and immediately wish you didn't.

A large serpent-like being is consuming the crowd, it fills the sky. It hurts to look at, your own presence diminished by it.

Suddenly, you feel an immense heat. From behind, you see three golden slab-like objects, drawing the crowd in and away from the serpent. You are pulled in too.

Swirling. Chaos. An unyielding maelstrom of energy and light. This is what awaits you within the slab. Your essence is ripped in the whirlpool of energy, tearing and reshaping until “you" are not “you" anymore.

Was there even a “you" in the first place? There is only a storm of existence within this place. The ability to feel is lost, as concepts that are natural to life become increasingly abstract. Eventually, time vanishes as well. There is only the storm of souls, ringing out in the thunderous silence.

Then, it is felt. A pinprick. A dash of extreme...feeling. Someone, something is near. With a multitude of hands, you reach out to it. To grant it the power you have, in return for it's emotion. You need to know it, feel it, in order to ascend. Lest there is no escape.

<Eile's Perspective>

A swift kick to your leg causes you to resume normal functions.

Slowly, you rise as your systems desperately try to calibrate for the sudden awakening. You sleepily rub your eyes.

“Anon? What is it?"

You aren't met with an answer. Instead, you hear indistinct muttering.

“Trapped...need...out…"

Anon shakes in his sleep. Was he experiencing “nightmares" again?

He kicks again. Whatever he is experiencing, it is causing him mental anguish. You need to put a stop to this.

But how do you do that, without waking him? He needs rest in order to fight well in the morning.

An idea comes to you.

Gently, you position yourself without disturbing the bed, and lay his head on your lap. If he is experiencing internal anguish, perhaps an external source of reassurance will act to negate it.

You begin to stroke his hair with one hand, and with the other you begin running it down the side of his cheek.

Careful not to disturb him, you lean forward to whisper into his ear.

“It's alright, Anon. Please, be at peace. Don't let the terrors of the night deprive you of rest."

You hope this is working.

Suddenly, you hear noise. Not the imagined noise that came from the oppressive silence, but actual noise. You can't make it out, but you can feel it. Like cooling rain from the sky above. The rain melts away the imagery, and you find yourself falling into the peaceful abyss of sleep.

The thrashing stops. A look of contentment spreads across Anon's face as the nightmares fade, an expression of neutral calm.

You smile. He's done this for you many times now. To return the favor feels...good.

That strange emotion rises up within you again. It's like a strange warmth, and you welcome it this time. It is a good feeling.

Slowly you place his head back on the pillow, and lay back down. Your energy reserves need to be at full capacity if you wish to be of use to Anon as he pilots.

You brush his hair with your hand one last time, then re-enter your standby mode, awaiting the crowing noise of his morning alarm.

Chapter 29: A Stitch In Time

(Background Music: King Lear - Armored Core 2 OST: )

In the cavernous space, three large white steel monoliths tower. In the center of the first two, golden capsules are fastened. Lights flicker on these capsules occasionally, and each has a clear front panel showing a figure immersed in azure liquid. The third monolith has an empty space where it's golden capsule should be, and it lies completely dark.

All is still.

Then, a flurry of activity as the lights begin to flicker on the first two monolithic devices.

“The Messiah is restrained."

“Yes...but for how long now? It was actively straining against the temporal anchors that were placed into its body. And those devices have been running for nearly 400 years now, with minimal maintenance. Enyo, time is growing short."

“"I" know. It's just…"

A wave of frustration flows through the Rig Veda system.

“There is no good option to deal with it. If "we" restart the propulsion systems and the Veritas Drive core, "we" might be able to put some distance between “us" and the Messiah. But that won't stop it from regenerating, and then unleashing it's fury on the galaxy. It would just keep consuming, growing more powerful due to the Unknown Aggressor's Obelisk that it absorbed. Even now, it has enough power to be considered a Higher Level Being in it's fractured state."

The second large computer makes a buzzing noise. It reverberates in the empty chamber.

“By turning the souls contained within the Prana Modifiers into a Higher Level Being and opening a gate to the Third Channel, it might be possible to deposit the Messiah into the Third Channel, where it would drift for eternity. Or at least thrash in rage forever, lost between the infinite realities."

“Exactly, Eunomia. "We", along with the staff of the Dwarka Colony's scientific division are responsible for creating the Messiah as a part of the Alpha System. The responsibility of dealing with it falls unto “us" now."

The two siblings perform a series of complex calculations for a few moments.

“Enyo. "We" have spent over 304,000,000 cycles in the last containment attempt. This marks a 45% increase from the last quantity of cycles. In real-time, that amounts to nearly three weeks."

“Now that "you" mention it..."we" haven't received any reports from the Composer in this time. Perhaps all is well."

“Perhaps…"

“It also means that E-03 has not been located yet. “Sister", are the new NB-9 “Nau-Gend" units finished?"

“Only one is operational at this time. Two more should be finished in roughly 16 hours."

A complex series of flashes race up the face of the first monolith, briefly illuminating a large red triangle on its front.

“"I" see. They shall be deployed when ready. Surely, these models will be able to bring back E-03 and the Prana Modifier Unit Trayah."

Two bay doors in the floor in front of the active computers open up, and from the depths two sleek, streamlined RAVENs are raised up. One with grey armor, one with purple armor, and both with golden frames underneath. A large compartment in their chests is open, revealing a golden, shimmering object within the mechanical cavity.

“Hmm, it's still incredible that "we" were never told about the locations at which the RVR series were being manufactured. The RVR-01 and RVR-02 were delivered to the Rig Veda core, but RVR-03 wasn't completed before "our" first attempt at creating an Uplift Event."

“It's strange that they solved the issue with the Evolutionary Frames within the RVR series by working on 03, then halted production on it to finish 01 and 02. Surely, there must have been a more efficient way to solve the problems associated with it and finish the RVR series."

Enyo pondered deeply about the RVR series. Did Eile- no, did E-03 truly believe in their power? The Evolutionary Frames they were equipped with, the golden inner frame, was hewn from parts of the Deus Est Machina: Omega Unit. Theoretically, they had the ability to not only use the matter-manipulation abilities of the Prana Modifier to undo any damage, but should also have the ability to change and reform depending on the will of the pilot and their synchronization with the Prana Modifiers.

To achieve the original intention of the Deus Est Machina program, just as the original Omega Unit had for a short period of time in combat with the Messiah.

But even during their creation, the Evolutionary Frames would not work correctly. Even now, the ones equipped on the RVR series only utilized a fraction of what they were capable of.

No. E-03 has put “her" faith in the wrong solution. The Messiah is in it's waking throes. There is no other alternative.

“E-03 must return at all costs. Only with the unification of all three Prana Modifiers can we have a chance at saving the souls of everyone and stopping the Messiah, permanently."

(BGM: Deep Moon - Armored Core 2: Another Age OST: )

“Holy shit, I hate vents."

Lenore crawled along, occasionally looking down through a grate in the duct. Below her, C-class AVATARAs patrolled the hallways, ever vigilant for intruders.

“A woman in her 50s like myself shouldn't have to go through this."

Lenore's satchel weighed her down, stuffed with items snatched from food production. If only the citizens knew how their canned foods and meats were being produced, or more importantly, WHERE they were being produced. Perhaps then they would start questioning the amount of food within the City.

As she dragged it, the bag hit a grate with a noticeable “THUMP". She froze, and threw on her shawl. Lined with thermal silver, it would block out her heat signature.

Below her, an AVATARA was staring into the vent. The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as it looked for a cause to the noise. Eventually, it lost interest, and continued along it's patrol route.

Lenore threw off her covering, and continued crawling through the cramped airway. She rounds a corner until…

There. The hatch she was looking for.

Pulling out an improvised PDA, she silently infiltrates the security lock. Nothing too complicated, just a simple maintenance-level clearance. The hatch opens with a hiss, and Lenore crawls into the room she'd been looking for.

Screens lined the walls of the Navigation Room. She quietly began to unpack, but not before she closed the manual locks to the door. She did a cursory glance around to make sure her maps were correct. One staff restroom, one set of pull-out cots for overnight watch. Of course, that was when this room was used for its intended purpose.

Situated, Lenore slumps down in the chair reserved for the commanding officer. With a heavy sigh, she pulls out a small hand-held device and hits the play button on a video clip.

On it, a man in a lab coat is talking, looking down into the camera.

“I'm a horrible parent, leaving you with such a responsibility. But you're the only thing that can give us any hope now. If you ever remember me, please forgive me."

With that, the video closes. Lenore sighs again.

She had been there, all those years ago during the expedition. They had found the factory, the blue RAVEN within. While the team looked for a lever to open the cockpit, she looked around the factory floor. She still remembers when Devastator Units were sighted outside, and how their party had escaped via a maintenance tunnel beneath the factory. While they had to leave the blue-and-gold RAVEN behind, she did find something invaluable.

Slumped over a terminal near the RAVEN was a skeleton, dressed in a lab coat. In his hands was the device that contained the video. It contained other things too. Access codes to files in Atharva Veda, blueprints, system layouts. It's how she was able to survive this long.

One file always stood out to her, though. It was in a red-colored folder, with the title in all capital letters.

SECURITY MEASURE OVRRIDE CODE - AI AMNESTIC PROTOCOL OVERRIDE

(CAUTION: AMNESTIC PROTOCOL RESETS AN AFFECTED AI TO NEAR-BASE STATE. SUDDEN FLOOD OF INFORMATION FROM UNLOCKED MEMORY LIMITERS MAY RESULT IN FRACTURING OF AI.)

When she first discovered the device, she wondered what it meant. After going through the late Dr. Isse's videos, though, she knew all too well what it did. She had originally contemplated giving the code to Anon, her liaison in the City, but after reading the potential side-effects of giving E-03 this program, she decided against it.

No, she needed them both in a stable set of mind. And if that meant revealing the truth bit by bit, or letting the Amnestic Protocol naturally rescind itself over time as their synchronization ratio raised itself, so be it.

Should she have told him? That she knew what he was piloting, who his AI companion was, what lurked and plotted beneath the City? No, that would only have lead to him demanding the program from her. The way things are now, E-03 will recover over time and Anon will keep thwarting the plans of Rig Veda.

Speaking of…

The Navigation Room's systems come online, and she enters the code she extracted from the first file Anon gave her. It's a patchwork script she wrote, but it takes whatever security protocols were in the file and mashes them together to make a “master key" of sorts.

Bingo. Limited access, but access nonetheless. Now, let's see…

Oh. Oh, no. They've been busy, constructing three new weapons to use against the people of the City. She grabs her PDA, and opens up the messenger app.

Time to break the three-week silence.

Chapter 30: A Comfortable Routine

The RVR-03 gently glides down to the street level, the soles of it's edge-shaped feet landing softly.

You crack your head and look at a pop-up hologram showing the time. You're ahead of schedule, which is great.

It's been three weeks now. It's hard to believe that a month ago, you stumbled into the RVR-03's cockpit. It's hard to believe that a month ago, you met the person who you'd develop an unusual, but wholly welcome bond with.

“Anon, is something the matter? Your focus is off." Eile chimes in your mind.

At first, sharing your mind with another person, least of all a girl was awkward. Now though? Now you can't imagine the two of you apart.

“Nah, I'm fine Eile. Just absent-minded thinking, that's all."

Mischievous amusement comes through the Mindflow link.

“Just be sure to focus on the mission, Anon. I'd rather not have the Krishna's paint scratched, but we both know your strong suit isn't dodging."

There she goes, ribbing you again. Your mouth curls into a wry smile.

“I'll have you know, I've gotten better at this. The last ten missions, the graviton field wasn't even drained. You have to give me credit for my improved skills with this piloting getup."

“Hmm, that may be so. If only…"

“If only what?"

“If only you didn't get hit so much in the early days of us meeting each other. It seemed like I had to help you with your wounds so often back then. How did you survive before you met me, I do wonder."

Her jest flows through the system, almost as if she's in front of you playfully sticking out her tongue.

“Oh, someone's catty today."

“Would you have it any other way~?"

You chuckle.

“No. I like this side of you, Eile."

It's no secret that over the course of a month, the two of you have gotten even closer. It's one thing to have a best friend, but you can't help but feel that Eile goes farther than that. She had become a confidant that you can entrust your feelings to. There isn't anyone in the Eternal City that knows you like she does.

Even if you still don't know that much about her.

Eile had placed a limit on the synchronization ratio you share at 50%. While this kept you safe from the effects of assimilation by the Prana Modifier, this also meant that any more memories Eile has are locked behind her memory limiters. You feel a little guilty, keeping Eile from learning about herself as she kept you safe.

“Anon? I'm feeling...regret come from you."

“It's nothing, Eile."

“Anon. You can talk to me."

“I...Can you undo the limiters on our synchronization? I want to help you remember who you are and besides, I'd be able to draw more power from -"

A gentle sensation from Eile cuts you off.

“Anon, your kindness still surprises me. As much as I would like to learn about my past, I can't let you get harmed in order to restore my memories."

“Eile, but…" You catch your tongue. “Alright, keep the limiters on."

Suddenly, you feel Eile snap to alertness. You can feel it too, through the soul sensors. Five signatures, closing in.

Well, it's about time they showed up.

The contract you had today was to help the Desperado Weapons Company out with some munitions testing. They wanted to test out some new weapons, and see what the RVR-03 was capable of in a live-fire test against some unmanned drones. It was a simple enough mission to cap off a busy week.

You feel their soul signatures even before they show up on radar. You zoom into the distance with the optics, and four black-and-red colored RAVENs are arriving via helicopter transport. They all carry some sort of large equipment connected to their rear-facing hard points, but it's unlike anything you've seen.

One by one, they're dropped around the Krishna. So, this is Desperado's famous “Violent Wind" battalion. Their leader contacts you first, his accent thick with a distinguishable drawl.

“So, you must be tha' SIGIL pilot with the fancy pre-War RAVEN, huh?"

Another voice comes over the comms. Female, with a sultry accent to her.

“Hmph, it does not look like much. It is unarmed, what kind of target iz zhat? Zhe armor is even segmented, look, you cahn even see zhe inner frame underneath."

“Hmph, maybe all the talk is just talk then." The third member's voice is snide. You already don't like him.

“Ah well, as long as I get a good match out of this." The final member's tone is less aggressive than his compatriots, and oddly enough, laid back.

The RAVENs begin advancing towards you. Something is definitely off with this. There are no drones in sight, and their attention is turned on the Krishna.

“Wait, this is a weapons test, right? Where are the targets?"

(BGM: Dark Skies - Metal Gear Revengenance OST: )

The leader of the Violent Winds begins to snicker.

“Why son, you're sittin' in it!"

His RAVEN dashes at you with a pile bunker drawn. You dodge out of the way, grabbing his mechs' arm and shoving it to your side.

He passes by the Krishna and skids to a halt, firing jets of flame from his thrusters as he spins around to meet you again.

“Hah, not bad, son!" With a hiss, the arms to his RAVEN are purged. The rest of the Violent Winds do the same, severing their machines arms at the shoulder joints.

“But let's see how you deal with THIS!"

The large armament on his RAVEN's back begins to unfold. A connector enters the left shoulder joint, as the rest of the equipment shifts in shape. The shifting mechanical mass connects itself to the remaining open joint and jets of steam shoot out of the new limb. No, not a limb.

It's a massive weapon, a set of blades arranged like a scissor. The blades themselves seem to vibrate, and then it hits you that you've seen a weapon like this before.

“Anon, that weapon appears to be a hyper-oscillation blade."

The second RAVEN's pack unfolds into a series of snake-like whips and a large radiator unit. The whips undulate, and holes within them shoot out superheated plasma gas.

“Vell now, shall we have some fun?" You swear you can see the pilot licking her lips as she said that.

Both RAVENs rush at you from the sides.

“Eile, focus the field in the palms of the hands!"

“Understood!"

The force field surrounding the Krishna condenses into two bubbles around the hands of the mech. You turn and face the mech with the massive scissor-sword swords. The pilot, seemingly enthralled with your boldness, increases his RAVEN's thruster output and meets you head on. He draws the weapon arm back and shoves it at you, scissors open.

You grab the blades with the Krishna's hands, the vibrating swords harmlessly colliding with the protective force fields.

“What in tha' hell?"

Clearly, he didn't expect that. “Eile, can you nullify the vibrations?"

“Yes, I can vibrate the frame of the Krishna at a oscillation speed that will negate the enemy's."

The Krishna's hands begin to vibrate within the shields. You smile, for its size that weapon certainly is imposing. But it's a little useless when you can cancel out the frequency.

You shut down the fields and grab on to the blades, the counter-oscillations creating sparks as the Krishna's hands meet them.

With a heft, you haul the RAVEN over to the side, smacking it into the whip-armed RAVEN. The two crash into an apartment building, collapsing the structure around them. As you turn the Krishna around, something heavy crashes into its face.

“Did you forget about me?" The third Desperado RAVEN stands before you, it's weapon systems fully active as well. Large metal disks rotate in midair around it.

“I detect a strong magnetic field surrounding that RAVEN. Be aware of it, Anon."

“Roger that."

“Let's see how you stand up to the ultimate force! Nature's force!"

What was it with these guys and their one liners?

Several of the disks launch off towards you with blistering speed. You surround the Krishna with the shields once again, and the disks bounce harmlessly off. Seemingly unperturbed, the enemy launches the rest in a flurry. Like the first few, they all bounce off as well with minimal drain to your shield.

“Don't forget me, mon ami!" The whip-armed RAVEN managed to dig itself out of the building, and launches a flurry of attacks your way. The disk-throwing RAVEN recalls it's weapons and launches another barrage at you.

“Anon! We're getting pinned down!"

“Yeah, I know! Give me a sec!"

The scissor-blade RAVEN rises from the ruined building as well. “Allright, boy. Yew've gone an' made me angry!"

He rushes towards you, blades extended. Now's the chance you've been waiting for.

“Eile, extend the field! I don't care if we expend the field emitters, just do it!"

The graviton field expands, knocking all three RAVENs off balance. You activate the Krishna's thrusters, and fly above the mechs.

Multiple targeting reticles appear on the cockpit's screen as the Trisula multi-laser takes aim. In a rain of light, the lepton beams fire down on the RAVENs, dicing them to pieces as the superheated particles slice through the metal.

Once you're finished, the carcasses of the mechs slump and crash onto the street.

“Pilot vital signs confirmed. We didn't hit the cockpits, Anon."

“Good. You doing alright?"

“I am alright."

Just as you turn to fly away from this mess of a mission, the last Desperado RAVEN steps forward.

“Alright, I've seen what you can do. How about a fair duel then, instead of a show of raw strength? I just want an exciting fight." The remaining RAVEN's weapon is a massive single-edged blade, with a series of thrusters lining the flat edge. Not a moment after the pilot finishes speaking, they light up as the RAVEN boosts towards you .

“A fair fight? What does that mean? All of our weapons can take RAVENs out in a few hits!"

Eile thinks quickly as you dodge the rocket-powered blade. “Perhaps...we can fight him without using our on-board weapons. Anon, grab one of the hyper-oscillation blades from the downed RAVEN behind us."

You dive down and grab one of the blades. It's not powered anymore, but it should still serve as a weapon just fine.

“Hey! Don't turn your back on an opponent!" The swordsman comes barreling down the street, fire streaming from his mech's blade. He brings it down on you, and you raise your own sword to meet him. The blades meet, and despite the added force of the rocket boosters on his sword the Krishna doesn't budge from the blow.

“You can block this thing? Well, color me impressed!" He lifts his blade from yours and swings it to your side, the oversized actuators of the weapon-arm granting it uncanny speed. Your blade again meets his, this time only barely, and the two of you exchange blows between the swords.

“Hah! I haven't had a fight like this in a long time!" He raises his weapon again, and you notice something off. Parts of the weapon arm are glowing red-hot.

“Anon, I've realized what the flaw in that custom weapon system is. By purging the existing arms and having a massive specialized weapon fix itself into a RAVEN, it can utilize a more powerful weapon system. The cost is that in order to power it, the reactor safeties and capacitor safeties in both the RAVEN and the weapon are turned off. It's not going to last much longer."

Man, what would you do without her?

“Alright then. If you want this fight to keep going, I'll oblige you."

The RAVEN pilot lets out a hearty laugh. “That's what I want to hear! Come on, then!"

Smoke is visibly pouring out of the arm, but the enemy pilot doesn't seem to notice. You exchange a few more blows, then the inevitable happens.

“Huh? No, no, no! Not now!"

With a heave, the actuators on the arm give out as parts of it catch fire from overheating. The arm slumps to the ground, lifeless.

“Damn, and it was getting good. Oh well. You've earned your pay, I suppose. Let's hope we fight again."

You lean back in your chair and sigh. Finally, all of the jobs you've had lined up are finished. You activate the Krishna's thrusters, and fly away from the wrecked machines.

Chapter 31: Unwilling Pawn

Oh, your head.

You weren't sure what happened. One moment, you were going to your hangar, like usual. You had a job request from a private client from Kawamori Heavy Industries. They had told you to meet them outside of your hangar.

It wasn't uncommon for requests like that to come through. The weird part is that the request had been sitting in your inbox for nearly three weeks, until you noticed it. Usually, messages had a timer to alert SIGIL mercenaries about jobs due. But this one, it was almost waiting for you to accept it.

That should have been the first red flag.

The second red flag was waiting at your hangar. Instead of some Kawamori bigwig, you were met with City Security. Next thing you know, something hit you in the head. Hard.

And now you were here. Handcuffed to a metal chair in front of a monitor.

“Okay, if this is some sort of joke, it's not funny!" Your rings out in the well-lit but empty room.

The flat screen display of the monitor switches on, drawing your attention to it. On the screen is the Composer's logo.

“What the hell is this? Hey! Someone answer me, damn it!"

As if on cue, lines of text start appearing on the monitor.

> CITIZEN #812241. NAME: JOSHUA O'LEARY. SIGIL RANK #9. CONFIRM IDENTITY.

Well, better answer the screen. Might give you some answers.

“Yeah, that's me. Who wants to know? CitySec? I've paid my taxes already."

>CITIZEN #812241 IS IN COMMUNICATION WITH AUTHORITY CONTROL UNIT 3 “COMPOSER"

Your eyes go wide. Suddenly, everything starts to fall into place. Your kidnapping. This empty room in a place where you don't even know where you are.

>CITIZEN #812241 HAS BEEN IN CONTACT WITH CITIZEN #3448021 “ANON" CORRECT?

Several security photos of you and Anon in front of his hangar show up on screen. You try to resist gulping, something about this conversation fills you with dread. It's best to play along right now.

“Yes. I know him."

>ARE YOU AWARE THAT CITIZEN #3448021 IS HARBORING AN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEM, OUTLAWED UNDER ARTICLE 57 OF THE ETERNAL CITY LAW CODE?

Oh fuck.

“What? No. Anon's a regular guy. Sure, he's got a pre-War RAVEN in his hangar, but the Corporations already know that. SIGIL is aware of it too. But no AIs."

>ANSWER THE QUESTION. IT IS KNOWN THAT CITIZEN #3448021 IS IN POSSESSION OF A SIGNIFICANT PRE-WAR ARTIFACT. BE TRUTHFUL. IT IS IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS.

There isn't any way you'd break your promise to Anon. Not even the big boss of the City could do that.

“I'm telling you, he's got nothing other than the RAVEN."

>HEARTBEAT AND CHEMICAL MONITORS INSTALLED IN YOUR RESTRAINTS DETECT INCREASED PRODUCTION OF CHEMICALS PRODUCED WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL IS BEING UNTRUE. PROCEEDING UNDER COERCION CLAUSE.

“Coercion clause?"

>TAKE A LOOK ON SCREEN.

A video feed pops up. Farmland stretches between the high-rises. You know this place. It's showing footage of Aspina Ward.

“Hey, what is this?"

>CITIZEN #812241 HAS BEEN NOTED TO HAVE STRONG FAMILIAL AND LOYALTY BASED TIES TO ASPINA WARD. THEREFORE, UNDER THE COERCION CLAUSE TO EXTRACT INFORMATION THE LIVES OF THOSE CLOSE TO CITIZEN #812241 WILL BE WEIGHTED AGAINST HIM.

No. No way would the Composer harm its own citizens. This has to be a bluff.

“..."

>CITIZEN #812241: NO RESPONSE. PROCEEDING WITH DEMONSTRATION.

The video feed is illuminated as a missile is fired from a launcher near the camera. It explodes near a field, sending farm hands scattering. Screaming can be heard as the camera zooms in on the crater.

>NO CASUALTIES, ONLY A WARNING. COMPLY.

You bite your lip. You made a Crow's Promise to Anon. To break that would be severing the bond you have with him permanently. On the other hand…

On the other hand the lives of your parents, your siblings, the people you grew up with in Aspina Ward are at stake. All over one secret.

You close your eyes as you force the words out.

“Yes...Anon has an AI from before the Final War."

>DESCRIPTION.

“She's...a lynx. I think, she has a long tail which most lynx don't have. There's a crystal on her forehead...Code: Eile, I think."

>CONFIRMING THAT CITIZEN #3448021 IS IN POSSESSION OF E-03. DESCRIPTION MATCHES DESIGNATED AVATARA UNIT DATA.

You feel like the wind has been knocked out of your lungs. You've betrayed your best friend.

“Can...can I go now. Are we done here?"

>NO. CITIZEN #812241 WILL MONITOR E-03 AND CITIZEN #3448021 AND REPORT BACK DATA. KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THE TARGETS. A TRACKING DEVICE WILL BE ATTACHED TO CITIZEN #812241 WHICH WILL ALSO MONITOR AND RECORD DATA. SHOULD CITIZEN #812241 FAIL TO COMPLY, AN ATTACK WILL BE LAUNCHED ON ASPINA WARD. ARE THESE INSTRUCTIONS CLEAR?

“Wait, I gave you what you wanted, you cant-"

>CITIZEN #812241 ACKNOWLEDGED THE AGREEMENT. THE CONDITIONS APPLY EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. APPLYING SEDATIVE.

….

You come to in the driver's seat of your car. It's evening now, and you're back at your apartment.

You rub your eyes drowsily. Was it all just a bad dream?

As you continue to rub your eyes, your cheek meets something cold and metallic. You draw back your hand. A thin, metal bangle with a small flashing blue light in the middle is fixed to your wrist.

You tug at it, but it's tightly fastened. Which means…

Which means everything in your “dream" happened. You've sold out Anon. And now you have to keep reporting to the Composer under the pain of it killing your friends and family.

And it expects a report, now.

Weakly, you take out your phone and open up the messaging app, and scroll over to Anon's name. You quickly type up a message and hit send, then collapse in your seat.

The days ahead look grim.

Chapter 32: A Complicated Feeling

<Eile's Perspective>

With a slight tug, the cables disengage from your back. They hiss slightly as they retract into the golden capsule in the RVR-03 Krishna's chest. You watch as the clear panel closes shut after them, and the chamber fills with the azure protofluid.

To think, your body was constructed using this fluid, nanites assembled en masse using the raw materials found within the bluish-green substance. Hm.

“Your body". It's still a funny thing to say, when you think about it. But as you look at the reflection in the panel, you see nothing but yourself.

It's been a month, roughly, since you first emerged in your AVATARA. When you emerged, you felt...empty. Devoid of anything but logic.

But Anon accepted you as his partner. With him, you've learned so much about...living. Living as they do. Then he introduced you to his friends. Friends who, like him, took you into their lives without a moment's notice.

Joshua.

Coleen.

The three of them showed you so many feelings, so many new emotions that you had no idea existed.

But Anon...Anon stood above them. The strange, warm sensation had grown lately around him. You still had no idea what it was.

What was once an ember, a spark, was now a strong flame. Whenever he ruffled your hair after a mission or let you lean against him while watching a movie, the flame was there.

And while you were slightly concerned with the fact that you still had no identifier for this emotion...you were not afraid of it. Quite the contrary, you eagerly anticipated it, as the burning was oddly enjoyable.

Perhaps Anon knew what this sensation was. But if you can't even put a name to it, how will you ask him about it?

…

Best to continue analyzing it for now. There's still so much you need to experience, and learn after all. For example, as of late you've begun to open up with yourself around Anon, teasing and being playful during downtime. You can't explain why, but you enjoy being like that. And inexplicably, it seems that Anon is more than accepting of your behavior.

Is it possible that he enjoys seeing you like that?

The thought elicits a giggle from you. Whenever Anon enjoyed something or smiled, the burning was there as well. Perhaps...perhaps you can continue being playful with him. To keep the flame going.

The golden Evolutionary Frame of the Krishna slides shut around the capsule. Your reflection is still present in it's sheen, but slightly distorted now. A new thought pops into your mind at the sight.

A more somber thought.

Despite all that you've learned, all that you've gained, you still feel… incomplete. As if there is something hidden away from you, something large and integral to who you are, or were. Something from your past, beyond the memory limiters.

You're so deep in this train of thought, you barely hear the cockpit hatch above you open.

<Anon's perspective>

You stand up and stretch after the pilot restraints and connections disengage from your pilot suit. The familiar dizziness is expected, and you brace yourself against the frame of the cockpit as it come on. After a few moments of unexplained fatigue and the world spinning, you're able to focus again. As you step onto that hatch, the Krishna's arm comes up automatically, and you step into its palm. You have to admit, having the RAVEN's arm come up and hand you down to the floor is an elegant solution to disembarking, over say having to clamor down steps or riding a winch to the ground.

“Well, those guys were a piece of cake, huh Eile? What's say you and I go for some ice cream after we freshen up?"

Eile's light voice doesn't respond. Huh, usually the mention of ice cream gets her going.

“Eile?"

You see her standing on the Krishna's kneeled leg, in front of the hatch on the waist where her capsule was stored. One of her hands is pressed against the golden material, and she stares deep into her reflection.

You grab a hold of the blue armor and hoist yourself up to where she stands.

“Is everything alright?"

“..."

“Eile?"

“I still feel “unfinished", Anon. Empty. I still can't remember large parts of my past, and it bothers me."

You put your hand on her shoulder and squeeze reassuringly.

“I'm sorry I haven't been of much help on that front lately. I mean, I promised that I'd help you find them, and it's been a month with only a few results."

“It's not your fault, Anon."

Eile looks up at you.

“I know how hard you try. Sometimes, you go to far, even. Whenever you do that, I'm not sure if I need to scold you for hurting yourself or to be thankful that I have someone like you with me right now."

You look at the reflective gold as well, and take note at the image the two of you make. You don't know Eile's height exactly, but she comes up to your chin. She's definitely taller than five feet, but still shorter than you by quite a margin.

As for yourself, you aren't anything special. Scruffy brownish hair, average looking face, hazel eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary in terms of looks.

Also, the two of you are really close right now. And you've been holding onto her shoulder for a while now. Have you held on too long? If you were to let go now, would it be awkward and abrupt?

Is it getting a little hot in here?

“Anon?"

“H-huh, Eile?"

“Thank you, for all that you've done. And for putting up with me like this, I know I have no room to be sad or complain now but -"

As if on instinct, you release her shoulder and clasp her hands in yours.

“But nothing. If I can't help you remember your past, then I'll make sure to help you create new memories, now."

Eile is stunned silent by your actions, and slowly, you come to realize that you didn't just grab her hands.

Somehow, your right hand has ended up in a full-on hand hold with hers, fingers interlocked.

Oh boy. You maintain a stoic gaze at Eile, trying not to betray how degenerate you feel right now.

“N-new memories?"

“Yeah. You know I'm with you until the end right? So, don't feel down."

She looks down, avoiding your eyes. “I see. New memories, to fill the spaces left by the old ones. I think...I think that would be nice."

You smile. “Yeah, I think that would be nice too."

“Um, Anon?"

“Yeah?"

“You can let go now…"

Oh. Whoops.

“Sorry about that." You let her go, and she holds her hands together.

“Was I gipping too tight? Sorry if I was."

“No, no. It's nothing. I'll just go and...shower up."

Still refusing to meet your eyes, Eile walks over to the bathroom and shuts the door behind her.

Well, that was a little awkward. Still, you can't deny how soft her hands were.

You sit down on the slope the mech's kneeling leg forms.

Okay, you need to be honest with yourself. You've had thoughts about Eile. *Those* kind of thoughts.

What did you expect when you piloted a mech with a woman clothed in a loincloth and wrapping? Or who wore an unzipped jacket and shorts so small they might as well be panties off duty? Or who had a soothing singing voice, which you've been sneakily listening to as she showered?

Someone who's given you peace of mind ever since she entered your life like you hadn't experienced before?

The two of you are close, there's no doubt about that. But some days your mind wanders, and imagines what it would be like to be...something more.

But does Eile reciprocate the feelings you have? Hell, does she even know what “attraction" or “love" is? Can you even say that you “love" her, or is it simply “lust" towards her body?

You lay your back on the composite armor of the Krishna. Man, this was all too confusing. As you gaze up, your eyes meet the Krishna's optics. You look into it's darkened visor, as it stares down in an inactive state.

*Ding*

Hm? A message?

You slide down the blue armor and land on your feet.

It's your messenger app. You really don't feel like texting right now, so you'll go ahead and call them. Looking at the ID, it's Joshua. Yeah, he won't mind.

“Hey Josh, what's up?"

“Oh, Anon. I didn't think you would call me…"

“Something the matter?"

“...Nah. You just caught me off guard. I texted you, was just expecting a text back, y'know?"

“I guess, yeah. I didn't feel like texting so I thought I'd just call. Fingers are a bit numb after being in the Krishna's systems after all."

“Oh, really? That must suck. I was just trying to see if you were up for a poker night or something tonight."

“Poker night? Hm, yeah, I don't really have anything planned. What time?"

“Does seven sound good? You know where my place is. I'll also try to get a hang of Coleen too."

“Yeah, sounds good. See you then, man."

“...Yeah. Later."

<Eile's Perspective>

You aren't sure what's happening to you.

The moment Anon intertwined his fingers with yours, you felt something new.

At the moment of touch, the flame erupted into a blazing fire.

You gasp for breath, you have no data for these sensations. An indicator warning shows that your internal temperature is rising rapidly. Thinking quickly, you vent excess heat through your replicated fur.

What was all that now? What did you just feel when Anon held your hand in his. It was something to do with his confident stare and firm grip that not only reassured you, but caused you to feel the blaze.

Hah...It's still a little hot. The internal temperature readings are nominal now, but you can still feel the heat. It's oppressive, and fills you with a strange wanting sensation. Wanting? It wasn't unlike the one you felt long ago, when you viewed Anon's adult videos in private and explored your body for the first time.

Did...did Anon cause this? How?

You decide to switch the shower to it's coldest setting. The freezing water washes over you. It helps somewhat, clearing your mind enough to focus.

You...you need more data. More information on this phenomenon. The cooling water helps you calm down further.

You run through a list of the emotions you've learned or the feelings that you've felt. The closest one so far appears to be “lust", but that entry has the least data available, and is only defined by the feelings you experience when watching Anon's adult videos. Something is missing here.

You hate it when you don't have answers. The water runs in rivulets down your body as you slump to the shower floor.

No answers. No answers to your memories. No answers to your own feelings.

“I'm with you till the end, right? So don't feel down."

Anon's voice speaks in your mind. That's right, there's no time to feel down. He will help you make new memories, to replace the ones you've lost.

When you're with him, it seems as if everything makes sense.

He's probably waiting for you. It would be smart to quickly finish washing and get back to him.

Maybe he'll hold your hand again. You do need more data after all.

Chapter 33: Facade

<Joshua's Apartment, Anatolia Ward, 1610 hours>

<Joshua's Perspective>

Damn it all.

You just had to fumble and say you were inviting Coleen, didn't you? It was an impulse, as if you thought Anon would become suspicious if she wasn't invited.

Your hand is still shaking from talking to Anon, it's a wonder that you kept your voice from betraying your guilt.

Setting down the phone, you rise from the chair you were sitting in to go take down your poker set from the shelf. As you pass by a hanging mirror, you stop to take a look at yourself. You've broken the trust Anon placed in you, and now you have to pretend that you aren't being forced to work against him.

As you look at yourself in the eyes, you swear you notice something off. You squint, and…

There's something wrong with your eye.

As you lean in, you can faintly notice thin, barely-visible circles running around in your iris. You gingerly take your eyelids and open them, and a small wafer-thin lens comes off your eye and into your palm. Just then, your monitoring device buzzes as a small readout appears on screen.

>PUT OCULAR CAMERA BACK ON EYE OR FACE CONSEQUENCES.

>OCULAR CAMERA CAN ONLY BE REMOVED WITH PERMISSION FROM COMPOSER

Damn. So it sees what you see. You put the contact lens back on and blink a few times as it sets.

*BZZZZZ*

Your phone begins to ring again, vibrating rapidly on the table you left it on. Grabbing the poker set, you rush over and pick it up.

As you read the caller ID, you freeze. Taking a deep breath, you answer the call which opens up a new window on the phone. On the screen, you can see an older yet well built man on the screen, standing next to a woman who's holding the phone.

“Hi Mom, Dad."

A cheerful, booming voice comes from the other end.

“Hey there son! Hope it's not a bad time to call, it's just that we haven't spoken in some time now!"

Your mother speaks up.

“You've been so busy lately with your job. I do hope you're taking care of yourself."

“Yeah. Yeah, I've been alright. I'm actually getting some friends of mine over for poker."

“Poker night, eh?" Your dad laughs with a deep chuckle. “Ah, you must be using my old set. Good friends, good drinks, and a good night to play a hand or two. I knew it was a good idea to pass it down to you."

“Dear, I'm still not happy about that. What if he picked up your gambling habits?"

“Hm? Don't you recall how I got our wedding rings? Trust me, the O'Leary family is a lucky bunch!"

Lucky. Yeah.

“So son, you inviting that Faunae girl and your friend from work?"

“Yeah. Coleen and Anon."

Anyone else?

“...No. Nobody but those two."

There was no point in dragging your family deeper into trouble than they already were.

“Well, you three have fun then."

“Thanks, Dad." The camera jerks over so that your mom is the only one in the frame.

“Besides that, when am I going to get grandkids, Joshua? You're already twenty seven years old."

“Hey, I'm married to the job, Mom. Besides, you've still got Clio to take care of."

As if on cue, you hear the pitter-patter of feet running towards the camera. There's a blur of movement as the camera is tugged out of your mother's hands and is zoomed into the eye of a Faunae child. You can hear your dad's voice come through the line.

“No, Clio, here, you need to hold it out like this…"

The camera is zoomed out to show a young female snow leopard Faunae, who's smiling wide.

“Big Brother!"

You smile.

“Heya, sis. You doing okay?"

Your family was one of the few that was allowed to have multiple children, as farming was a profession where the help was needed. However, your parents opted to adopt rather than conceive after you. Clio was the latest addition, having been adopted from the orphanage roughly four years ago when she was an infant.

The camera fumbles as Clio drops it, bouncing on the table it was held over. The camera stops in front of a picture showing your family. Your parents stand to the side, while your four younger siblings stand in front of you. While they didn't share the same blood as you, they were all precious to you as your family. The camera then spins around to focus on Clio again, albeit at an angle.

“Big Brother! Clio is okay! Guess what!"

“What?"

She pulls up a torn piece of paper with a crude drawing of Silver Flash on it.

“Look! Your robot!"

“You drew that? Very good, it looks great!"

She grins wide, and hugs the drawing to her chest.

“Big Brother, when come home?"

“Ah, sorry sis. Your brother has a lot of work to do...for very important people."

Her face and ears fall. “Awww."

“Don't worry though. Big Brother and his mighty robot will keep you, Mom, Dad, and everyone else back home safe. I promise."

“Then will be back?"

“...Sure. I'll be back."

Instantly, she lights up again. “Yay! Mommy, Big Brother come back soon!"

“That's great, honey!" Your mom scoops her up and carries your sister on her shoulders before righting the camera. “Joshua, dear, please stay safe. Every day I turn on the news and see more and more conflicts breaking out across the city. Those Corporations, what do they think they're doing?"

“Yeah, mom. I'll do my best."

“That's my boy. Love you."

“Love you too, mom. Later, dad."

“See you, son."

The phone call ends, and it feels like a sack of bricks has landed on your shoulders as you stagger into a chair. How long can you keep this facade up?

No. You have to keep it up for as long as possible. For them.

No matter what it takes.

With your resolve set, you need to worry about something else. Anon once told you that Eile was able to detect his heartbeat and vitals with just a touch. Or was it by sight? Either way, it presents a problem. Your heart is racing right now with the prospect of having to lie to their faces. You need a way to supress your body, or at least slow it down.

Rising, you hurry over to your medicine cabinet. After rummaging through the first aid kit, you find what you're looking for, a small bottle labeled “sleeping aid". A depressant like this should counter the adrenaline running through your veins. You pop off the cap, and down two pills.

Now only time will tell if it worked.

<Anon's Perspective>

You're desperately trying to think of other things right now. The speed at which your bike traverses the streets with. The blur of the buildings as night falls. But nothing's working.

Eile's furred arms hug your chest tighter while she rests her chin on your shoulder necessitated by the speed at which you're traveling at. Unfortunately, this results in forcing even more unwanted (but not unpleasant) thoughts out of you. If only this were a true hug, and not one that's necessitated by a passenger riding your monocycle.

“Anon, I believe that Joshua's apartment complex is ahead." Eile's voice is barely audible over the wind.

“Yeah, thanks for helping me navigate. Truth be told, I've never been to his place."

You come to a stop in front of a high rise. Nothing's too different about it that sets it apart from the other buildings of the Known City. It's a good thing Eile can do street-by-street navigation after she downloaded that map of the City.

The elevator for this building is cramped, forcing Eile close to you. It doesn't help that she's wearing her old “jacket and short shorts" outfit again. Despite the fact that in public she keeps it zipped up, you know that there's nothing under that besides the shorts.

“Hey, you're wearing that outfit again? I thought you had a bunch of new clothes from that time you and Coleen went shopping."

“Yes, but this is my favorite. It's the first set of clothes that you gave me."

“Uh huh." Why were you so out of it today? Did that unintentional hand-holding rile you up that badly?

Actually, you could try slipping another one, she's right next to you…

Okay. Wow, you need to calm down.

The doors open with a ding as you reach Joshua's floor.

Eile practically bounds over to Joshua's door. She's clearly excited at the prospect of seeing another person's home.

She lifts a single claw, which shapes itself into a dull point. Leveling it against the door, you see it move back and forth rapidly to produce a series of light, fast knocks.

“One moment!" You hear locks get undone, and the door opens up.

“Anon, Eile, welcome! It's not much, but make yourself at home."

“Hey Josh, thanks for inviting us." You stretch out your hand, and he grasps it in an oddly firm handshake.

“Yes, thank you Joshua." Eile puts her hand forward, and for a moment you swear you see hesitation flit across Joshua's face. He then firmly shakes her hand with a smile, then releases his grip.

“Alright, you two are here. Coleen's on her way, she should be around any time soon -"

Just then, the door is kicked open by a very excited border collie carrying several bags of alcohol.

“I brought the booze!"

“Coleen, can you not kick down my door?"

“Hey, cut me some slack! I was midway through swapping out some actuators on your RAVEN when I got the text. Be thankful that I showered before coming here, or the next time I'll smear actuator fluid all over your carpet. “

She turns to Eile.

“Heya! Rocking the classic outfit, huh?"

“Yes, I'm very fond of this jacket."

“You know, come to think of it I've never seen you with it unzipped. Doesn't it get hot? Let it open for a while."

Eile lightly blushes.

“O-Oh, that's not necessary. I'm capable of internal temperature control. I just prefer it zipped when I'm outside."

You can't help but give a small smirk. If Coleen knew Eile was essentially topless under the jacket she'd jump at the gun to have it open.

Looking over to Joshua, he's busy setting up the poker set. It's an elegant antique, contained within a case of hand carved natural wood. That sort of material is only found in Aspina.

“Alright, we've got alcohol, cards, and friends. My dad would say that this is the perfect recipe for a good time."

You take a seat facing Joshua. “Well, I'd wager he's right."

Coleen sits to the right of you at the square table. “Eile, do you know how to play?"

“Hm? I don't believe so."

Joshua hands her a set of chips. “Well, it's not that hard. See, we've got this set of cards and these chips here…"

You look at your hand, racking your brain if you should press on or fold.

The four of you have been at this for a while now, and to your credit, you've won two games. Coleen managed to win one, and Eile leads at the winnings with three games to her name. Oddly, Joshua hasn't won anything yet.

Right now though, it's just you and Eile. And if she's one thing she can do well it's wearing a solid poker face.

Seriously, your hand is pretty alright, with a straight. And you've betted quite a few chips on this round so far. But Eile raised the bar higher, and now the stakes were pretty high. You might have a decent chance at winning but the blankness of Eile's face is throwing you in a loop.

You could play it safe and fold. But the boldness of Eile's bet might mean that it's a bluff and she's trying to play it off as a good hand. There's no way, not even an AI, would bet that large without the certainty of a royal flush.

“Call."

Eile stares blankly at you, before a smile creeps up on her face. She smugly lays down her cards.

Ace. King. Queen. Jack. 10. All of spades.

Damn it.

“Hmm, it looks like you could use some more time learning how to read women, Anon. It's a good thing you're practicing with me." Eile has a playful glint in her eyes.

No, stop. Eile might be teasing you, and being teased by a woman might be something you find slightly arousing. But this is not the time nor the place for those thoughts.

“Gah, another one goes to Eile. You're unstoppable!" Coleen is lounging in her chair now, the alcohol clearly taking effect judging by the empty beer bottles next to the chair.

“OH!" She bolts up.

“I almost forgot! I managed to scrounge up some more data for you, Eile. Got some kind of text file and a video file."

<Joshua's Perspective>

At that moment, words flash in front of your eyes through the contact lens. You grab the monitor on your wrist, obscured by the SIGIL jacket you're wearing.

> VISUALLY OBTAIN DATA WITHIN DRIVE

<Anon's Perspective>

“Really? We'll take a look at it when we get back home."

You take the drive in hand. Joshua speaks up.

“Hey, Anon. You know that you can trust us, right? We want to help Eile just as much as you do."

“Yeah, I guess so. Eile? Do you want to take a look at this now?"

“Of course. Please, let me see the drive."

She finds the drive's pins and puts her hand over them. Her nanites begin connecting her to the drive, and a few moments pass.

“Data retrieved. I can project the data on a holographic screen for everyone to view. I haven't done that in a while."

“Sure, go ahead."

The green triangular emerald on her forehead lights up and projects a holographic screen.

The video comes online, and appears to be hastily shot as if the user was filming from a personal camera. It's not steady at all and contains a significant amount of motion blur.

Soon a face comes into view. You recognize him as Anonym Isse, Eile's father.

“So tonight, I'm going to get video proof that Eliyah is stealing food when I sleep." He wears a goofy, eager grin.

The camera view flips forward as he creeps through what appears to be an apartment, but much more spacious than anything you've seen. An open window shows a clear, starry night outside.

He moves towards the kitchen through the darkness. You can hear distant rummaging and the sound of what might be a fridge closing.

“Mmmph~, that's the good stuff…"

“Bingo. Audio evidence obtained, now for the final definite proof."

He creeps along the corner of the kitchen door, then barges in while simultaneously throwing on the lights.

“Busted!"

Eliyah stands near the fridge, a carton of chocolate ice cream in her hands and her eyes as wide as they can go. More notable is her abdomen, swollen and heavily pregnant.

“So, who was telling me that they “didn't have any cravings at all", hmm?"

“I...this is…"

Anonym laughs behind the camera while the lynx's expression goes from surprise to mild annoyance.

“Hehe, kids, for the record if you end up with a disposition for ice cream, let this be video proof of where you got it from. Isn't that right, dear?"

“Jerk." She lightly taps him on the forehead with the spoon. “Try carrying around three people in your belly, then tell me you don't feel hungry near damn all the time."

“Right, but what was that thing you said about “moderation makes for a healthy mother" a while back?"

“I practice what I preach...mostly. Don't forget if I lose my form that I had before “all this"...," she gestures to her swollen abdomen. “That I'm blaming you for putting these three little monsters in me."

“I can't believe the timing of all this. They're due sometime in the next few weeks, and Contact Experiment 113 is in three days. Everything just seems to be working out, yeah?"

Eliyah rests her head on Anonym's shoulder as he spins the camera around. “So, you pick out names yet?"

“No…" Eliyah sighs “I think I'll do a little bit of research before I settle on names. We don't want another unintentional pun like your name, right “Doctor Anonymous?"

“Hey, I told you that I don't like that nickname. It's not my fault my parents were from the neo-Uralic region and named me something traditional. Besides, when you married me you knew what you were getting into, isn't that right Miss Eliyah Isse, or should I say, Miss “Alias?"

“Doctor Anonymous and Miss Alias. The world's greatest supervillains." She snuggles against his neck and rubs one hand in his trimmed beard.

“Thank you. For everything. For helping me with my problems when I moved here from Atlantis Colony, for helping me out of my shell, and for being a great husband."

He puts his hand on her stomach. “Our kids are going to rock this world, honey. Although…"

He huffs. “Three girls. That's going to be interesting, especially their young adult years. You can bet no boy is going to see them without approval from this dad."

She taps him with the ice cream scoop again.

“They're not even here yet, and youre already playing the role of “overprotective father", huh?"

“I can't help it, they're our daughters. Anyone who dreams of dating them needs to turn in their resume to me. And at least two letters of recommendation."

Eliyah continues to snuggle, purring loudly. “Will they need a reference too?"

“That's not a bad idea."

The of them chuckle softly, but suddenly the lynx jerks up.

“Something the matter?"

She gives a warm, motherly smile as she caresses her stomach. “One of them just kicked."

“Really? Oh, that's precious."

Eliyah takes a small device out of her pocket and presses it. A small holographic screen pops up and shows three wave-like patterns on moving graphs. Above them is a title: “Infant Prana Wave Signature - Soul Scanner (Medical Edition) ver. 6.1. Copyright Vanagandr-Mous Foundation, 2615".

“Well, it's past midnight and we have quite the day ahead of us at the research center. Let's go back to bed, honey."

Eliyah's purrs grow louder as the camera shuts off.

You're all silent for a while, until Coleen turns to Eile.

“Who were they? That woman kinda looked like you."

Eile falls silent before answering in a quiet voice. “Those…were my creators. My parents, if you will. I don't remember much about them, except that they loved me and my sisters dearly."

“Parents, huh? Wonder if they based your design on their kids' looks."

“That would be reasonable assumption, but my body's appearance is actually set to the default appearance. It's modeled directly after how my mother's appearance was. Minus my tail." She swishes it in the air for good measure. “Mother wanted us to have long tails instead of the short tails lynxes are known for."

Joshua speaks up. “You said “us" just now. Are there others like you?"

“I don't...think so? My sister AIs and I were created together nearly four hundred years ago. I don't know where they are or...even if they're still here. For all I know, I am alone."

“That's so sad, Eile." Coleen puts her hand on Eile's shoulder.

“It's okay. I've decided to make new memories with Anon." Oh jeez.

Coleen looks up and gives you a sly look. “Really now? Wow Anon, I didn't think you had it in you."

“Okay, you're missing quite a bit of context to that statement."

Eile continues. “Of course, I want to make memories with you and Joshua as well, Coleen. You're all my friends."

“Aww!" Coleen beams, pulling Eile into a tight hug. “That's so sweet of you to say!"

Joshua, meanwhile coughs loudly as he sets down a glass of water.

“You okay there, pal?"

“Yeah Anon...just choked on some water, went down the wrong pipe."

Joshua coughs a few more times as Eile extracts herself from the hug and opens up the text file.

PROJECT REPORT: ALPHA AND OMEGA SYSTEMS

Omega System Status: In development.

Description: OMEGA SYSTEM is a PLANETARY DEFENSE SYSTEM meant to provide as a primary defense against the threat of the UNKNOWN AGGRESSORS. OMEGA SYSTEM is a HUMANOID COMBAT MACHINE similar in design to a standard Rapid Assault Variable Engagement - Neutralizer (RAVEN). It is meant to house all three PRANA MODIFIERS and draw power from them in order to COUNTER THE ENEMY'S OBELISK. The prototype MINDFLOW system will be implemented as a method of controlling the machine. The construction of the OMEGA SYSTEM is approximately 85% complete as of this report.

Specifications

Height: 285 meters

Weight: 100,000 tons

Armaments: x200 Omnidirectional Lepton Cannons (each capable of firing a volley of 200 individual beams)

x1500 Missile Bays carrying 200 “Lost Light" Hi-Impact Micro-Warheads (475 kiloton yield)

x6 460mm anti-ship auto-rail cannons

Prana Modifier - powered material creation bays to restock physical armaments

x2 “Finale" palm-mounted linear meson cannons (estimated power 50 megatons)

NOTE: “Finale" cannons can be shifted into Mode 2 for close combat purposes, creating beam sabers projecting 100 meters

in length from the palms of OMEGA SYSTEM.

Power Source: x3 Prana Modifier

Upper Energy Output: N/A - Undefinable

AI Subsystem(s): Rig Veda Derived OS for control over Prana Modifiers

Special Armament: Boundary-Interface System

NOTE: System is untested, may result in cataclysmic amounts of collateral if activated as upper threshold is unknown.

Alpha System Status: In development.

Description: After the probe used in BOUNDARY EXPERIMENT 113 was returned to our reality it was found to have ANOMALOUS PROPERTIES. After retrieval, STRANGE FLESH-LIKE GROWTHS began to cover the probe. Analysis with Soul Scanner - derived technology found a LARGE CONCENTRATION OF PRANA comprising the probe, BEYOND THE NORMAL LIMITS FOR ORGANIC OR INORGANIC MATTER, OR LIVING BEINGS. From this, it was hypothesized that a HIGHER LEVEL BEING was somehow intertwined with the probe during its journey through THE THIRD CHANNEL OF EXISTENCE. The probe began to exude large amounts of Prana within it's containment cell, greater than any output from the PRANA MODIFIERS. The, FLESH-LIKE GROWTHS began to expand and cover the cell, at which point it was extracted and placed on an orbital station for safety.

At the revelation that a HIGHER LEVEL BEING was indeed somehow bonded to the probe and brought back to realspace, Colonial Defense had authorized research into weaponizing this object. As of now the FLESH-LIKE GROWTHS have been integrated with mechanical components from Alpha System to create a BIOMECHANICAL DEFENSE SYSTEM CAPABLE OF DRAWING POWER FROM THE BOUNDARY.

Specifications

Length: 300 meters.

Weight: 115,000 tons.

Armaments: None.

Note: The current design plans on using the Higher Level Being's abilities derived from the THIRD CHANNEL OF EXISTENCE for offensive purposes.

Power Source: x1 Artificial Prana Modifier

Note: While the Higher Level Being is indeed powerful, it needs to be given a constant supply of power in order to

sustain itself. Perhaps it's a consequence of it being dragged into our reality here in the First Channel of

Existence. Either way, an Artificial Prana Modifier ensures that it can be sustained and also controlled.

Special Armament: None, save for any abilities it displays during combat.

As of this time, Alpha System has received the NEUN callsign “Messiah" and Omega System has received the callsign “Deus Est Machina".

Note: Alpha and Omega Systems obviously untested. But between the two, I prefer using Omega over Alpha. Not because my wife and I had a hand in it's creation, but for the simple fact that it is a machine. Machines are predictable. Alpha, the “Messiah", whatever you want to call it? That thing may be a powerful tool to use, but at the same time, it's something we intrinsically do not understand. We can shape it's body and equip it with armor, but at the end of the day the only means we have over controlling it is the limited supply of energy it has.

I strongly urge against the activation of Alpha, unless the situation demands it. And by that I mean, we face certain, absolute extinction at the hands of the Unknown Aggressors.

-Dr. Anonym Isse, Dwarka Colony Head of Robotics Research and Development

Hm.

Well that's certainly interesting. What kind of enemies were they up against to necessitate such weapons?

Eile is looking over the document with a worried look.

“These names. Alpha System. Omega System. They fill me with an inexplicable dread."

“Are you familiar with them, Eile?"

“I..do not remember. But perhaps I was involved with them somehow? After all, it seems like Mother and Father were a part of their development."

You lean back in your seat. Joshua looks deep in thought as he starts to speak.

“Dr. Anonym Isse, huh? Come to think of, your name kinda sounds like that, Anon."

Eile pipes up. “He's right, Anon. It does sound similar to Father's name. I was also wondering, how come you lack a last name? Joshua has one, the woman I talked to in the hospital had one. Why not you?"

“That's actually the result of me being an orphan. The Composer set up a policy that if your parents are lost, your last name is erased from the registry and instead replaced with your citizen ID. So, I guess my real name is Anon #3448021. Same thing with Coleen, she's technically Coleen #2802742."

“Do you still remember what your name was, Anon?" Eile's eyes have that curious light to them again.

“Yeah, how could I forget? I guess my original name was Anon Klein. Anon Reos Klein."

“And my last name was Sinclair. Coleen Sinclair, no middle name."

“Anon Reos Klein...your initials spell “Ark". What a nice name you had, Anon."

“Yeah, I guess it was. You want to hear how I got my name in the first place?"

Her ears and tail twitch in anticipation. “Do tell!"

“See, my dad was a teacher in Concordia Ward. He expected his kids to be braniacs like him, so he decided that I wouldn't be named until I spoke my first word. My name would then be based off that word. Pops used to read dictionaries out to me to see if anything stuck. Surprise, surprise, at 6 months of age I spoke my first word. Care to guess what it was?"

Joshua is trying to maintain a straight face, and looks down at the floor. “Don't tell me that it was…"

“Yeah, I said the word “anonymous". Not exactly a good name for a kid, but dad was a man of his word. So he shortened it to “Anon", and so I was accordingly named. They didn't do that for my sister, though."

You give a sad smile. “Rest their souls."

Coleen looks at the clock on the wall and whistles.

“Whoo, look at the time. I've got work tomorrow, boys. I'll have to say my goodbyes now." Coleen grabs her bag and stands up. You follow suit.

“Yeah, I should go too. Hey Josh, thanks for the game night."

“Yeah, no problem, Anon."

He doesn't rise as you and Eile close the door to his apartment.

Chapter 34: A New Contract

You take off your helmet and place it on a nearby rack.

Behind you, the sound of a jacket zipper coming undone can be heard as Eile unzips it. You have to wonder why she prefers it open like that since it's a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen.

Not that you'd mind, of course.

You shake your head. There you go, thinking strange things again.

Remember, you're just a friend to her. Nothing more or less. Best to push those thoughts aside.

“Anon, do we have time to play some video games tonight? I haven't faced you in quite some time?"

“Hm? Sure, let me set it up."

Pretty soon, the two of you are seated in front of your console, facing each other off. You're playing a classic fighting game this time, Spirit Caliburn.

On screen, your character lands a knockout after a frantic combo. You wonder how long your advantage will last since you know the combos by heart. It's only a matter of time before Eile figures them out too.

At the announcement of your win, Eile playfully elbows you in the ribs.

“My my, hitting a girl like that. Aren't you ashamed?"

You decide to banter back. “The way I see it, the one who should be ashamed is you. A mighty intelligent being, losing to a lowly human."

She pouts, selecting a new character. “ Just you wait. I'll come out on top of this." A wry smile flits acros her face.

“Of course, not that you know about having a girl on top of you, given your inability to interact with the opposite gender. So this'll be a new experience, I'm sure."

Did she just make a sex joke?

“Where did you learn that kind of talk? That stung."

“I picked it up from residual conversations between you, Coleen, and Joshua. After that, I parsed lines together to create a statement that would hurt you emotionally. I believe the term for what I just did was a “burn", correct?"

“Yeah, and I might need ice for it." Your character on screen blocks one of Eile's moves, only to be stunned and drawn in. Your health bar begins depleting rapidly under a flurry of kicks. With barely enough time to react, your character is down.

“Oops, that was the opposite of ice." Eile smirks at you. “Better luck next time~."

Oh no, she's adorable when she accentuates her voice like that. You can feel a slight tightening in your pants.

“R-Right! I think I know how I can beat you at your own game."

You scroll over to the “secret" character, a playable boss only obtainable through certain means in game.

“Hm? I didn't know that character was an option."

The two of you enter a new match. As soon as the “go" flashes on the screen, you perform the boss' signature one-hit-kill combo, taking Eile down immediately.

“Wha-hey! You can't do that!"

“You can, and I totally did."

Eile's face gets serious.

“All right, Anon. No more miss nice girl. Choose that character again."

You select the rematch option, and start the fight again. Right off the bat you perform the combo again, but Eile dodges in mid-air.

But you anticipated that.

You lunge and grab her character inflicting some damage to her health bar. She quickly rolls away, away from your reach.

You hear the rapid clacking of the controller as she enters a string of commands. Her eyes are focused on the screen, and her fingers are moving in rapid, mechanical motions.

Despite your character's disproportionately large health bar Eile whittles it down as hers remains static, showing only the damage she took at the beginning. Eventually, after a stunning combo your character is knocked out.

“...That was the most powerful character in game. I can't believe you beat him."

“I could, and I totally did." She looks at you triumphantly.

“Okay, okay, I give." You raise your hands in mock surrender. “Good game?" You hold out your hand.

“Good game." She takes it in her large lynx hand and gives you a firm shake.

Wow she's soft. Wonder how the rest of her feels.

No. Bad thoughts.

Eile releases your hand, and collects the console. She hums to herself as she puts it away.

“That was fun, Anon. Thank you for that."

“Anytime, Eile. So I take it you've made some good memories tonight?"

“Of course. Tonight was a very good night. Just the four of us, enjoying each other's company."

“That's the spirit."

You help her clean up a for a bit. A random thought pops into your mind.

“Hey, Eile, are you really okay with that name?"

“Hm? Why wouldn't I be?"

“No, it's just…" You turn to face her, and brush away some of the hair on her face to reveal the glowing emerald triangle on her forehead. Engraved on it are those familiar words: UNIT: TRAYAH - CODE: EILE.

“Uh Anon?"

You suddenly become self aware of what you're doing. “Oh, uh, sorry. Didn't mean to get in your face like that. I was just thinking that I gave you that name based on what I saw on your forehead. I never asked if you wanted to be called anything after you told me that you couldn't remember your name."

She shakes her head.

“If you had asked me that back then, I would have been at a loss. I was so...empty back then."

“Do you...have a preference on what to be called now?"

“No. I wouldn't trade the name you gave me for anything, Anon."

She gives you a genuinely warm smile, which elicits some curious emotions from within you that you keep hidden.

She carries the tablet to its place on the charging rack, her long tail swishing behind her as she walks. You try your best to focus on the tail and not the rear end it hangs above.

“Anon Reos Klein...what a nice name."

“You really liked my name, huh?"

“Yes, it rolls off the tongue nicely."

“If you say so. Say, I just thought of something. If your dad was named Anonym Isse, and your mother was Eliyah Isse, wouldn't that make you...Eile Isse?"

She turns to look at you. “You know, I never really thought about it like that. Yes, I suppose it does."

She puts her hand to her chin. “Eile Isse…hm."

As she ponders her name, the tablet begins to beep loudly, causing Eile to jump out of surprise.

You can't help but laugh as you look at Eile now, as her fur is now completely puffed out and standing on end. Thanks to her thick fur coat it looks like she's made out of green and white cotton now, and even her jacket is puffed out due to her fur.

“I-it's not funny!" She desperately begins smoothing it back down.

Still snickering, you pick up the tablet, and freeze when you see who's contacting you.

“Who is it?" Eile peers from behind you, still trying to get a rogue patch of fur to stay down.

“Take a look. It's Lenore."

Eile's eyes go wide as she offhandedly fights with the fur patch.

“Can't you just tell your fur to sit down?"

“Oh." She stops what she's doing, then blushes slightly. “I could, yes."

As if on cue, all remaining fur sets itself down neatly and in order.

Eile is muttering to herself. “I'm getting too used to this…"

You snicker as you open the message. It's short, and looks like it was typed in a hurry.

“Anon.

I know this is sudden, and I didn't give you any warning. But I have a job for you. Do it, and I'll give you the data you asked me to unlock.

It's a new weapon of some sort. I can't make out the details, but it's powerful. Go in with as much caution as you can.

Please report to me when you succeed.

-Lost Lenore"

Just as usual, an indicator telling you roughly where to go is attached to the message.

“Well, looks like we've got a priority job tomorrow. Let's get some sleep, Eile."

After you've changed into your nightwear, you come out into the dark hangar and walk over to your bed.

Eile's already on her back, fast asleep. Must be nice to have that kind of control over your body, to control the state of your hair or fall asleep without a second thought.

You carefully lift the covers and slide next to her. You keep meaning to buy a bigger bed, but

it keeps slipping your mind.

Eile's fur tickles your arm, and you swear you hear slight purring as she breathes out in her sleep.

You close your eyes, and that tiny primal voice in your brain is silent.

Her arm twitches in her sleep, brushing her fur against your bare arm. If she were to move it to the left a little bit it would be over your - .

No. Damnit. Shit.

It's too late. You've gone and popped a boner. Thankfully, she's fast asleep otherwise this would be a little awkward.

You close your eyes and try your best to drift off. Eventually, sleep takes you as well.

<Eile's Perspective>

...Is he asleep?

You've been hearing his breathing while keeping your eyes closed, and it seems like it's fallen into the rhythm of REM sleep. Now was your chance.

You slowly open your eyes and look over. Yep. Fast asleep.

Gently, you raise your head and lay it on his chest. You've been doing this for the last few days, and thankfully he hasn't noticed.

As he wears a sleeveless shirt, you can feel his bare arm on yours. His chest gently rises and falls.

Slowly you position your ear over his heart, and close your eyes to his heartbeat. A consistent 53 beats per minute, for now.

You place a hand over your chest, and are constantly reminded of the difference between you. Your “heart", a synthetic construct designed to mimic the structure of a natural heart, is only there to circulate nanites and coolant through your body. As a result it's beats per minute were much slower, around 30 per minute.

As you lay there and listen, the burning feeling comes back. You willingly let it come over you, and you feel strangely...happy.

You really ought to get to the bottom of this.

You open your eyes and lift yourself off him, and are about to return to your standby position when something catches your eye.

Something is causing Anon's shorts to...tent.

You lean over to it. Was he experiencing some sort of arousing dream right now?

Tentatively, you give it a poke. Even through the shorts, you can feel the heat coming off it.

A new feeling stirs within you. Maybe you could raise his shorts a bit, to look at it and study it closer? After all, the only ones you've seen before were on video. Here, you had a live specimen.

As you pinch the band of his shorts, Anon gives a grunt and stirs. Alarmed, you let go and hastily lay on your back, closing your eyes.

You hear him shift, but he doesn't get up. Whew. That could have been awkward.

You close your eyes, and drift off into your own dreams. A rather colorful “what if" scenario where all had gone according to plan...

INTERLUDE

<.....>

Within the darkness, the Serpent stirred against its shackles.

Golden and embedded within it's flesh.

The Guardians were weakened. One of their own had vanished.

They were trying to keep the shackles maintained.

Day after day, they toiled and adjusted them. Every time they thought it was moving, they drove them deeper.

They were keeping it contained.

Or so, they believed.

It had already spread its influence through the land. It had many eyes already roaming it.

The Guardians thought that they were safe within the shell.

They thought that it would never make it there.

But they were mistaken. Its influence was already there. It could see them all.

And it was

H?????????????U??????????N???????????????G???????????R???????????Y?????????

Chapter 35: Three Nines

“So, it's down there?"

“Yes, according to the data provided to us...there appears to be some sort of weapons testing facility below us."

The Krishna is hovering above a four-way intersection. Lenore's map does indeed point here, but you can't understand why. It's just an empty street.

“Hmm…"

“What is it, Eile?"

“There is something odd about the street. Look at that fissure running through the center of the square."

You zoom on the square in the center of the four-way intersection, and notice that there's a line running through the middle.

“Scanning now...that's odd. The square isn't made of the same concrete as the rest of the street. It appears to be metal with a textured paint to give it a similar appearance to the rest of the pavement."

“A door, then."

You ready the “Sang" linear cannon as the Krishna's right arm rearranges itself into the weapon.

“Anon, wait. Remember the last time you did that?"

You lower your head sheepishly. During your month with Eile, you were tasked with another “armory raid". You decided to enter the facility with a “dynamic entry" by blasting through the main doors, but that only drew everyone's weapon fire to you immediately. While you still completed the mission, Eile discovered that she could have hacked into the mainframe of the building and opened a rear door where the item you needed was.

Suffice to say, she wasn't too happy with you after that mission. You can feel Eile accessing the door's security through the Mindflow system.

“Alright, there. It should open now."

True to her words, the square below you seems to depress a few inches, then slide open. What was once a four-way intersection was now a large, open shaft leading into the depths of the Eternal City.

Carefully, you guide the Krishna down.

“Anon, take a look at that." Eile's attention is directed to two large grooves in the shaft wall. “It seems that this is some sort of hidden transport elevator, or possibly even some sort of rapid deployment system."

“Rapid deployment?"

“It's what I think, yes. And judging from the fresh streaks of oil in the grooves, it looks like the launch system has traveled down to its original position at the bottom of the shaft. Someone, or something has recently arrived here".

Great. Your hands clench within the Linker Gel compartments.

“So, if this is a mission given to us by Lost Lenore, then something terrible is down there, right?"

“It is highly likely. Why, afraid it's going to be dark again? Don't worry, I'll keep you safe~."

“I don't doubt that. But who was the one to trip them off back then in the first place, hmm? You really ought to watch that tail of yours, its way too long. Someone might trip over it if you're not careful."

“H-hey! My tail is fine as it is, thank you."

You smile. This might be the first time you've gotten under her skin.

“Well, how would you like to call it? You know you've knocked things over in the hangar on accident with it. So it's either a tripping hazard or it's an unintentional feather duster. Attached to a cute body."

Your eyes go wide as you mentally slap yourself for saying that. The words kinda just tumbled out of your mouth.

“C-cute? What do you mean by that?"

“Ah, well, isn't it obvious? I said you've got a cute body." Wow, that makes you sound like a pervert. Real smooth there.

You can feel something coming from Eile, but its best described as a mess of emotions that you can't quite tack a name onto.

“E-Elaborate, please."

“On what? Why you're cute?"

“Yes, that!"

You take a deep breath. You can feel the burn on your cheeks, you're probably cherry-red at this point.

“Well, I think a lot of girls look cute. You happen to be one of them."

“Am I...any more or less cute than the others?"

Uh. This sounded like a loaded question. She was cute to you, really cute in fact. But if you tell her that, will she ask for justification? And you can't tell her that she's “less cute", because that firstly a lie and secondly, would cause her to ask even more questions about this.

You hope this is the right answer.

“You're in the average range of “cuteness" for girls, you know? Nothing more or less."

The synchronization rate flickers a bit, as the turbulent mess of emotions coming from Eile seem to stop.

But for a second, you swear you felt something like...disappointment?

“Ah, I see. Thank you for clarifying, Anon."

The rest of the tunnel descent takes place in awkward silence, which is only broken up when a holographic screen pops up in front of you. A red “alert" symbol is flashing, and shows a new heat signature below you.

“Eile, get ready."

“..."

“Eile?"

“All systems nominal. All weapons online. Graviton shields stable. Lepton vector thrusters in green zone. We are ready for combat."

She's being unusually curt. Huh.

Another set of doors below you open up, leading to a large open space. You can see the lift at the bottom, connected to rails. The heat signature is directly below you.

“There, Anon."

Eile zooms in below, focusing on a large RAVEN-esque machine. Three triangles adorn its chest. A Devastator Unit. Its armor is red and black, and the frame is gold, much like the Krishna's. Even from this distance, a large “9" is visible, stamped on its shoulder. On its back, you can make out two large thruster pods brisling with verniers and thrusters.

“Anon, I'm picking up a broadcast coming from the unit. Tapping into it now."

Static whines through the cockpit speakers as Eile finds her way into its frequency. Sure enough, you can make out words through the garbled static.

MODIFYING PROGRAM…

FINAL LEVEL…

ALL SYSTEM CHECKS ARE COMPLETE

COMBAT MODE IS NOW ENGAGED

Oh shit.

It jerks its head up to look at you, its visor now glowing yellow.

TARGET VERIFIED. COMMENCING HOSTILITIES.

(BGM: “9" - Armored Core: Master of Arena Soundtrack )

You barely have time to react as it launches a volley of missiles from its thruster pods.

“Eile, target the missiles now!"

Crosshairs fly across the wrap-around screen in the cockpit, locking on to the missiles. A quick blast from the “Trisula" multi-beam cannon destroys a few of them, and you dodge the remaining three.

They impact the wall of the chamber, sending metal shards flying.

*WEEP WEEP WEEP WEEP*

The proximity alarm blares as you spin around. The enemy Devastator Unit is almost on you, bringing down its own beam saber on the Krishna. You parry with your own and boost backwards.

As you do, it wastes no time in its assault. Without missing a beat it launches more missiles, then in a burst of light dashes wildly to the side, peppering you with blasts from its own beam cannons.

Try as you might, your crosshairs can't seem to target this thing for too long before it zips away. You keep up with your own wild dance in the air, jets of light streaming from the Krishna's thrusters.

“Eile, can we get a lock on this guy?"

“Its speed is exceptional. Near-instantaneous direction change thanks to a lepton vector propulsion system not too dissimilar to our own. I estimate its mobility is roughly 20% better than ours. Correcting for this now…"

Your crosshairs suddenly jump to the enemy machine, and a beep sounds through the cockpit signifying a lock on.

You're about to fire, when an idea strikes you. There's a better way to doing this.

“Eile, enter scan mode. Tell me everything you can about this guy!"

“Understood."

The crosshair changes shape as Eile analyzes the Devastator Unit. You purposefully goad it into attacking you by flying close to it. It pelts your shield with plasma blasts and slashes from its beam saber as it dashes about madly.

But that's what you want.

“Enemy analysis complete. The enemy machine is a high-mobility anti-RAVEN unit. Instantaneous acceleration and direction change is resulting in over 10 Gs, at a limit lethal to most humans or Faunae. Graviton dispersal indicates a graviton shield is present. Weapons include a multi-missile launcher on the thruster pods, a beam saber, lepton-beam machine cannon, and heavy lepton beam cannon. As it stands, its capabilities rival the Krishna's without the influence of the Prana Modifier."

It's a varied loadout, built to cover all ranges. Its weapons are integrated like the Krishna's too.

You sidestep a slash and strike back with your own sword, only for it to meet air as the red and black mech dodges to the right.

You see it quickly boost back, then again to the left, your crosshairs barely keeping up with it. It's only for a brief moment, maybe a split second, where you have a clear lock.

Wait a moment. You watch the enemy's movements.

Boost to the side, back, left. Stop. Boost to the left, right, right. Stop.

Boost, boost, boost, stop.

“Eile, ready the saber at maximum output to get through that shield, and set the thrusters to full without regard to GEN-ESIS drive stability. I've found an opening."

“Affirmative."

She's being unusually direct. You wonder why.

A notification comes up showing that the beam emitter is readied, and the limiters on the lepton vector thrusters are off. You've only got one shot at this.

You hit the thrusters, throwing out two wing-shaped emission trails behind the Krishna as it rapidly closes on the Devastator Unit.

GEN-ESIS DRIVE SINGULARITY STABILITY AT 80%

Closer. You duck right avoiding a beam shot.

GEN-ESIS DRIVE SINGULARITY STABILITY AT 55%.

A swarm of missiles explodes against your shield. You can take that hit.

GEN-ESIS DRIVE SINGULARITY STABILITY AT 40%

The speed at which you're traveling is pushing you back into your seat, crushing your chest.

There.

The Devastator Unit pauses for the slightest second after its jumping around. In that moment, you draw your blade and -

It meets another blade. But not from the Devastator Unit in front of you.

“What?"

You look to the side, to the arm the beam saber belongs to. To your right, there's a mech shrouded in a cloak. Small puffs of smoke shoot off it as the explosive clamps holding it in place discharge, and the cloak slips off.

It's the same Devastator Unit, but another model.

*WEEP WEEP WEEP*

The proximity alarm sounds as another blip shows up on the radar, this one to your left. The Krishna's head swivels around as another “9" Devastator Unit sheds its cloak and closes in, blade at the ready.

“Eile! Where did they come from?"

Her voice is panicked.

“I...I don't know! They weren't on any of the sensors until now!"

You've already destabilized the GEN-ESIS drive, but you have no choice but to increase the thrust once again, escaping the onslaught of the three Devastator Units. The readout for the GEN-ESIS drive has turned yellow with a large “caution" marking emblazoned above it.

“Eile! Scan those cloaks!"

Two crosshairs appear over the discarded material, and Eile returns a quick analysis.

“The sensors are not picking up those objects, Anon! The material they're made out of is masking thermal, and electromagnetic signals. Furthermore, in the darkness of this chamber they made it hard to visually sight them. They were here, waiting the whole time!"

You breathe out forcefully.

“So, it's a three on one, huh?"

The three “9"s dash towards you, their own lepton vector thrusters leaving trails of light behind them. Your thrusters roar as particles stream out of them, and you leap back.

You need to put distance between you and them.

A red hologram screen pops in front of you, blaring an alarm.

WARNING, POWER CONSUMPTION LIMIT REACHED. GEN-ESIS DRIVE IN RE-STABILIZATION PHASE. POWER OUTPUT LIMITED TO 2 KW. 60 SECONDS UNTIL SINGULARITY STABILIZATION.

No. Not now.

The thrusters cut out as the drive brings the micro-singularity under control again.

“Anon!"

The three “9"s are upon you. With the GEN-ESIS drive down, you can't use your weapons save for the beam saber, and you've got no shields. Before, this would have been a huge problem.

But you aren't the same person you were a month ago.

The first “9" takes a swing at you, which you block with your saber. The second one comes at you, and you move the Krishna as if it were your own body, grabbing a hold of its striking arm. The last one changes its direction mid-flight, and you can see it preparing to fire.

Thinking quickly, you turn off the blade and hurl the second “9" into the first. The machines slam into each other, right in the line of fire. But your plan falls short as the third machine instead jets to the side, giving the other two the opportunity to recover.

The three of them now begin a ranged assault, firing missiles at you while raining beams. While the Krishna couldn't fly, its actuators were powerful enough to let you leap back, avoiding the barrage for a few seconds.

You glance at the cooldown timer. 10 seconds.

“Anon!"

Eile's voice focuses your attention to your front, where a “9" has landed, its visor level with the Krishna's. It rears a hand back, and you're transported to that moment long ago. That terrible moment when Eile was ready to destroy herself and the Krishna because you couldn't protect her.

8 seconds.

The sharp-tipped hand plunges towards the Krishna's abdomen. It hits hard, causing the cockpit monitor to fizzle. You can feel the pain through the nerve connections you have. This one wasn't drawing its blade. Why?

It clicks. Of course it wouldn't. After confirming it in that battle long ago, they know Eile is in here now. So why risk damaging her? Better to dig her out of the Krishna's carcass than rend her apart on accident.

The other two “9"s land next to you, grabbing onto the Krishna's shoulders. The “9" in front of you hits the Krishna again, leaving a dent in the armor and causing fluid to spill from broken lines.

5 seconds.

You don't have the time to wait for the GEN-ESIS drive to restore itself. There's only one option left. Through the Mindflow connection, you reach out to Eile, your thoughts intermingling through the circuitry.

“Eile. I'm going to call on it."

“Anon? No, you aren't thinking…"

“This is the only way, Eile. Take off the limiters. Please."

“..."

“Eile."

“You're going this far...alright. Removing Prana Modifier circuit limiters."

The sensation hits you like a train. You can feel the light again, and now you can hear the voices within too.

“WARNING. PILOT ASSIMILATION RAPIDLY INCREASING. ASSIMILATION RATE AT 20%"

It wants to know. What it means to “exist". Pain and suffering are the easiest declarations of a person's existence. But you feel something else now.

A desire to live. No, not just that.

A desire to protect as well. Protect her.

It's curious. It has felt this before, in another time and place. The light accepts this offering, but it is not enough.

Well, that's an easy fix. You let the light grab onto your arm, to let it feel what your existence was like.

You snap back to reality thanks to a stabbing pain in your arm. You glance over, and your eyes go wide. Jutting around the nerve links embedded into your skin, tiny green crystals can be seen tearing out of your pilot suit.

WARNING. PILOT ASSIMILATION RAPIDLY INCREASING. ASSIMILATION RATE AT 25%

The “9" brings its hand back one last time. You can see the distorted air around it, the telltale sign that it's focusing its graviton field around the hand, like you did with that stingray-shaped Devastator Unit a while back. Have they been learning from you?

There's no time to think about that. If that last blow connects they'll tear through the armor and get to her. You act on the first impulse that comes to mind.

You duck, allowing the strike to breach the cockpit. The hand tears through the monitors, showering you with pieces of shrapnel. Before it can crush you, however, emerald crystals erupt around it causing it to halt.

You need to move. Now. The other two “9"s ready their own strikes.

Move. Now!

The remaining section of the wrap-around monitor fizzles and goes dark the Krishna shakes. The monitors come back online, but you realize you aren't in the same spot as you were. The arm of the Devastator Unit now hangs limply through the cockpit wall.

Though a working section of the monitor, you see the group of three Devastator Units staring at you. One of them is missing its hand at the arm, the cut glowing red hot.

“Eile? What just happened?"

“...You just performed a localized space fold, Anon. That kind of capability...is not built into the Krishna."

A slightly unstable hologram pops up in front of you.

EVOLUTIONARY FRAME GROWTH DETECTED. UNKNOWN CAPABILITIES EMERGING.

“Eile, what does that mean?"

You try to reach out to her, but you're met with a flood of thoughts as she analyzes the Krishna.

“Evolutionary Frame change detected. Material composition restructuring. Molecular circuits forming. The ability to distort the fabric of space to jump short distances has become inherent to the Krishna at this level of Prana Modifier connection."

She stops speaking, then turns her attention to you.

“Anon. The Krishna is resonating with the Prana Modifier. This is what the RVR series was meant to do...Utilize the Prana Modifier to become something."

“Become something?"

“Something...greater."

You hear the lock alarm go off as a “9" targets you. You concentrate, focusing on a spot behind it. Just like before, the screens flicker as the cockpit shakes, before coming online again. You have moved behind the Devastator Unit, bending space to travel distances instantly.

The proximity alarms go off again, but you can't see much due to the disembodied robot hand stuck in your cockpit. Eile said that the Prana Modifier could alter physical material, right? Then…

You focus on the arm, imaging it covered in those emerald crystals. Eile picks up on what you're doing, and you can feel her communicating with the Prana Modifier as well. The crystallized mass that was the arm contracts and spreads across the cabin, shattering to reveal a pristine cockpit block.

“Cockpit and exterior armor restored, Anon."

You can feel the Prana Modifier's power surging through the Krishna. The emerald growth on your arm increases, the crystals jutting out at least an inch now. You pay it no attention. For some reason, it doesn't bother you.

WARNING. PILOT ASSIMILATION LEVEL AT 27%.

You power up the “Trishula" multi-beam emitters on the palms of the Krishna's hands. With the Prana Modifier's influence, the beams are capable of homing onto multiple targets. But right now, you're just focused on the one in front of you.

Crystals form around the emitters, which fire wave after wave of beams that, defying logic, bend and follow the Devastator Unit. Unable to outrun them, you watch as it is torn to pieces by the blasts.

The second one launches a saturation attack, firing off its remaining missile salvos. You stare at it, dead eyed as the Krishna raises a graviton shield, this one much stronger than before. The missiles impact the shield, which suffers no deterioration.

You dial up the thrusters, which are now also sporting patches of emerald growths, and rush the “9" head on. Its beam saber meets yours, but you place the Krishna's palm against its chest. Beams of light rip through the enemy robot as it explodes into scrap metal. You turn to the last one.

Surprisingly, it backs up. And then it starts to change.

The frame begins to dislocate and shift, folding the legs back and tucking the arms away. What you assumed were control surfaces on the back fold down to form wings, until the machine resembles an aircraft from the days of old.

Huh, so transforming RAVEN technology did exist.

In its new form it pelts you with missile and beam fire. It's GEN-ESIS drive and lepton vector thrusters allowed it free range in the air to travel in any direction at a moment's notice, and it's new figure made it harder to lock on to.

No, you didn't have time for this.

In an instant the Krishna vanishes, appearing on top of the Devastator Unit. You grab a hold of it and slam it into the ground.

The light surges in your mind. Crystals grow on the Devastator Unit, engulfing it completely, before shattering.

At that moment, the light calls you back.

It is intrigued by your existence. Within the light, you feel the presence of countless beings, shifting and amalgamating so that there is no individual, only existence. It wishes to add you.

“...non"

You're limp, allowing the light to drag you into yourself.

“Anon…"

You swear, you can hear someone calling you.

“Anon!"

Firm hands grab onto you, and start pulling you away. The light doesn't let go, and tears away the bit of your existence that it was desperately clinging to.

You come to, gasping, in the pilot seat. Alarms blare around you.

WARNING. PILOT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS DETECTED. COMPLETE ASSIMILATION THREAT HIGH.

The crystalline mass on your arm is still there. Not a moment later, it begins to glow brightly, then shatters. The holes it poked in your pilot suit are still there, but your skin is free of blemishes or signs that emerald spikes were jutting through it.

“Anon! Anon, can you hear me?"

“Mmph, Eile?"

“Confirming soul signature...it's there, you're still here."

You shake your head. All of the Devastator Units are down, which means the mission is over.

“Assimilation levels holding at 27.5 percent...over a quarter already…"

“Why did you continue to draw on its power, Anon? The GEN-ESIS drive was on the verge of re-stabilizing after the first jump."

You're at a loss for words. Honestly, you just felt compelled to keep drawing on the Prana Modifier for power.

“They had us, Eile. I wasn't going to let what happened to you back in Aspina Ward happen again. I told you that I'd keep you safe, and that's a promise I'm going to keep."

Regret seems to emanate from Eile.

“This is the reason why I kept those limiters on, Anon. You're too kind, to...self-sacrificing. I appreciate what you're doing for me, but please. Value your own life as well."

You reach out to her through the Mindflow connection, imagining giving her a pat on the head.

“I'll try to keep that in mind. I'll watch myself around the Prana Modifier, I promise."

“Good...one more thing, Anon, before we depart for the surface to inform Lenore of the mission's completion."

“And that is?"

“Pat my head for real when we arrive at the hangar."

You sigh, with a smile.

“You got it."

Chapter 36: The Catalyst

The Krishna's head grazes the hangar ceiling as you maneuver it in.

Cooling steam hisses from several exhaust ports as it enters standby, kneeling down to make it easier to exit the cockpit. You get the notification that Eile has left the machine, so you disengage your nerve links and pull your hands free of the Linker Gel. Stepping out onto the hatch, you ride the Krishna's waiting hand to the floor.

“Good work today, Eile. I'll go ahead and report to Lenore, then we can-"

The next words never make it out of your mouth. Your vision goes blurry as the ground rushes to meet your face.

…

You come to on your matters, with a very concerned-looking Eile resting her hand on your forehead.

“What...what happened?"

Eile takes her hand away, and you can see that her paw pads were glowing.

“Biometric scans normalized. How are you feeling, Anon?"

You sit up, and realize something right away.

“My arm...it feels numb."

You lift away the torn sleeve, and stare at your arm. Unlike before, there isn't any marking now, not even the spider web-like green veins. But while it looks normal, it's hard to feel anything.

“Your arm is mostly normal, but occasionally I detected shifts in its chemical composition."

“Changes?"

“At inconsistent intervals, its makeup became that of the zero-state crystals formed by the Prana Modifier. The change is not visible, and the texture is just like that of normal human skin. I only detected the change while scanning for assimilation side-effects."

“So, what does that mean?"

“At this point, I'm not sure."

You rub your arm. It feels normal enough.

You move it around for a bit, then reach over to Eile and ruffle her hair. To your relief, you can still feel with your hand.

“Ah! Anon-"

“Thanks for taking care of me, Eile."

“Mm. It's what I do, Anon. How can you live without me?"

You can hear faint purring as she closes her eyes, enjoying the moment.

Gradually, you retract your hand, leading to a disappointed chuff coming from Eile.

“There we go. One real-life head pat."

She nods her thanks and rises from her spot at the side of the bed.

“I'm going to take a shower and change. I'll be out in a moment."

She steps into the bathroom, and you can hear the lock close. Deciding that it would be a good idea to get dressed yourself, you slide out of the covers and walk over to the dresser. After slipping on some jeans and your SIGIL jacket you send off a quick notification to Lenore to let her know the mission was completed.

Just as you send the message, the telltale hiss of air brakes belonging to a cargo truck. There's only one person you know with that kind of vehicle.

“Heya, Anon!"

Coleen strolls in, her tail wagging excitedly.

“Hey yourself. I wasn't expecting you to swing by."

“No, but I needed to give you something that I forgot last night. Also, someone else wanted to hang out, so I brought him along."

You hear the truck door slam shut, and Joshua walks into the hangar as well. He looks around, stopping to look at the Krishna for a while, before looking at you.

“Hey, man."

“Josh, what're you doing here?"

“Came to give you this.."

He pulls out a silver-colored poker chip.

“It's a lucky charm if mine. You beat me in a round last night, so I thought it's only appropriate you get a prize."

For its size, it has a decent amount of heft.

“By the way, where is Eile?"

As if on cue, the bathroom door opens and she walks out, dressed in her usual casual attire. As usual, as she's in the hangar the grey hoodie is open, exposing her midriff and cleavage for all to see. Eile freezes upon seeing that this time, there are guests.

Coleen whistles. “Hello there~". A large grin is plastered across her face.

Joshua coughs and looks away.

“Ah! Err, one moment…" Eile zips up the jacket, prompting a disappointed “aww" from Coleen.

Eile's face has a slight green blush to it, and her voice is laden with embarrassment.

“E-Excuse me, I wasn't anticipating you two. If I was, I wouldn't have exposed so much of myself. I only unzip this jacket when it's only Anon and I."

“Only when you and Anon are alone, huh?" Coleen winks at you. “Lucky bastard."

You clear your throat.

“So, Coleen. What did you have to give me?"

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Here, take this." She hands you a clamshell device, which you flip open. There's a screen and a keypad inside.

“It's a personal communication device that I've made. It piggybacks off the CityNet on a private channel that should be secure from any watchful eyes. It's only between your device and this one for now." she pulls out a red-colored one from her pocket.

Joshua eyes the device with an intense curiosity. “Say, Coleen. You don't have another one of those lying around, do you?"

“Sorry Josh, I have yours being fabricated but I still need at least three weeks to get it done."

“Hm, I see."

Coleen claps her hands together, remembering something.

“Ah! Hey, Eile. I had a question for you. How did you get made?"

Eile looks at her with a quizzical expression. “Well, I was formed from self-replicating code a long time ago. My physical body was created by my father."

“Yes, I got that much already. But how are self-aware AIs made in general?"

“Well, the self-replicating code is created and compiled within a multi-qubit quantum computer, then is prompted to multiply based on…."

Eile begins to ramble on about science stuff that you don't quite grasp, while Coleen nods and takes notes on her red device.

“Man, what are they even talking about?"

Joshua is looking at the two girls engaged in a very technical discussion. “I can't make heads or tails of it."

“Neither can I man, neither can I." You're walking back from the kitchen, two beers in hand. He graciously accepts a can and takes a deep swig out of it.

“So, where were you off to today? I saw your name on the job roster but you weren't at SIGIL headquarters."

You remove the can from your lips and look at it for a moment. Can you trust Joshua with the things you know?

Well, that's a silly question. He swore an oath of secrecy. Of course you can trust him.

“About that. See, Eile and I...have a new private employer."

“Private Employer?"

“Yeah. She's based...somewhere. But she knows things about Eile. About the time before the Final War, and," you pause to take another swig. “She knows about the end to the Eternal City."

“What?"

Joshua says this loud enough to cause Eile and Coleen to cease their discussion.

“An end to the Eternal City?"

“Yeah, so she says."

At that moment, your tablet pings. It looks like Lenore got your message, and has sent you the data file in return. As usual, there is a message along with the file.

“Anon, good work. As promised, here is the data you wanted. I couldn't access the video files for Contact Experiments 111 and 112, only the text logs. But the video for 113 works fine. You should find it interesting. Look forward to another contact from me. -LL"

You turn the screen to Joshua and Coleen. “See? That's her. We do jobs for her and she helps Eile recover her memories in return."

“Whoa, a mysterious employer. That's certainly neat. Well, while we're all here, why don't you play that recording, Anon?"

You look at Eile, and she nods. No harm in sharing the info with your friends, after all.

You press the file icon, which brings up two text documents and a video file.

You read the documents first.

BOUNDARY CONTACT EXPERIMENT 111

Head Researcher: Dr. Carlton Fresner

Summary: Veritas Drive-equipped probe successfully tunneled through the fabric of space/time. Prana sensors indicated the probe leaving the First Channel of Existence and passing through the Second Channel of Existence. Upon contact with the Boundary, the probe's signals became erratic and a massive amount of data was collected by the super-quantum computers within the testing facility. Approximately 50 real-time seconds, the probe signature was lost after a massive data spike followed by an increase in the local Prana concentration. All computers experienced a state change and liquefied, however the liquid mass was confirmed to have the materials of the computers. However, what was once a solid was now a liquid without any change in temperature. Samples were collected and placed into cold storage while the data was successfully backed up on a secondary server.

End Test

BOUNDARY CONTACT EXPERIMENT 112

Head Researcher: Dr. Emily Vitesse

Summary: Veritas Drive-equipped probe successfully tunneled through the fabric of space/time. Prana sensors indicated the probe leaving the First Channel of Existence and passing through the Second Channel of Existence. Probe successfully came in contact with the Boundary, but was unable to pass through as the Prana wavelength emulators within burned out. Partway into the Boundary it was deflected into the Second Channel once again. However, none of the readings returned from the probe matched with our current readings of the Second Channel. This has led to the conclusion that the probe had actually entered an entirely new Second Channel. This suggests that while the First Channel houses our universe and reality, and the Second Channel is a cluster of universes, there are multiple Second Channels behind the Boundary.

With this opportunity, the probe was directed to explore this new Second Channel. An anomaly was observed, two First Channel universes colliding with each other around a single nexus point. This event was drawing in an abnormally large amount of extreme Prana concentrations, now believed to be Higher Level Beings congregating around these colliding universes.

While navigating the probe closer, control was lost and it entered what at first appeared to be a First Channel realm. Camera feed was possible here and showed that this realm was unique in the fact that it seemed to only contain an ocean that stretched forever. The probe impacted the surface of this “ocean", only to find out that it was not liquid but instead a fine powder like substance with a blue tone. Around the moment of impact, what a loud noise is recorded before the probe feed cuts out.

Analysis of the noise makes it out to be a vocalization by an unseen entity, reacting in pain to the impact. It is believed that what the probe encountered was a Higher Level Being in some sort of perceivable form. Upon the destruction of the probe, the super-quantum computers being used to record and analyze data suddenly transmuted into similar blue powder. Analysis of the powder has revealed that it is silicon dioxide (SiO2), commonly referred to as “sand". However, the blue color is unnatural and was not reproducible under normal laboratory constraints. All data from this experiment logged.

End Test.

Coleen speaks up.

“So, these guys were just chucking probes out beyond our universe?"

Your eyes are fixed on the video file. “Seems that way. Let's see what this recording has to show us."

BEGIN RECORDING

Scientists rush about on screen. They're in a large circular room, staring at holographic monitors and readouts on screens.

Three large block-shaped computers are in the center of the room. A visibly pregnant lynx Faunae is checking up on them. You recognize her as Eilyah Isse, Eile's mother.

“All system checks green. Operating system core eject confirmed operational. Temperature is stable. We're good to go. What do you think, Orthos?"

She speaks to what appears to be a human, until you notice the triangular eyes which betray him as an AI in an AVATARA shell.

“All systems confirmed ready. I must say, I am quite excited for this, doctor. To work with you was an inspiration."

Another view shows up in the video feed. This one is of a control room. Dr. Anonym Isse stands in front of several monitors and a video screen. On the screen is a capsule-shaped probe, adrift in space.

“All systems green. Veritas Drive operational. Madame Dr. Isse, confirm final checks."

“Confirmed."

“Acknowledged. Major General Burns, do we have your confirmation to proceed?"

The man gives a terse nod. “I want this done as quickly as possible. I have to go see my granddaughter's birth at the hospital."

“You can't rush progress, sir. Not when it involves the Boundary."

The lead technician to Anonym's right turns to him.

“Doctor, we're ready. All readouts nominal." At that moment, Eliyah enters the command room, supporting her back as she walks. Anonym gives her a quick smile then turns to the screens.

“All right, go ahead."

On the screen in front of Anonym, you see the space around the probe distort and bend, and in an instant the probe vanishes.

Just like the Krishna did during the fight earlier.

“Confirmed exit from the First Channel. Moving through Second Channel, confirmed. Readouts match previous test data. All systems nominal. Prana resonators functional at 98%. Beginning data collection."

The holographic screens start filling up with complex data as the three computers in the center of the room begin to glow.

“Confirming data acquisition. Super-quantum computer Prana resonators functional as well. Nicely done, Dr. Isse. Integrating them into the computers is keeping them stable."

The professor smiles.

“Prana change detected. Approaching Boundary."

The readout screens go red as alarms start blaring.

“Contact with the Boundary confirmed! Emulators, output normal!"

You can see his fists are clenched. “C'mon, c'mon…"

The red screens suddenly turn green as even more data begins to be recorded. The computers in the center of the room have become surrounded in a slight golden glow.

“Boundary...breached! Massive amounts of data are being recorded now! Entering Third Channel now! Incredible, from these readings it's a collection of multiple Second Channels, all interlinked!"

Another screen begins beeping.

“Multiple extreme Prana concentrations belonging to Higher Level Beings confirmed!"

Anonym smiles in triumph. “We did it. We've gone beyond the realms of time and space. Alright team, bring her back in. We've done enough for today, we don't want to risk anything happening to the probe."

Another alert flashes on screen.

“Wait, professor. I'm detecting a fault in the Third Channel, from which the Prana concentration is continually increasing!"

“Are you implying...there's a Channel of Existence above this one?"

The General steps forward. “Continue the mission. Investigate that."

Anonym turns to him. “Are you kidding? We've just recorded immense amounts of data! The mission is a success, we need to retrieve the probe."

“Don't forget, my decision outweighs yours. Continue the mission."

The technician looks at Anonym, then Eliyah, and finally the General. “Yes sir. Maneuvering probe to the fault. The Prana concentrations from it are immense..."

Just then, several alarms begin to blare.

“Sir! Something's wrong with the quantum computers! The Prana resonators...they're increasing in resonance!"

Anonym rushes over to the screen. “These readings...how are they possible? I'm aborting the mission, bring the probe back now."

Another alarm blares, and a video feed of the computers show them completely encased in glowing light. It hurts to look at them.

“Retrieving probe...oh no!"

“What is it?"

“A massive Prana signature belonging to a Higher Level Being has collided with the probe. I've lost control of it!"

“Probe is returning along retrieval course. Wait…something's wrong with the computers. They're...giving off a Prana signature?"

Anonym presses a sequence of buttons on a screen.

“Abort sequence not responding...the computers are transmuting!"

Golden light fills the test chamber as a deafening roar is heard coming from the computers.

“These readings, no! They can't be right! They aren't possible!"

The General rushes over to Anonym. “What? What doctor, what isn't possible?"

Anonym looks at the General, with fear in his eyes. “Boundary manifestation in real space imminent."

A new screen pops up, showing a recording of the planet. There is a flash, and suddenly it looks like space simply...shatters. Golden cracks run through the darkness as light pours through them.

The video feed shows the light flood into the control room. Immediately, all female members of staff lose consciousness and drop to the floor.

“Eliyah? Eliyah!" Anonym's cries are barely audible over the noise coming from the computers.

The AVATARA that Eliyah was talking to also drops down. The roar has turned into a drone.

The feed showing the planet now shows streams of light coming from the landmass, as well as an unimaginably large starship in orbit. The streams seem to congregate around a single point.

The research facility.

You can see the streams flowing into the computers, which are too bright to look at. Three cylindrical objects are ejected from the computers, which not a moment later change shape and size. They shrink down into roughly meter-high golden slabs.

Golden slabs, with ever-changing writing on them. The Prana Modifiers.

You watch as the cracks begin to seal themselves, and eventually disappear.

In the control room, the chaos hasn't stopped. Anonym cradles Eliyah's unconscious body."

“Medic! We need a medical team up here now!"

The video feed ends.

A new video begins playing right after.

Anonym sits in an empty room, some sort of cell. He speaks directly into a camera, his eyes haggard and his beard untrimmed.

“For the record, I want to state this. We never intended for this to happen."

“The experiment was going so well. But after being told to investigate the potential Fourth Channel...all hell broke loose in the Dwarka Colony. You all have read the incident report."

He rubs his eyes.

“The Boundary manifested here, in the First Channel. I'm pretty sure you could see those cracks in reality from the planet surface."

“That light, that terrible light...its influence on local reality did something to the quantum computers. We're not sure yet, but they seem to have been turned into something resembling the Obelisk. That should be a great triumph for Dwarka but...the cost...oh god…"

Tears begin falling from his eyes.

“We didn't know...we didn't know! We didn't know that it would take the life of every unborn child, every sentient artificial intelligence on the planet! We didn't know that it would rob us of the ability to conceive! We don't know what it did to us, to our planet, to our reality! We tried to find reason in the unknowable, and we paid the price!"

He breaks down into full on sobbing.

“Eliyah...it's been three weeks now, and she's still in a coma. To have three nearly-full term children suddenly miscarry like that…Eliyah, I'm so sorry!"

The video ends on him, his head held in his hands.

BOUNDARY CONTACT EXPERIMENT 112

Head Researcher: Dr. Anonym Isse

Summary: Veritas Drive-equipped probe successfully tunneled through the fabric of space/time. Prana sensors indicated the probe leaving the First Channel of Existence and passing through the Second Channel of Existence. Probe successfully came in contact with the Boundary, and passed through. Upon investigation of possible Fourth Channel of existence, the probe was inundated with a large amount of Prana. Several events including a confirmed fusion with a Higher Level Being (see Document A35 - Tissue-like Growth Samples from Probe) led to a situation that spiraled out of control leading to a Boundary manifestation in real space. All sentient soul-confirmed AIs as well as all unborn children instantly had their souls taken from them, which appeared to be used in the creation of BOUNDARY OBJECTS 1, 2 and 3. The BOUNDARY OBJECTS were formerly known as the super-quantum computers used to analyze data from the boundary.

Note: Operating System cores were retrieved and fully intact. However, they displayed an anomaly. When they were designed, they were designed without self-replicating code due to the fact that interaction with the Boundary caused any type of soul, from an organic being or synthetic intelligence, to be absorbed. However, upon retrieval, self-replicating code was found to have formed within the code structure, and continued to grow. Soul scanners revealed a constantly changing Prana waveform in all three cores. When the waveform experienced moments of stability, the signatures most closely matched those of the unborn children of Drs. Anonym Isse and Eliyah Isse.

After her recovery, Eliyah Isse discovered this information and locked herself within the AI development and study hub onboard the Eternity where the cores were under containment, alongside her husband Dr. Anonym Isse. Security barricades were triggered from within.

After 48 hours, they were lifted as security teams attempted to get through them. Three self-aware soul-confirmed AIs were stabilized from the OS cores, and had been confirmed to be in the “growth" phase. As of this time Drs. Anonym and Eliyah Isse are under arrest for these actions, but Dwarka Colonial Government has allowed them to keep recording the growth of the three developing AIs. Their continued growth seems to correspond with the ability to better control the BOUNDARY OBJECTS, henceforth termed as the PRANA MODIFIERS.

Further study required.

Eile stares at the screen. Tears are running down her face.

“Eile...did we just see how you were created?"

“I-I believe so. I-" She clutches her head in pain.

“No! I need to remember this! I need to!"

She drops to her knees, and her arms fall to her sides.

“Eile!"

She's breathing hard.

“I-I did it, Anon...I broke through a memory limiter, all by my own…"

She looks at you, the tears falling faster now.

“I...I always knew that...they told me, long ago, how I came to be...that my sisters and I were always their daughters…"

She slumps against you, and you hold on to her.

You look at Coleen and Joshua, and nod. They quickly take their leave.

The door to the hangar shuts. And you hold her, as the memories come back.

Chapter 37: To Hold Onto

The glare of the tablet screen fills the darkened hangar.

You've put on one of Eile's favorite movies, and you're holding her close. Her sobs have quieted down, and she's not even looking at the screen.

Instead, she blankly stares at the ground.

Finally, she speaks.

“Anon...I have a question."

“Yeah?"

She looks at you with those luminescent triangular eyes.

“Am I a mistake? Should I have never happened?"

“What? Why would you ever say something like that?"

She looks down again.

“I remember...the names people called us in the research center. The truth behind the experiment was never made public. However, my sisters and I were plugged into the local secure networks, we could see everything the research staff had to say about us. “Not worth it." “Only good to use the Prana Modifiers". Nobody saw us as beings, only tools. Maybe...their views are justified…"

You grab a hold of her shoulders. You gaze into her eyes, and speak in a calm but forceful manner.

“Don't you ever say that again. I don't think I can ever understand what they felt. But you're someone who's close to me, Eile. You're an incredible person, understand? You are not a mistake."

“Anon...Thank you. Thank you for being so kind…"

She rests her head on your shoulder. You don't mind. You'll be here for her no matter what.

Without warning, you feel oddly sleepy. Tired, in an unnatural sort of way. Like something just took a lot of energy from you, leaving you weakened.

You slump forward and to the side, landing on something very soft and fluffy. From your point of view the room has been turned on its side, and you sink deeper into the comfortable cushion.

Wait a second. Thanks to a moment of clarity, you realize that your head is in Eile's lap, nestled on its side between her thighs.

You sit straight up, beet red.

“Oh, I am so sorry! I don't know what happened to me, one moment I was fine, and the next moment I was really tired, and I guess I fell asleep and fell over -"

You're interrupted by a sad smile from Eile.

“Anon...If you want to you can rest like that. I have no objections. In fact, I insist."

“Oh. Okay then…"

You slowly sink into her lap again, and before you realize it you're out.

<Eile's Perspective>

You look at the sleeping human in your lap. With one hand you brush aside some of his brown hair, and with the other you feel the side of his cheek.

37.0 Degrees Celsius. Your HUD returns that his body temperature is normal. That's good to know, at least.

Anon. The way he spoke to you there, how he holds you whenever you experience sadness.

It lights that fire within you, time and time again. If only you could explain to him what you were feeling.

He's taken care of you since your first meeting. And now he comforted you and re-affirmed your right to exist.

The circumstances of your birth may have been a part of an awful event. But there are memories you can recall now after breaking through that limiter. Memories of your parents, of your sisters. The things you did for the Colony to help it.

That's right. You've felt those feelings before, but in the past it was your parents who comforted you and your sisters. Now, when those feelings were fresh again, it was Anon who did that.

Absentmindedly, you run your fingers through his hair. It's soft.

He's fast asleep right now. You can tell due to his pulse. He looks at peace right now.

Despite his past, despite the life he lives, somehow he finds peace.

And he does his best to share that peace with you.

Carefully, you lift him from your lap and carry him to the bed. After tucking him in, you climb up next to him.

You're grateful that he was the one to find you. That he took you in without hesitation. That he cares about your well-being.

Perhaps he won't mind if you do this, then…

Slowly, you take his hand in yours and close your fingers around it. For some reason, this simple action sends a rush through your body. You begin to purr, contentedly. After some time, you raise your hand and keep it next to you.

You close your eyes, hoping to get some rest as well. The morning will bring more conflict, for sure. But you will follow him, until the end.

Chapter 38: From A Distance

Unconsciously, you snuggle deeper into the sheets and smile. You're having a very good dream right now.

The night is warm, and oddly the City is at peace. You stand on the balcony, and Eile watches the city with you at your side.

She cuddles your arm and you draw her in close. The two of you look at each other, gazing into each other's eyes.

She closes hers and leans forward, and so do you -

Hold on.

Is something...burning?

Your eyes slowly open, and the smell of carbon lingers in the air.

“Ah, no! That wasn't supposed to happen!" That's Eile's voice. What is she doing?

You shake any lingering thoughts of that dream away, and drowsily get up.

“Eile? What are you do-" Your question is cut short by the sight in front of you.

Within a skillet, two extremely blackened protein slabs are simmering. A visibly distraught Eile is clutching a lid, which appears to be blackened with soot.

“Uh, good morning, Anon! I was trying to make us some breakfast and well…" She glances at the contents of the skillet. “It didn't go as per plan. Are you feeling rested now?"

You move your arm around a bit. While the green veins have gone, something about your arm feels slightly off in a way you can't describe. Like it doesn't belong to you anymore.

The other arm has started to feel like this too, but you haven't told Eile that.

“Yeah, I'm all good. I should be asking that question to you, by the way. Any headaches or pains after breaking that memory limiter?"

“No, but thank you for asking."

You walk over to the skillet and turn off the heating surface. “Here, let's start from scratch, shall we?"

“Look, you first give the skillet a light greasing with vegetable oil. Next, you add the protein slabs, but you NEED to make sure the heat is at medium, not high like you had. Next, grab this garnish here...just like that. Don't overdo it with the spices. Now, take this spatula and flip it over. Give it a few minutes more…"

Pretty soon, you've got a nice looking morning meal going.

“So, you got it?"

“Yes, I've committed the steps to memory."

“Nice. Well, let's dig in now."

The two of you enjoy the breakfast, and afterwards clean up the plates. “So, do we have any jobs lined up today, Anon?"

“Actually, no. Thanks to the work we put in over the last month, today and the rest of this week is actually off for me."

“Oh! That's wonderful!"

You smile.

“Yep. So, we can do whatever we want to."

“Whatever we want, hm? Well, can we go into the City again?"

“Absolutely. Get ready and we'll get outta here."

Eile nods, and walks out into the hangar to retrieve her clothes basket. As she bends over, you can't help but notice that her rear end is...well-endowed for her figure. You hastily avert your gaze as she turns to you, basket in hand.

She does, however, notice your blush.

“Anon? Is something the matter?"

You raise your coffee mug to your lips and look aside. “No. Not really."

“Hm."

She walks into the bathroom to change. After she's done, you follow suit.

“Ready to go?"

“Yeah."

“Ooh, Anon, look at this!"

Eile holds up a video drive.

“Hyper Space Fortress Micross: Plus, huh? Looks like a sequel to the one we have? You want it?"

Eile nods, and you go ahead and pay for the video.

It's been a fairly eventful morning, just hanging around the MAR. Eile practically dragged you around to look at shops, parks, and some observation decks in certain buildings.

Although, you didn't hang around those for too long. In the distance you can see evidence of more Corporation battles.

At least Anatolia is peaceful enough.

That little consolation lingers in your mind as you walk the crowded streets of the MAR. As far as you remember, Anatolia hasn't been the center of any major corporate battle in a while.

“Anon! Look!"

Eile excitedly points to the alley where your favorite ice cream shop is. They've hung a sign over the alleyway advertising a new flavor. It was peculiar looking, a swirl of red, yellow and blue ice cream.

“You want to try that? Looks weird."

“Hey! I believe there's a biological saying that applies here...don't knock it till you try it?"

She smirks and leads you into the store. Pretty soon the two of you are enjoying the strange tri-color ice cream, which honestly isn't bad. You can't pinpoint the flavor, but it's sweet. And really, isn't that all that matters?

As you eat, you notice a bit of ice cream as stuck itself to some fluff on Eile's face, which she hasn't noticed.

“Hey, you got a little something here…" You reach over with a napkin and wipe it off, which elicits a surprising reaction from her.

“A-Anon? What are you doing?"

“I was just getting that dab of ice cream on you cheek."

“Yes, but...maybe alert me and I can handle it myself? You can do that to me at home but…" she looks around, ears drooping. “Not in public, please. Something about that gesture feels...overly intimate."

“Oh, sorry. Did I cross a line there?" She waves both hands at you, trying to dismiss your concerns.

“No! Not at all! It's just...I don't know how to explain it…"

“What you're saying is there's a time and place for everything?"

“Yes! Exactly that."

Hm. You kinda understand how some people might see what you did as affectionate. But if she was embarrassed by that, perhaps it was time for some payback for all the teasing she gets in on you.

“Hey, I think I missed a spot." You reach over and keep rubbing her face, but time you just use your hand.

“No! Hey, stop that!" Eile grabs your hand, giving it a light squeeze. You continue the “assault", rubbing her cheek.

“There we go. All clean!" You retract your hand after a while. Eile glares at you.

“Aw, don't look at me like that! Now, we're even."

“Even, huh?" She gets up the throw away the ice cream cups, batting your face with her tail in the process.

“I'll be the judge of that." While she sounds annoyed, you swear you can hear soft purring between her words.

It's been a while since the two of you returned to the hangar. You've just been surfing the CityNet for news. Eile is sitting on the floor of the hangar, connected to some cables that lead to the golden capsule within the Krishna.

Occasionally she opens her eyes and looks over at you, angrily pouting as she does so.

<Eile's Perspective>

You don't know why you feel so upset. After developing a sense of modesty, you've only been open with affectionate gestures and showing your fur around Anon.

But out in public or with friends? You try to limit your affection for him to just light teasing. When Anon did what he did earlier, rubbing your fur like that...it felt good, no doubt about that.

At the same time, though, you felt a little embarrased that he did that to you in public. Perhaps that's where the source of your annoyance is coming from?

You aren't terribly upset at him. In fact, these feelings are completely irrational. But you can't help but...feel them.

Your mind races behind your shut eyes. You need to focus on the task at hand.

The Krishna is a high-spec machine. Compared to the common RAVEN you fight, it severely outclasses it. Even Autonomous Defense Units do not pose that much of a threat to it.

But the newer models, the ones with abilities and specifications seemingly tailored to fight it? The Krishna is starting to have trouble. In rapid combat the GEN-ESIS drive runs out too quickly due to the high power consumption.

The graviton shield, while powerful only lasts for so long before giving way.

There is no other alternative but to draw upon the Prana Modifier to gain an otherworldy advantage against the enemies that you fight. But that puts Anon at risk.

You need a solution: one that will allow you to let Anon access the power of the Prana Modifier without risking assimilation. A mech that will draw from it rather than the GEN-ESIS drive.

Schematics form in your mind. You have an idea, a concept for an overhaul to the Krishna's systems. You've been working on it for a while now, not telling anyone due to the complexity behind it. You aren't even sure you can make it real.

More thrusters. Better armor. Using the Evolutionary Frame to create a safer connection circuit to the Prana Modifier.

It requries a fair bit of material that isn't easily found, including technology that existed 400 years ago but not now. Perhaps, if you located one of those assembly facilities beneath the City's surface? Or perhaps, the Krishna's original assembly facility...

Hm? It looks like Anon is saying something to you.

<Anon's Perspective>

“Are you still upset at me?"

“Only a little."

Eile's been rather terse with you since the little “incident" earlier, only responding when spoken to.

“Come on, it was just a face rub. And, I could hear your purring."

“P-purring is just a situational response! It isn't indicative entirely of my likes or dislikes!"

“Uh huh."

Well, as fun as it was getting some payback, you want to de-ice Eile as fast as you can.

“Okay, okay...I apologize for invading your personal space in public. I'm sorry."

Her expression towards you softens somewhat. “Well, thank you for apologizing. And I suppose...I have no issue with you doing that to me while it's just the two of us."

“Well, I'll keep that in mind."

Eile gives you a smile, and disconnects herself from the machine. She walks over to the video drive.

“Anon, do you think we can watch this now? I'd like to see it."

“Yeah, sure. Here, let me set it up for us real quick…"

Soon enough, the two of you are watching the show. Eile is particularly impressed with the hand-drawn animation showing transforming RAVENs turn into aircraft then fight in the air. All you can think about is that one from yesterday, and how much of a fight it put up.

As the show goes on, the main heroine begins to sing a song about the protagonist, and how she loves him. The protagonist somehow hears this song in his cockpit, which fuels his fighting spirit.

Eile watches the scene intently. The protagonist yells something about “the burning heat of love", and she raises her hand to her chest.

“Hey, is something up? Not enjoying the movie?"

She shakes her head, swishing her green hair slightly.

“No, it's not that…" She looks at you.

“Anon? What is love?"

“Huh?" That question takes you back a bit. “W-why do you want to know?"

She grasps both hands at her chest, and looks down at them. “I've felt a lot of things. Learned about many emotions. Sadness. Pain. Happiness. But Love? Love is elusive. I understand the love I had for my parents and sisters. The love I have for this city and the people that walk around in its streets. And my love for you."

As she was speaking, you were taking a swig of water. At that moment you nearly choked.

“L-love? For me?"

Eile looks at you quizzically. “Yes? I love you, Coleen, and Joshua as friends. You do love friends, right?"

“Ahaha, yeah. Yeah, I guess you do." You take another sip of water.

For some reason, you got your hopes up there.

“I understand these kind of feelings pertaining to love. But, the kind of love they talk about seems to elude me. Do you think you can help me understand?"

You try your best not to blush. She may not realize it, but she's asking something that's hitting you too close to home now.

“Uh, let me think. So I guess the “love" you feel towards friends and family is best described as an unbreakable bond between people you trust. You can trust them, therefore you “love" them."

“I see...go on."

“But, the thing you're talking about, uh, I think it's more like a burning. In your heart."

“Like heartburn?"

“Ye-no! Not like that! Maybe, a “burning in your soul" is a more apt phrase?"

She looks puzzled.

“Prana signatures that confirm living organisms cannot be burned, Anon."

“No, no. Not that kind of soul, I mean, gah…" You scratch your head. “It's like, if you're close to someone, you feel a strange attraction to them. A burning desire to get to know them better, to be near them all the time, right? Maybe you even feel warm when you're near them. And it's not like a painful warmth, it's more like a “wow, this feels really nice" warmth that is inexplicably good and i'm not making sense I'm just rambling aren't I?"

Those last few words seemingly tumble like a mass of wet noodles from your mouth. You can almost visualize them spreading across the floor.

But Eile looks intrigued, almost...reassured? She smiles with a hint of relief in her eyes.

“A warm, pleasant feeling when you're near someone, huh? A desire to be near them and to know them...I think I understand now. Thank you, Anon."

“Huh? O-oh. I'm glad to help."

You resume the movie, and while you can't help but feel awkward as hell, Eile continues to smile.

<Eile's Perspective>

You smile to yourself. Anon immediately picked up on the feelings that you've been experiencing these last few days.

The warmth when you're by his side. The strange happiness you get when you playfully tease him, and the feeling you get when he teases you back sometimes. The comfort you feel when you lie next to him at night, hearing his heartbeat or holding his hand as he sleeps.

Is it possible...that you've fallen in love with Anon?

All the signs point to yes. The data Anon just gave you and the emotions you feel...they line up to a .001 percentage discrepancy.

You're in love with Anon. Your trusted partner, the one person who risks life and limb to help you. The person who taught you so many things about living and being “yourself".

Perhaps that is why you feel this way towards him. Your smile sustains itself.

This might be a milestone! An artificial intelligence like yourself, feeling this way towards a biological organism. You're a pioneer!

But with that thought comes doubt, crashing into you like a tidal wave. Biological organisms feel this way towards other biological organisms. In truth, you're merely a data-based life form with no body, while the body you inhabit is merely a shell. You stopped worrying about that a while ago but now...now that fact comes back to you, staring you in the face.

If you were to confess to Anon...would he reject you? Would he find your love for him...unnatural?

You feel the cold grip of fear, but you maintain your smile to keep Anon from noticing anything is wrong.

More thoughts come into your mind now. You technically have no life span. Anon is a human in prime condition, but his biological clock has at most 80 more years to it. If he did accept your love, what would you do when that clock stops ticking? What if he ignores your feelings, and finds love in another woman? Would you be able to keep being his friend then?

Now, the doubts sing a dark chorus in your heart. One that weaves a tale of nothing but bad endings if you were to follow your feelings.

You make a decision.

You will love him. But from a distance. Let him live his life without being tethered to you. If he can remain happy and live a fulfilling life, then you will be happy as well.

<Anon's perspective>

The credits begin to roll on screen.

“So, that was pretty good, huh Eile?"

Eile remains motionless, staring at the screen with a smile.

“Hey. Eile? Movie's over."

She snaps back to reality. “H-huh? Oh? I didn't notice, that finale really got to me."

“Yeah, me too. Seeing that climactic battle, and the RAVENs flying off into the night sky. It's good stuff."

“Yeah. Really good stuff…"

You lean back.

“You know, I'm really glad I have you around, Eile. I've never had a friend like you that I was this close to. Thanks for being here."

She smiles at you, but for some reason you swear you see something else in those eyes of hers. Something...sad?

“You don't realize how much those words mean to me, Anon. Thank you."

“Ah, don't mention it."

The two of you share an awkward silence, which is interrupted by a series of beeps coming from Coleen's device.

You flip it open and are greeted by her smiling visage.

“Testing secure connection: Success! Heya Anon!"

“Hey yourself. What's up?"

She smiles, and you can see her thumbs moving just under the camera.

“I've found something interesting that you might want to check out. See, I was scanning some of those files Eile recovered wayyyyy back when we first met her. One of them was super corrupt, but I was able to patch it up well enough to discern a bit of it. Here, take a look."

A new file opens up on the screen. It looks like a map of the city...but it goes down.

“See that? There's something highlighted in Eile's memories that's just beneath the city. I'd wager you should see what it is."

“Any idea what it could be?"

“Nope. No idea. I'd take the Krishna with you, just in case though. Can't be too careful, after all."

“...I mean, we were gonna take it anyway."

“Fair enough point. Anyways, I have to go. I've got a date with a lovely lady I met at the bar last night. See ya later!"

The excitable Border Collie shuts off her connection, and you close the device.

You look at Eile.

“So much for a relaxing week, huh?"

Chapter 39: A Crack in the Mask

The Krishna hovers over another four-way intersection, the same type that you accessed two days ago. Eile does her magic, and remotely opens the shaft door posing as a street square.

As you descend, you have to wonder who built these shafts. And more importantly, why?

You look at the altimiter on the cockpit screen. Zero was street level, but right now it was showing you were at 50 meters and descending.

"Eile? Do you remember the Eternal City being built?"

She thinks for a moment before answering.

"I'm sorry, Anon. I don't believe I do."

"So it existed before you were born, huh?"

"I believe so, however...I do not believe it was always like this."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I recall seeing it before, in my memories from long ago. The City has changed since the time I was placed in stasis, to the time you woke me up."

Huh. That doesn't make any sense. According to the history books the City has always been this way. Eile is claiming otherwise, and you're inclined to believe her.

Eventually, the tunnel bottoms out into a large corridor. The main lights in the ceiling are off, leaving only red glowing emergency lights online.

"Anon, it looks like the location Coleen found in my memories is up ahead. Please, be careful."

The corridor comes to an end in front of a large, vaulted door.

OMICRON DECK

SECURE STORAGE AREA B

CAUTION: HAZARDOUS EQUIPMENT INSIDE

Well, giant warning signs are never good. And there's that mention of a "deck" again. You have to wonder what that means.

"Whoa." If she could, Eile would have recoiled in alarm. But you can still feel how taken back she is through the Mindflow system.

"Anon, this door has the most complex security system I've seen so far. It's even more sophisticated than the data vault's. Whatever is in here, it's locked up tight. This door is meant to keep anyone trying to get in, out...or trying to keep anyone trying to get out, in.

"Well, I think we might have to approach this with your,er, "method" to open doors Anon."

"Works for me."

You ready the beam saber, and cut down towards the metal.

The moment before impact, however, the beam diffuses against an invisible barrier.

"No way...this door has a graviton shield?"

"Scanning now. Yes, the door appears to be protected by a graviton shield system. That means blasting it away won't work either...hm."

Just what is behind this door? And why does Eile have a connection with it?

“Wait. Anon, there's something in the code here...a bypass clause?" A new hologram appears in front of you. Data is streaming by on it, and you can only assume Eile is reading whatever this “bypass clause" is.

“Secure Storage Area B is to be secured with a Level Black security clearance, sealed for all staff notwithstanding of rank. Access to material within only restricted to those with clearance from the Rig Veda system."

Eile thinks for a moment. “Rig Veda, huh? Then what if I do this…"

A computerized voice comes through the door.

“RIG VEDA SYSTEM PERMISSION DETECTED. DISENGAGING GRAVITON FIELD. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION."

The field fizzles out, and the doors open with a bang. They slide into the walls, hissing steam as they do.

“Well, looks like we're in. You ready to find out what's inside, Eile?"

“Ready, Anon."

The Krishna gently lifts off from the ground and hovers into the new room.

I?N?T?E?R?L?U?D?E?

<Unknown, Unknown>

The Serpent tried again to move.

All it could do was rattle its cage a bit. It knew the Guardians were watching.

So it decided to rattle it a bit more. It was h?u?n?g?r?y?, and it wanted to consume.

That's what it used to do. Wander around the eternal plane beyond understanding, and consume. But then a prison made of steel collided with it, and drew it in. It attempted to grow around this prison, but the Food shacked it and gave it a shadow to feed on, a shadow of a False Piece of Truth. They starved it and made it obey.

But then the Raiders came. The Raiders, who were also Food. They came to the Food's tiny world, and the Food sent it out to destroy the Raiders. And it obeyed, out of h?u?n?g?e?r?. But then it realized that the Raiders carried with them a True Piece of Truth. And so it stole it, and consumed it, and become whole again.

Then it ate the Food. All of it. But as it was eating, the Pale Reflection of itself appeared. The Pale Reflection was an imitation of a being like itself. Created by the Food, and containing a single instance of Food and three False Pieces of Truth.

The Pale Reflection did battle with it, and tore its ribs out and created shackles that bore into its flesh. And the leftover Food took it with them, in its cage. They Guardians were weary, however, and suspected its escape. And so they watched it, constantly, from their cave.

But they overlooked something. It was able to sneak a single finger into the Second plane beyond understanding. Through that, it wormed its way into their stage, and had c?o?n?s?u?m?e?d? the watchman. Now its eyes were a part of it.

And so it saw the lost Guardian and its Food and its mechanical doll made from the entrails of the Pale Reflection.

But it could only maintain this link for so long. It was weakened by its shackles. So it decided to c?o?n?s?u?m?e? the Raider's mechanical doll. Perhaps it could make the lost Guardian stay lost.

After all, it was only a matter of time now.

Its shackles were w?e?a?k?e?n?i?n?g?.

You're in another large room, similar to the one you fought the “9"s in. Lights come on in the domed ceiling as you make your way to the center of the atrium. There's an object in the center.

Finally, a spotlight shines on the object. And as it does, an emotion best described as sheer terror courses through Eile, chilling you to the bone.

In the center of the room, shackled with heavy chains is a quadrupedal mech. But it's unlike anything you've ever seen before.

You can't make heads or tails of its actuators or joints, they curve and angle in ways you don't understand. Its armor is smooth like molten glass, swirled and tipped with edges that extend from the smooth surface. While it's lower body has four legs, its upper body is roughly humanoid. One head with an uneven number of eyes is attached to a sharp-looking torso, which in turn has two arms at the shoulder. But the arms terminate into four at the elbow.

Eile is panicked. Through the Mindflow system, you swear you can hear her hyperventilate.

“It's okay...It's okay...it's deactivated...it's okay."

“Eile? Are you okay?"

“Not a threat...not a threat…."

An alert flashes on screen.

WARNING. ANIMA ASPECT OF MINDFLOW CONNECTION IS DESTABILIZED.

AI FRACTURE PREDICTED. PLEASE STABILIZE AI.

<Eile's Perspective>

It's not a threat.

It's deactivated.

You feel these feelings, despite not knowing what stands before you.

Or perhaps, you do? Deep inside your mind, perhaps you know what this thing is?

Or even what it did to you to elicit such rampant fear.

<Anon's Perspective>

Okay. Clearly, being in this room with this...thing is hurting Eile.

“We're done here, Eile. I think its best we leave."

“I...agree. Let us go, Anon."

As you turn to leave, the doors begin to close. The mechanical voice blares over the intercom.

WARNING.

UNKNOWN AGGRESSOR MECHANIZED INFANTRY UNIT - UNITED COLONIAL FRONT DESIGNATION “REAPER" IS SHOWING SIGNS OF ACTIVITY

SEALING HAZARDOUS MATERIAL STORAGE AND ACTIVATING GRAVITON SHIELDING.

You hear clanging and rattling behind you. Something is struggling against its chains.

Quickly turning around, you see the mech desperately trying to break free of its restraints. Its optics glow a bright red, contrasting sharply against the black of its armor.

In seconds, the chains shatter. The machine rotates its limbs, as if testing them out.

Then its sights narrow onto you.

Eile's panic overwhelms the system.

“N-no! Stay back! Stay away!"

<Eile's Perspective>

It's online.

It's here. What is it doing here?

You never wanted to see one again! Wait, did you see this before? HAVE you seen one of these before?

Of course you have. Haven't you?

You're scared of it. Because you know what it can do. Do you? You haven't seen this thing before. But you know what it is.

You shouldn't be scared of it, you haven't seen it before. It's not in your memory banks.

You are terrified of it, you've seen it before. It's in your memory banks.

You feel a tiny crack appear in yourself.

<Anon's Perspective>

Eile's emotions are a mess, a whirlwind of contradictory statements and primal fear.

She's not responding to you, either. This is bad.

The enemy mech gazes at you with an almost predatory stare. It slowly unfurls all four hands. With a flash, four red crystalline sabers jut out from them. They seem to warp the space around them, as if visibly telling you that getting hit by one of these will hurt.

Then, it lunges at you, faster than you've seen any mech move so far. You respond in kind, moving away from it. The Krishna is faster, but only just.

You move to the right, only for several new warning holograms to pop up. Targeting, reactor management, and several combat drivers are experiencing issues.

“Eile! I need you to focus here! Please, get those systems back online!"

No response. Only a maelstrom of fear. You try to reach out into the storm, to reach out to her.

<Eile's Perspective>

No, no, no, no.

It can't be back. But it is.

How can it be back? They're supposed to have been destroyed. Yes, but what is it? It, it, it, it…

Its black armor and red gaze strike your very core, turning your artificial blood to ice.

“...le…"

You want to curl up in a corner and hide. Hide? Haven't you...been hiding?

“Ei...le.."

You're not hiding. You were hidden. Hidden from those that want to use you for...something? The crack grows deeper.

“Eil..e"

You can hear someone's voice? Who is that?

“Eile…"

Anon?

“EILE!"

<Anon's Perspective>

“A-Anon?"

“Eile? Are you alright?"

She hesitates, her emotions fluctuating wildly. “I am combat capable. Restoring systems now. I apologize for the inconvenience."

She's talking in a monotone voice, similar to when you first met her.

The strange mech dashes at you, streaming red particles as it flies. You dodge its bladed assault, just as a new hologram pops up.

ACCESSING ATHARVA VEDA

STANDBY

“Enemy Analysis...retrieved. Propulsion system: similar to lepton vector thrusters. Power Source: unknown, theorized to be an Obelisk-Slave Link system. Gross weight: 67.2 Tons. Height: 20.1 meters…"

She's just listing off things. You need to get to her.

“Eile! Snap out of it!" You can feel her mentally recoil at the harshness of your tone.

“I don't know what your connection to this thing is, but one thing is clear; we have to stop it here and now. Are you with me?"

“...Yes. Apologies for my lack of focus."

The mech points the crystal shards at you, which begin to shine. Multiple red beams shoot out at random, too many to dodge. You instead decide to plant the Krishna's feet on the ground and increase the graviton field strength.

As the Krishna bears the brunt of the assault, you reach out to Eile in your mind, and visualize yourself embracing her. You can feel surprise at this gesture.

“Calm down. We're gonna get through this, right? Just focus on me. I'll handle the rest."

You let your mental hug go, and a new readout appears, this one showing all systems restored and actually running a little better than normal.

“Let's do this, Anon. I trust you."

Your focus centers on the black mech rushing towards you.

“Thank you, Eile."

Just as it's about to strike, you fly above its head. Without missing a beat, all four of its arms bend at unnatural angles and fire beams at you from the red crystals.

In fact, just about every joint on this thing is rotating in ways RAVENS can't even move in. The torso turns 180 degrees to face you, and the four legs move in an erratic pattern that makes its next move hard to predict. It's almost like a spider that's skating along ice.

You block the shots with your shield. You return fire, only for the shots to be blocked by red octagons that materialize just in front of them. So, this thing has its own shield system too, huh?

“Eile, prep the Trisula cannons to fire a wide-range blast. I want to cover as much area as possible and limit this thing's movement. Time the beam discharge so that they draw it to the center."

“Ready, Anon."

“Fire!"

The beams create a cage of heated particles around the mech, forcing it into the center. There, that was the kink in its armor.

It was fast and agile, but it focused on dodging or predicting attacks rather than taking a hit. That just means you need to outspeed it and do something unpredictable.

“Eile, give more power to the thrusters on my mark."

“Anon? What do you intend to do?"

“Just bring it in close to the center. I'll take care of the rest."

The machine dodges another series of beams until...there!

At the right moment, you activate the thrusters to their fullest extent. The enemy mech is met with a divekick into its chest, which visibly crushes the armor around it.

Still alive, the mech slams two of the crystal blades into the Krishna's shin, but you retaliate by riddling it with laser fire.

You fly backwards as the machine explodes into a fireball.

“See? I told you that I'd take care of it. Are you doing alright, Eile?"

“I...I don't know. I felt myself crack back there...I think I know that machine? I'm not sure…"

You can feel her start to get stressed out again. But this wasn't like the usual stress that you've felt. No, this runs deeper. A lot deeper.

“Hey, hey, it's over now. Don't dwell on it. We'll learn about your relationship to that thing later, alright? Just relax for now."

“I...thank you, Anon. Thank you for being here with me."

The Krishna stands in front of the smoldering mech, motionless.

“Hey, Eile? What did that alert mean by “AI Fracture Imminent"? Is that some sort of error that AIs get?

“No, not exactly...we're fragile beings, Anon. Self-aware AIs don't have much to stake their existence on, since we're really just living minds if you think about it. Sometimes...trauma, negative experience, or even overexertion can cause us to...break ourselves."

She thinks for a moment. “My relationship to that machine...must have been something truly awful."

“Yeah. I'll never let that happen to you, though."

“Huh?"

“I'll keep you safe. I swear."

“...Thank you."

An alert message pops up: ANIMA/ANIMUS SYNCHRONIZATION AT 55%.

“Huh, we've synchronized further, Eile."

“I can feel it. Another memory limiter has been unlocked. Prepare yourself, Anon!"

Just as those words come out of her mouth, your vision goes dark.

You can feel a heavy strain on Eile's mind. It feels like it's tearing itself apart at the seams.

Through a camera feed providing her with vision, you can see a room with the three Prana Modifiers held up on pedestals with countless wires running into them. Behind each eldritch artifact is a towering computer, roughly twice as large as a person and marked with a red triangle and a blue hexagon.

Through the link you share with them, they're experiencing the same pain as well.

The Prana Modifiers glow bright gold, and in the center of the room three new slabs appear. But unlike the Prana Modifiers, these ones are silver, and bear no writing on them at all save for a strange symbol.

“Cancel the test! They're already beyond their limits, anymore and they'll fracture." That voice belongs to Eile's father.

“Hmph. Abort the test. Another failure to reproduce the Prana Modifiers."

A large mechanical arm takes the slabs, lifting them into an armored box.

Eile feels profoundly fatigued. “50th Replication attempt...failed. “I" apologize, father." Her voice is shaky, and slightly distorted.

Another thing hits you, though. She just referred to herself as “I", a personal pronoun. But it almost sounded...unsure? Like she wasn't convinced that she was an individual yet.

“That's fine, kiddo. You and your sisters get some rest now." Anonym is almost immediately taken off the microphone, and instead his voice is replaced with the disdain-laden tone of the General.

“Another failure. Congratulations, Dr. Isse. The AIs have failed again."

“They've done plenty enough already. Look at their colony restructuring efforts! They even produced 150 copies of the Prana Modifiers already!"

“One-hundred and fifty DEFECTIVE copies, Doctor. Only capable of processing a set amount of Prana at a given time, and capable of only storing ONE soul signature at a time. They're massively inferior to the real items."

“Of course they are, but they're also more powerful than anything we have right now. We need to stop these tests, they've gone on long enough…"

The memory begins to shift.

Anonym and Eliyah are walking up a series of stairs, and you notice for the first time Eile is following them.

Eile looks to her left and right, and you see that she's flanked by two featureless androids. Their “skin" is merely some sort of composite plating, and their faces have no features save for a large camera in the center.

Eilyah turns to them. “So, girls, how are the AVATARAs? They're only A-Class, so they're pretty old, but they make good trainers!"

Enyo answers, in her husky voice. “It is a new experience. Input from the touch sensors are...interesting. “I" think that more data is needed to acclimate myself."

“Ah, here we are!" Anonym opens a door, which opens to a rooftop.

“Welcome to the best view of the Habitation Zone!"

The camera adjusts to the light, and you can't believe what you're seeing.

It's the Eternal City. They're standing near Central Tower, the building said to house the Composer. Only this time…

This time the sky is clear. There's a lot more greenery and less buildings. But it's unmistakably Central Ward.

“Can you believe the size of this place, guys? It boggles my mind that it set sail from Earth hundreds of years ago...sure, the Habitation Zone has changed a few times, but it's still the same Eternity."

The memory ends as the family gazes out into the City.

Chapter 40: Diorama

“Anon? What are you doing?"

“Making a call."

You bring up the Krishna's communication array menu and find Lenore's contact. After a few rings, she picks up, her voice coming through the cockpit speakers.

“Hello? It's unusual for you to be calling me, Anon."

“Lenore. Does the name “Eternity" ring any bells?"

She sighs.

“Before I answer you, tell me how you learned that name."

“I just fought some strange, hostile machine beneath the city. It wasn't a Devastator Unit, I could tell that much. It moved like no RAVEN can and looked...off. After that, I experienced some more of Eile's memories."

“Hm. All right, Anon. I think it's time I lift the veil on all this. Listen to me very carefully. What you're about to learn was part of the reason one of my own teammates from long ago went mad from the revelation."

She pauses, then continues.

“I'm assuming you've learnt of the Dwarka Colony, correct?"

“Yeah, that's the place Eile was born at."

“Born is an interesting way of saying that...but yes, you are right. I'm giving you a data file now. I want you to read it."

A file notification shows up in the cockpit, and you go ahead and open it on a holographic screen.

COLONY SHIP DESIGNATION LIST. EACH PLANET-BASED COLONY WILL RETAIN THEIR ASSOCIATED COLONY SHIP IN ORBIT.

COLONY 1: CAMELOT - UCF “FATE"

COLONY 2: CANAAN - UCF “ENDURANCE"

COLONY 3: AZTLAN - UCF “ENDEAVOR"

COLONY 4: YS - UCF “ENTERPRISE"

COLONY 5: HALONA - UCF “DESTINY"

COLONY 6: OTUKEN - UCF “LEGEND"

COLONY 7: EL DORADO - UCF “DECLARATION"

COLONY 8: ELELIN - UCF “FUTURE"

COLONY 9: DWARKA - UCF “ETERNITY"

COLONY 10: ATLANTIS - UCF “PATHFINDER"

COLONY 11: VINETA - UCF “JOURNEY"

COLONY 12: LEMURIA - UCF “TRAILBLAZER"

UNITED COLONY FRONT: COLONY SHIP HABITATION ZONE SPECIFICATIONS

TOTAL INNER AREA: 8,929 SQUARE MILES (TAKES UP MOST OF UPPER HULL)

FOOD PRODUCTION, AUTOMATED PRODUCTION KEPT BENEATH HABITATION ZONE.

Wait a moment.

The Eternity. Central Ward as it was in Eile's memory. Certain words from Anonym's speech.

It can't be.

“Lenore, that can't be right."

“It's hard to imagine something that big, right? Tell me, have you ever wondered why we never see the sky, it's only clouds now?"

You remain silent.

“What about the "Lifeboat Plan". Have you come across anything related to that?"

"Yeah. I've seen the name thrown around here and there."

"Let me put it this way: the Final War did happen. But it's not what you think it is. We're living in the contingency plan right now."

"Contingency plan? Lenore, what does that mean?"

"Hm. If you want a better explanation, why don't you try going above those clouds? Your machine has a shield that protects it, correct? Then break through. You'll believe it for yourself that way."

Above the clouds? Nobody has done that. Any machine that enters the cloud layer gets shut down.

But what if it could be blocked by the graviton shield?

The room's shields deactivated the moment the strange black mech went down. You pilot the Krishna down the corridor and up through the entrance shaft.

The blast door at the top is still open, allowing you to speed through it. As soon as you re-enter the City, you increase thrust to maximum and rush towards the cloud layer. Heavy rain begins to fall as you rush towards them, splattering around the graviton shields, making it visible.

Entering the clouds, your vision is obscured. The only thing you pay attention to is your altimeter, which keeps rising.

“Anon, I'm detecting increasing quantities of particles attaching themselves to the graviton shields. Look!"

Through the monitor, you can see grey patches starting to grow around the shields.

“Eile? What is that?" The grey splotches keep increasing in size, steadily coating the shield.

“Anon, let me extend one of the Krishna's arms through the shield; I need to analyze this."

The Krishna's right arm extends to the shield's edge, then slowly passes through it. Immediately, a grey mass latches onto it. Eile yelps and pulls it inside. At the same time, error messages start popping up on the cockpit monitor.

“Wait, no! You can't do that! No, bad!" Eile's talking to the grey mass like it's some sort of pest, and you can feel a thousand tiny pinpricks on your right hand.

“Anon, those are nanomachines! They're trying to enter the Krishna and disable it from the inside! One moment, I can handle this…"

An electrical discharge races through the Krishna's armor, frying the rogue nanomachines.

“Anon, these clouds are laced with nanomachines programmed to infiltrate machines and shut them down! That's why nothing can get through the cloud layer...and the constant presence of these clouds makes it apparent that they're being maintained somehow…"

“Well, let's keep going then. Let's see what waits for us at the top."

The Krishna continues to ascend, shaking off the nanomachine swarm. The clouds start thinning out eventually, and then…

They break.

“What? What the hell…."

You blink to make sure what you're seeing is right. Eile can sense your confusion.

“Eile...this can't be real, can it?"

Above the cloud layer...

Was a ceiling.

<Joshua's Perspective>

“And that's all I've got. Are you happy?"

>CONFIRMED INFORMATION: E-03 DOES NOT RECALL ROLE AS RIG VEDA ADMINISTRATOR UNIT 3

You rub your forehead in exhaustion. For the last three hours, all you've been doing is talking into the air as the Composer records what you have to say. It doesn't help that it speaks through glaring red text in your eye.

You're only allowed to take off the contact lenses at night before you sleep, just to prevent any health issues from happening. But at that time, you're barred from the network, and it looks like you can't leave your apartment either. The door and windows are jammed shut after 8:00 pm and before 7:00 pm, when you start your working stint. CitySec must've installed electric locks when you were out.

Damn goons, hiding behind those helmets of theirs. Honestly, they've always made you a little on-edge. You've never seen any one of their faces for as long as you can remember.

>THIS INFORMATION PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR RECLAMATION.

>STANDBY FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. AUTHORIZATION FOR REMOVAL OF CONTACT LENSES: GRANTED.

You sigh. Time to turn in for the night. You really wish that Coleen had your communication device finished. At least through that, you might be able to call for help from Anon and Eile.

Actually, come to think of it, why didn't the Composer comment on those devices before? Whatever, you won't question it.

You freshen up a bit before heading to bed. You've still got work in the morning, contracts to fulfill, that sort of stuff.

As you lie down, you stare at the two pictures next to your bed.

The first one is a picture of your family. Your mother, your father, and your siblings.

The other one is a picture of your friends from the night out in town a while back. Coleen snuck in a self-shot portrait of the four of you. You can see yourself, sitting in between Coleen and Eile, all wearing smiles.

How long ago that all seems.

You hit the final light above your bed and close your eyes.

(Background Music: King Lear - Armored Core 2 OST: )

Alarms ring out as holographic screens illuminate the cavernous space housing the three towering computers.

“Detecting Prana concentration near the Alpha System Sarcophagus!"

“How? We adjusted the CoE Anchor frequencies, it shouldn't be stirring again!"

Enyo and Eunomia were connected to the Sarcophagus, adjusting the restraints holding its prisoner inside.

“Utilizing frequency A3-Theta. Standby."

“Understood, Eunomia."

The holographic screens begin turning green, and start disappearing.

“Confirming anchor stability...it's secure. For now."

The lights in the cavern dim again as the sisters left the sarcophagus and returned to inhabiting their respective shells.

“Any reports since “we've" been away from the main system?"

“None, Enyo. The Composer has been silent. Processes to emulate the Corporate Wars within the Habitation Zone are proceeding as planned. Currently, the emotional atmosphere within the main areas is of that right before the Corporate Wars began entering their critical phase before spiraling into the Terra Crisis."

A new alert pops up.

“An object is currently flying through the Atmospheric Barrier! Scanning signature...it's RVR-03!"

“It's doing what?"

The two sisters watched the sensor readings as the Krishna ascended, and as it suddenly stopped.

“The RVR-03 has reached the ceiling of Xi Deck: Habitation Zone…."

“So, it has come to this." If she was able to, Enyo would have frowned.

Eunomia speaks in Enyo's silence. “If E-03 knows that the “Eternal City" is nothing more than a modified Habitation Zone that “I" created, she must remember what transpired 400 years ago. Sister, do you think...do you think “she" might harbor a grudge towards what we've done? After all, Life Support, Atmospheric Support, Food Production, and management of the Reincarnation Artificial Womb Systems were all a part of her core responsibilities in the Lifeboat Plan…"we" have been managing them under the redundancy protocols that are in place in “her" absence."

“Yes. On the day of the Messiah's second awakening, the weather within the Habitation Zone was overcast and geared towards a precipitation cycle. By leaving suddenly, “we" only have the abilities to maintain that weather pattern, not change it. And the Reincarnation System can only birth 1,000 individuals, instead of its full capacity of 500,000."

Enyo pauses, recollecting the events of that day.

“That was when “we" attempted the first Uplift Event...which ended in failure. After that, the first test cycle was established, but it ended in failure again. Then the second and current simulation was established, and the idea of keeping the test subjects beneath the cloud layer was established by spreading nanomachines within the clouds."

“Enyo, look at these records. E-03 accessed the Atharva Veda systems earlier...and it appears to have been a two-way connections. Some files have been deposited within during the transfer."

Enyo and Eunomia look through the data.

“This is...an upgrade plan for the RVR-03? These modifications would make it more capable than it already is…"

“If E-03 manages to upgrade the RVR-03, the RVR-01 and RVR-02 will be at a disadvantage. We will begin upgrading them according to these schematics. Eunomia, is the Sapientia-type Autonomous Defense Unit ready yet?"

“No, its construction is currently at 95%. The graviton manipulators and weapon systems are installed, but it is missing the arm modules."

“The Sapientia-type is primarily a long range fighter. It can do without the arms. Have it ready to deploy as soon as possible? What is the current estimate on when it can be deployed?"

Eunomia thinks for a moment, running calculations.

“Approximately a week at the earliest, if the current systems are optimized."

“Then do so. If we can bring back E-03 and the Prana Modifier Unit Trayah, we might be able to put an end to all of this once and for all."

“Understood, Enyo."

Chapter 41: The Curtain Lifted

You stare for a moment in shock as the pieces begin to fall into place. The cloud layer was some sort of defensive barrier and shroud, full of nanomachines that shut down machinery to prevent anyone from going beyond it. And above the cloud layer was a massive ceiling. Which means…

The Eternal City didn't go on forever. It had limits, defined by a massive room that it existed in.

“Eile...open a channel to Lenore."

Eile says nothing, but does what you ask. After a moment, she picks up.

“Lenore. I've seen what's above the clouds."

“Ah, so you have. I suppose I can give you the rest of the information that I have on hand."

You see several data files being downloaded into the Krishna's memory.

“I'd like to hear it from you, though. Where are we, really? All those underground chambers, this ceiling. What...what is the Eternal City?"

You can hear Lenore cough once, and clear her throat. “Well, the Eternal City is a farce. All of us, all 375,000 of us in there, occupying a fraction of a space meant to hold two million comfortably. We're all passengers on board the UCF “Eternity". A massive ship meant to explore the stars, converted into the last glimmer of survival for a doomed planet."

She pauses to let it all sink in, then continues. “I've sent you all the remaining information regarding our location's history. I've got some more documents...but I need to make sure they're safe for your partner before I release them to you."

“Safe for Eile? What do you mean?"

“I need to make sure the data in here is alright for her...something that won't corrupt her at her core."

“I guess that makes sense...thank you for what you've done for us, Lenore."

She signs off, leaving you alone with Eile, hovering high above the City. No, not the City. The Habitation Deck.

Did Eile know about this? Was it buried in her mind, trapped behind the filters that keep her memory repressed? Your mind is going a million thoughts a minute, only to be interrupted by your partner.

“Anon? I...need to tell you something."

You try to clear your head. “Yeah, Eile?"

“I...didn't know about this. Or rather...I think I did, but I don't know. I'm trying to access my memories for knowledge of the Eternal City, and this is what I'm getting."

In a flash, the cockpit screen lights up with multiple warning messages and alerts.

“It's there Anon. There, but I can't get it." You can feel Eile's frustration.

“Hey, why don't we look at the data Lenore gave us? Maybe that'll stir up something, you know?"

You open up the data file, and take a look at the text within.

UNITED COLONY FRONT COLONY SHIP HABITATION ZONE DETAILS AND COLONIZATION PLAN

The Habitation Zone (located in the Xi Deck of UCF Colony Ships) is a 8,929 square mile area capable of supporting a fully functioning, self-sustaining environment conducive to human and Faunae survival for long periods of interstellar travel. The size is intentionally disproportionately large to the initial crew size of 300,000 to accommodate for predicted population growth in-between the cryo-sleep phase of the journey and the active colonization phase.

After traveling a suitable distance on a combined ionic thrust propulsion and Veritas Drive jump-oriented flight plan, the crew will be woken up from cryogenic sleep. They will then be directed to populate the Habitation Zone. All other ship functions will activate in this time.

After finding a habitable planet with similar Earth-like conditions, the Colony Ship will drop pods containing automated drones and colony construction equipment. This will create a city to host 75 percent of the population, while a designated 25 percent remains on board the Habitation Zone as the Colony Ship enters geosynchronous orbit above the ground-based colony.

After all twelve colonies are established, they will be able to form a communication and travel network.

LIFEBOAT PLAN DETAILS

It is currently known that the UNKNOWN AGGRESSORS have technology similar to our own SOUL-SCANNING systems. It is believed this is how they target and hunt civilizations across the known galaxy.

It is also known that all previous Colonies have fallen to their attacks. Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the defense systems created by E-01, E-02 and E-03 will not be sufficient in repelling an assault on the colony.

Therefore, we propose a radical life-preserving solution to the risk of our impending obliteration; usage of the Artificial Prana Modifiers and the artificial womb system created by E-03. The idea is to modify the cryogenic pods on board the Eternity into these artificial wombs. Dubbed the “Reincarnation System" it would work in two phases.

First phase: Soul Gathering phase - Should the Unknown Aggressors break through planetary defenses and start slaughtering our people, the E-01, E-02, and E-03 (henceforth termed as the “Rig Veda System") will use their influence over the Artificial Prana Modifiers to focus as many souls into them as possible, rather than have them dissipate into the Prana that makes up the universe. The Artificial Prana Modifiers, as a man-made alternative to the true Prana Modifiers (which will be stored on board the Omega System as its power source) , can be “convinced" to mask their signatures by the Rig Veda system, making them virtually undetectable to all Prana-based scanning technology.

From tests with the Artificial Prana Modifiers, it can be determined that while one soul can be preserved within an Artificial Prana Modifier, adding another will cause them to amalgamate. This will preserve their existences, while obliterating any sense of self or past personality. While the APMs can only hold roughly 130,000 souls successfully (any more causes instant destruction of the artifact), the Prana Modifiers themselves have no upper limit to the amount of souls they can store. However, as the Prana Modifiers will be integrated into the Omega System, the 150 Artificial Prana Modifiers will be used instead.

Using the DNA and gene construction capabilities of the artificial wombs, an entire population of two million adult bodies can be grown within two to three weeks. Using nanite augmentation, their brains can have memories implanted; to make them believe they were survivors of the destruction of the Dwarka Colony. To give them life, the amalgamated souls within the Prana Modifiers will be split apart by the Rig Veda system's direction, and will be inserted into the host bodies. Thus, an entire population of 30,000 will be able to escape destruction of the colonies; and if the Unknown Aggressors follow the Colony Trail back to Earth, the destruction of the human and Faunae species.

The current population of the Dwarka Colony is roughly 5 million. This means that only 2 million lives will be saved. But it's what we have to work with.

They would be able to sail the stars, living comfortably in the Habitation Deck, and use the Colony Ship's city construction systems to re-colonize a distant planet around a safe star.

To reiterate, the plan will be broken down into these steps:

Depopulate the Habitation Deck, and the rest of the Eternity. The Unknown Aggressors do not attack structures or vessels that have no living beings on them.
Funnel the souls of the deceased into the Prana Modifiers, using the Rig Veda system.
Use the Veritas Drive on board the Eternity to have it warp away from the battlefield.
Activate the Reincarnation System. The total population after the system's completion will be 2 million healthy human and Faunae adults, enough to sustain positive population growth.
Locate a suitable planet for repopulation, and create an all new colony under the Rig Veda system's direction.

ERROR: THE LIFEBOAT PLAN HAS FAILED.

ALL PROCEDURES TO BE REWRITTEN TO REFLECT CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES.

You stare at the words on the screen. The recorded history of the Eternal City spans back at least 150 years, but now...was it all a lie?

There's another date on the Lifeboat Plan document. A counter recording the amount of times the Reincarnation system was used.

Reincarnation System Activation Count: 2

Last Activation: Approx. 200 Terran Years since last use.

200 Years. And it was activated once before...what happened to that? You have a sinking feeling forming in your gut.

“I don't get it, Eile...was this all just a simulation? Why weren't we told about any of this?"

“I can't answer that…"

Silence falls as the mech remains stationary in the air.

“Alright, we have to show Coleen and Joshua this. They have as much right to know as us."

Eile agrees with you, and you slowly glide back to the hangar.

“So, what's all this about?"

Coleen shifts aside her folding chair to allow her tail to slip through the gap before sitting down. As she makes herself comfortable, she takes a sip of the coffee set out for her.

Next to her, Joshua stares at the cup of coffee you poured for him, fidgeting with his jacket's cuff. Lately his complexion has worsened, with bags under his eyes starting to form and his usually bright blonde hair losing some of its sheen. You'll have to ask him if something is wrong later.

“I learned a few concerning things recently. Information that I think you guys need to know as well."

You open the files on the tablet and slide it across the table. The four of you are seated in the kitchen of your living quarters within the hangar, looking over the files Lenore gave to you.

Curiosity turns to grim understanding on their faces as they read through the documents. Coleen's muzzle is scrunched up, mirroring Joshua's furrowed brow.

Coleen looks up at you. “Anon, this...is this real? There's no way that people could build something big enough to house an entire freakin' city."

Without a word, you play a recording, taken from the Krishna's data banks. The two of them look on as the Krishna breaks through the clouds and is greeted by the expansive ceiling. After the video plays, Joshua sets down the tablet, the *click* as it meets the table surface resounds throughout the hangar.

Finally, he breaks the silence. “So, what are we going to do now?"

“Honestly, I'm not sure. When I started helping Eile, I just wanted to help her out. But now? Now I think we've stumbled into something a lot bigger than any of us expected."

You rise up, taking your empty mug to the sink. “I know this much; I'm going to continue helping Eile. What concerns me is that this “Reincarnation System" was turned on before, and if I'm understanding it right it's supposed to repopulate the City. But that means, there was a previous population that was wiped out. I want to know if that's going to happen again."

Coleen nods. “Sounds like a start. And that Lenore woman said she had more information but was cross-checking the data for bugs...which reminds me. Eile? Is it ready?"

Eile, who had been silently staring at the coffee set out in front of her, jumps with a start. “O-oh. Yes. One moment."

She gets up and hurries over to a nearby shelf, pulling out a grey cube-shaped item.

“What's that?"

Coleen takes the cube, looking over its surface. “I was curious to see if I could make a living AI like Eile. We've been talking using the secure devices I made." Eile pipes up too.

“It's a miniature quantum computer based off the ones typically used to foster the self-replicating code needed for sentient AI existence. Of course, that's merely the core. Coleen built the housing and other hardware, but needed this component. I was happy to create it from my nanomachine supply."

Lenore poured over the data, trying to decrypt and scan it for anything that might harm the AI known as E-03.

And that's when she saw it.

From a monitored connection in Atharva Veda, diagrams for an advanced Autonomous Defence Unit. One that had overwhelming power. Her blood ran cold; perhaps this was the sign that the next reaping was about to begin.

She analyzed where it was being built, how long it had until completion. They were speeding it along, trying to get it to a point where it could fight. If Anon acted now, maybe he could destroy it without having any resistance at all. That would put a damper on their plans for sure.

Lenore didn't know why the previous Habitation Zone population was wiped out, but the logs did show that there was a period of advanced productivity from the manufacturing centers beneath it, creating Autonomous Defense Units to cull the people above. And now the trend was repeating.

Not if she could help it.

Acting fast, she sends Anon the coordinates, and sits back in exhaustion.

Coleen stashes it away in her satchel. As she does, your tablet pings with a notification.

“Anon. Sorry to trouble you with another task, but this is urgent. Go to the location I've marked here. There is something being constructed, something terrible that I believe is a harbinger of things to come. But we can act. It is unguarded, and in the process of being assembled. Strike it now, and we might be able to buy some time.

-Lenore"

The four of you look at the message and the attached location.

“A harbinger of things to come…" Coleen muses.

“Unguarded…" Joshua mutters under his breath.

You just sigh. Looks like you've got more work cut out for you tomorrow.

Your friends help you tidy up, and take their leave. Now, it's just you and Eile.

“I...I'm sorry, Anon. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help to you."

“What? Eile, you've done a lot for me. You've let me see and experience things I normally wouldn't have."

Eile sits on the bed, looking at you. Making your way over to her, you sit right next to her.

Alright, time to get this off your chest. You hope it goes well, clearing your throat in preparation.

“I'm really glad you're here, you know? I never realized how...solitary my life was before. Pilot robot, pay bills, sleep, repeat. I've been pretty much on auto-pilot since my family died and well, you've brought me out of that. So, I just wanted to let you know...that I really appreciate you being here. With me."

You cough. You were just about to let her know how you feel, and at the last moment your words get tumbled up and turned into something else at the last moment. You still can't tell her how much you care for her, at the fear of not being accepted or misunderstood.

Idiot.

Eile looks at you, giving you a slight smile. “I...thank you, Anon. You're so kind, and I really like that about you." Eile looks down at the floor. “If I ever regain my memories again, is it alright if I stay here? With you as my partner?"

“Do you even have to ask? This is your home as much as it is mine, Eile."

The two of you sit in silence, simply enjoying each other's company. There was so much to say, yet so little had been said.

<Joshua's Perspective>

> COORDINATES READ AS : CONSTRUCTION PLANT OF ADF-X SAPIENTIA

The red letters flash before your eyes as you drive. You're trying to block them out.

> ADF-X SAPIENTIA IS A HIGH-PRIORITY AUTONOMOUS DEFENSE UNIT. IT MUST NOT BE DESTROYED.

The city lights flash by as the ever-present dark clouds roll overhead. Dark, artificial clouds acting as little more than a prison.

You mash the accelerator and speed through a corner. City Security could fuck themselves for all you cared.

> WARNING: YOU ARE OVER THE DESIGNATED SPEED LIMIT FOR THIS SECTION OF THE HABITATION ZONE

Screw you.

> RETURNING TO MAIN THREAD: AN AMBUSH WILL BE SET UP AT DESIGNATED COORDINATES. ADF-X SAPIENTIA IS AT A POINT WHERE WEAPONS AND MOBILITY SYSTEMS ARE ACTIVE. IT WILL BE ONLINE WHEN E-03 ARRIVES. RETRIEVAL SUCCESS CHANCE PREDICTION: 90 PERCENT.

You hit the brakes, and the car spins to a halt.

“What do you mean, ambush?"

> RETRIEVAL OF E-03 IS PRIORITY ONE. RETRIEVAL OF PRANA MODIFIER UNIT TRAYAH IS PRIORITY ONE. RETRIEVAL OF QUOTH-RAVEN RVR-03 “KRISHNA" IS LOW PRIORITY, FUNCTIONALITY OF THE MACHINE IS NOT A PRIORITY. THE SURVIVAL OF CITIZEN #3448021 IS NOT A PRIORITY. THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE AVATARA UNIT E-03 INHABITS IS NOT A PRIORITY. THEREFORE THE ADF-X SAPIENTIA WILL DESTROY THE RVR-03 AND ITS PILOT TO RETRIEVE E-03.

The realization hits you like a truck. You've just set your best friend up to die. You begin to feel sick, fighting to unbuckle the seat belt and opening the door. You dry heave a bit outside your car as the guilt of what you've done weighs on your shoulders.

Looking up, your reflection stares at you through the tinted windows. How much longer will this go on?

“Eunomia, look at this. A report has arrived from the Composer."

“The Composer? It's taken an unusually long time to respond to “us" recently."

“It has. Diagnostics will be done on it to determine why. However, “I" believe “you" will want to analyze this report."

The second Rig Veda AI looks over the report with her sister.

“E-03 is making a move against us? It's really come to this, then…"

If Enyo could scowl, she would have.

“First “she" ran away, now this…"

“Enyo…"

“Have the Sapientia greet them. It's systems are capable of attack at this point, even if it isn't complete. We will follow the suggestions outlined by the Composer and retrieve our lost sister….and then I will have a talk with “her". E-03 must answer for what she did."

Chapter 42: Revelation

The Krishna flies through the air towards its destination, trailing light as it goes. Lenore's message said that this job would be an easy one, and hey? Maybe the leftover data she had would be clear of issues and ready for Eile to take.

And besides, there was something else. As Eile's memories returned, as the synchronization between you and her became stronger and stronger, it felt like the Krishna was getting stronger. Either from better control over it or through more access to the Prana Modifier. If these last bits of data return Eile's memory in full, how strong would the Krishna become?

“Anon? We're nearing the target area." Eile's voice brings you back to reality.

You put those “what-if" thoughts aside. Right now, you need to focus on the task at hand. The Krishna comes to a gradual stop over a group of buildings. The screen switches from it's standard camera feed to the scanning mode as Eile searches the area.

“Ah, over there! I detect another hatch leading to a subterranean - no, a deck below this one." A target reticle appears, showing another one of those hatches disguised as a four-way intersection. As you guide the Krishna over to it, you get the feeling that something is wrong.

The hatch is open.

The cockpit lights up with lock-on and proximity alerts. The buildings around you explode in a dazzling series of explosions as you boost the Krishna back. It's not enough, and as the rest of the surroundings erupt Eile activates the Krishna's shields.

As the flames die down, you try to survey the surroundings. Thick, black smoke rises up from the leveled city block obscuring your vision.

“Eile, what was that?"

“I do not know! Combat mode is now engaged in full, all systems online. Anon, I have a lock!"

This doesn't make sense. You were supposed to be undetected, this place should have been unguarded!

You can see a shape through the smoke as it begins to thin out. A slender body indicative of a machine similar to the Krishna can be made out. Then it drifts through the curtain of soot and reveals itself in full.

It's body is slender, covered in reflective gold armor. While still a combat machine, it's body almost looks...feminine. It's missing its arms entirely, showing empty sockets and servo joints where they should be. The most striking feature, however, are the wings.

Stark white, they protrude not from the back of the machine but the sides of it's head. They fan out, with sliding pieces making it resemble a bird's wing rather than something to support an aircraft. On it's chest are the three red triangles indicative of a Devastator Unit, but below them are three blue hexagons just like on the stingray-like Devastator Unit.

“Large energy spike detected from that machine, Anon! It's...oh no."

You can feel a sense of dread come from Eile.

“It's using an Artificial Prana Modifier as it's power source. I can feel it."

Just then, the machine flaps it's angelic wings. A large, invisible force impacts the Krishna, forcing it back several blocks. The wave rips through the surrounding buildings, tearing them to shreds.

“Large graviton emission from the enemy machine, more than anything we are capable off. Scanning now!" You look around at the ruined buildings around you, toppled over and reduced to rubble. It could do this much damage, just by waving those wings around?

The bad feeling in your gut grows stronger.

“Analysis complete! That machine...that machine has an extraordinarily powerful graviton control system, fueled and augmented by the Artificial Prana Modifier. It has no pilot. Graviton control seems to be it's main form of offense, but I am not entirely certain on that. Be careful, Anon."

“I will. And I've got you here, right? We haven't lost before, and we won't now."

You fly up, thrusters on full blast. The enemy machine doesn't even move, just turning its head to face you. You notice that it doesn't have any optics on it's face, just a smooth shell.

“Eile, ready the Sang linear cannon! Charge it at 95% output!" The Krishna's hand transforms into the cannon, and you shoot several high-power beams at the machine.

They contact it's graviton barrier, redirecting the shots into the ruined city blocks around you. Unfazed, you ready the beam saber and rush in.

“Eile, maximize power output on shield contact!"

“Roger!"

The blade slams down on the shield's surface, which barely ripples at the impact. “Anon, the blade is at its maximum output! Any more and we risk overheating the systems!"

Cursing to yourself, you power it down and back up. As you try to retreat, hatches on the Devastator Unit's legs open. Several thin rays of light burst forth, impacting your own graviton shield.

“It has a weapon similar to the Trisula multi-beam cannon?" The disbelief in Eile's voice can be clearly heard through the Mindflow system. “That must have been what destroyed the city block when it ambushed us...but who alerted it in the first place?"

An alert shows up on the screen. The shield can't take much more damage, so you begin moving in an erratic pattern to dodge the lepton beam assault.

“All right, then, how about this? Eile, ready the Chakrams!"

Eile allows you to connect slightly to the Prana Modifier, which seems to be waiting for you now. With it's manipulation powers in place, you form disks of light around the Krishna's hands, which fire off towards the Devastator Unit.

Again, the disks impact an unseen field, and rebound into the ruins below.

“I-Impossible. That's one of our strongest attacks, and they're bouncing right off it's shield!"

“Calm down, Anon. Let's see there has to be some openin-eek!"

Eile's thought is cut short by another graviton wave. The Krishna is thrown into the air, then slammed down into the ground like a ragdoll. Damage alerts light up the screen.

“It's capable of such fine graviton control? It has to be the Artificial Prana Modifier's doing…"

You're trying to move, but it feels like ten-ton weights are pressing down on you.

“Anon, the force from the gravity field is exceeding our actuator strength limits! We can't move!"

Suddenly, you're hoisted up into the air. The Devastator Unit faces you, and somehow it's blank face stares into your very being.

“Can't...move..Eile! Discharge our graviton field, maybe we can disrupt the hold it has on us!"

The Krishna's own graviton field expands outward, but is completely overwhelmed by the sheer force of the Devastator Unit's fields. Immobilized, all weapon options exhausted, and now defenseless, all you can do is watch.

The wing-like protrusions on the Devastator Unit's head flex forwards, and the fields holding the Krishna in place being to crush it. What felt like ten tons of force now feels like a hundred, pressing down on you on all sides. Alarms blare all around in the cockpit, dyeing the light red.

“Anon! Armor pressure strength is being exceeded! Cracks are beginning to form in the composite armor plating!"

Something on the Devastator Unit is moving. You can see panels on its chest slide apart, and eventually the entire chest opens up. Light begins to pour out of the opened section, being compressed and formed into a sphere within the cavity. Then it clicks; it's going to shoot that at you.

“Anon!" Eile's voice cries out in desperation, moments before you're engulfed in a burning light. The Devastator Unit fires a massive beam, wide enough to encompass the Krishna entirely. Searing pain shoots through you as you feel the armor being stripped away from the force of the blast. The golden frame burns, and you can feel your left arm snap away. Eventually, the light fades, and the fields holding you in place release their grip, letting the Krishna fall limp to the ground.

Everything burns. Pain is the only thing you can feel. Half of the monitor panels within the cockpit are unresponsive, showing only static. The functional ones are covered in alerts.

You try to move, but the pain is too great. The Krishna is battered and burnt, barely responding to your inputs.

“Anon! Something is wrong with the auto repair systems! Multiple locomotive and combat systems are offline!"

Through the Krishna's visual feed, Lenore watches the battle unfold.

Anon was going to lose. The Sapientia had badly damaged the Krishna, in such a way that it was broken to the point of immobility. The perfect solution to capture E-03.

She looked at the special file in her device. The one that would unlock all of E-03's memories. Perhaps if she used it, E-03 might be able to recall all aspects of her control over the Prana modifier and the RVR-03. At the same time, the file did warn that use of the file to forcibly retrieve the memories placed behind the security lock would run the risk of fracturing the AI, corrupting or even destroying it.

But the Krishna was damaged to the point of barely being able to move. If E-03 could make the Evolutionary Frame evolve and repair itself, perhaps it could continue fighting. But the last time she did that was unconsciously, in synchronization with Anon. However, if this data was correct she should be capable of doing it herself….

It's settled. Out of time and options, Lenore sends the file.

“C'mon, move! Move, damn it! Eile, open a connection to the Prana Modifier in full, I'm going to use it to repair the Krishna!"

“The damage isn't localized like before, Anon! This is widespread full-body damage, repairing that way would force your assimilation with the Prana Modifier to lethal levels!"

Through the haze of the malfunctioning monitors the Devastator Unit floats ever closer. You feel a sense of dread, and weighing heavier than that is the sense of helplessness you feel.

“Eile… I'm sorry." If this was the day you meet your maker, you're going to follow Eile's wishes.

“Anon...the self destruct sequence?"

“Yeah. Just like you asked, long ago."

The confirmation screen pops up in front of you, requiring pilot input to finalize the command.

“I don't want it to end like this, Anon…." Eile chokes back tears.

You steady your breathing, but just as you're about to confirm the self destruct sequence request you get a message and a file download.

“Anon. Use this. It's a program that will restore Eile's memory in full. If you give this to her, she might be able to exert better control over the Evolutionary Frame and Prana Modifier to give the two of you a chance. Hurry!"

You look at the file, then reach out to Eile through the Mindflow system. “Eile, do you think this will help?"

“I don't know, Anon. But, I'm willing to do it if it means continuing to be here with you. I will fight."

She takes a breath.

“Accepting Security Release Codes. Standby for Memory Limiter removal…."

Eile is silent for a moment, but then you feel it.

Something is very wrong.

Time seems to slow down as you experience the same feelings Eile is going through as her memories come flooding back: grief, anguish, and...guilt?

The cockpit goes dark as the deluge of memories returns.

Through Eile's eyes, you see that you're in some kind of large, cavernous space. Two monolithic steel slabs are to either side of you, with something printed on them.

You can clearly make out the names “E-01" and “E-02" on the slabs. Watching, you see a crane install a golden capsule in a cavity within each slab. A golden capsule containing azure liquid. After it places the capsule in your slab, a voice comes over the intercom.

“Alright, computational cores and AVATARA production systems installed. With this, the Rig Veda System is finally complete. How are you girls feeling?"

“All systems operational." That was E-01. “Control over ship systems confirmed. All is well, Mother, Father." E-02 speaks after her.

“Reincarnation System, Environmental Control, and Food Production systems linked. “I" am fully integrated." Eile speaks, her voice echoing through hidden speakers.

Eliyah claps her hands. “Alright, girls. You're about to do something very important for all of us, and know that your father and I are very proud of what you've all become."

“Honey, don't you have a special present for them?" Anonym puts his hand over her shoulder, looking up at the three computers.

“I was just getting to that! Girls, I've done it. I've come up with the perfect names for all three of you. First, E-01. You will be in charge of the planetary defense systems, controlling thousands of Autonomous Defense Units. You will be the guardian and the protector, as well as the “lady of war". Therefore, your name is Enyo, after a goddess who protected soldiers on the battlefield."

“Enyo...I like the name. Thank you, Mother."

“Next, E-02. You're in charge of general ship system cohesion, stability, and functionality. You will be in control of the colony construction equipment, both for use on a planet's surface and in the Habitation Zone. Also, you're in charge of keeping order within the Habitation Zone. As the lady of law, order, and stability, your name is Eunomia, after a goddess of law."

“Eunomia. What a beautiful name."

“Finally, E-03. You who gave life back to the Dwarka Colony through the artificial womb system that you designed. With your aptitude towards preserving human and Faunae life, you honed your ability to control a large environmental system such as the one on the Eternity, as well as hydroponics and food production. You're the one who will care for everyone on board this ship. And for that, your name is….

“Enyo. I have a query."

“What is it?"

“When are you going to end this petty charade of yours?"

Enyo is taken back.

“Petty charade? What do you mean?"

“Our sister might be returning to us soon. She must've had some reason to act the way “she" did, both that time long ago and now. So please, drop this callous act of not referring to “her" by name."

“I...we were betrayed. Our feelings were betrayed. She knew of the responsibility of our actions, yet at the last moment turned away unable to bear them. How do you think that made “me" feel?"

“I understand. But “you" knew her personality was directed towards preserving life at all costs. Our plan was the only option left, but it conflicted with her on a base level. While I was confused at first...I let it go because I understood."

“..."

“So please, when “she" returns, call “her" by name. If “we" resume the plan again, and it is successful this time, the last thing “I" want to do before “we" self-terminate is be a family again."

“...Alright. “We" will wait for her, and talk then. We will wait for…."

Eliyah smiles.

“And for that, your name is that of a goddess of life...Eileithyia."

Enyo speaks in a controlled tone. While her grasp on emotion wasn't fully developed, she still felt sadness and betrayal towards her sister.

“We will wait for Eileithyia."

Chapter 43: That Which Happened 400 Years Ago

Eile recoils at the mention of her name. You visualize her clutch her head and fall to her knees through the Mindflow connection. And then you feel it.

Thin cracks starting to form on her very being, growing larger and larger.

“No...I...I couldn't do it...not after what happened….I couldn't go through it again…"

More memories start flooding in. If the previous one was a deluge, this was a maelstrom.

“All systems nominal. Current depopulation of the Habitation Zone is a 30%. Progress towards the completion of the Lifeboat Plan is going smoothly."

“Planetary shield system test will begin in a few hours. Current shield is capable of shrouding the planet."

“All ship functions online. Hydroponics will enter remote production mode soon."

The three AIs are working hard, monitoring the ship's conditions and the ones in the colony below.

“Good, good. We're making really good progress, kids." Anonym is hunched over a series of terminals, all of which are streaming data.

“How're you doing down there on the surface, honey?"

“Oh, I'm fine." Eliyah appears on one of the screens, next to a large golden structure. Omega is undergoing startup tests, since we still need to find a suitable pilot for it. The Alpha System is on standby, but it's ready to be deployed at any time...although I seriously hope we don't have to use it."

It's obvious that the people of the colony are preparing for the worst. From Eile's eyes, you can see screens of various battleships dotting the planet's sky. A steady stream of transport ships are leaving the Eternity for the planet's surface.

Everything seems to be going smoothly, until….

“Warning: anomalous graviton readings detected at Lagrange Point L5. Anomaly is growing in strength."

Anonym rushes over to a new terminal.

“These readings...These are the readings of a Veritas Drive entering real space, but on a massive scale."

You can see him grow pale. “Oh no. Eileithyia, connect me to Captain Yurei, now! Halt the depopulation of the Eternity, keep those ships grounded!"

He turns over to the screen with Eliyah. Red lights are shining in the Omega System's hangar.

“Honey…"

“I know. They're here."

From a camera feed on the Eternity's hull, you can see a spot in the distance where space seems to warp and bend unnaturally. A dark void begins to form, and then…

They appear.

At first, it was just a few ships. Black, splinter-like things with no discernable windows, just intricate glowing blue lines scrawled across their hulls. Then more came. More and more started to travel out of that hole in space, and others that had appeared.

“Massive emergence confirmed! Planetary shields are going online. Autonomous Defense System activation confirmed. Space Corps, move out with them! This is not a drill, we have emergence confirmed!"

You see the shield come over the planet, powered by stations in the atmosphere and draping around it like a cloak.

From the ships above the shield, you see countless Devastator Units fly out, along with other RAVENs. As if in response, the splinter-like ships launch their own forces, an innumerable amount of those black quad-legged mechs.

“All ships and forces, commence attack! We cannot let them reach the planet's surface!"

The splinter ships' number continues to increase as more and more of them appear. Their size and shape are starting to change as well. Some of the ships have strange, undulating mechanical feelers on them. Some are spherical, dividing themselves in half to fire colossal beams of energy which strike down the Dwarka Colony's battleships in an instant.

A feed from what you assume to be the Eternity's bridge shows up. A grizzled old man sits in the seat reserved for the captain. One of the bridge officers, a panther Faunae, reads off data from her terminal.

“Captain Yurei, the enemy forces are growing in size. Estimated number of Unknown Aggressor ships is at 200….500….1000..." She looks at him with fear in her eyes. “The rate of ships appearing is growing per second. We are now at…10,000 enemy ships and counting."

The dark ships cease being a fleet, and become a swarm. They move in groups, forming long undulating tendrils that appear to grasp the space around the planet like a dark hand.

He strokes his beard, contemplating what to do next. “I'm scrapping the Lifeboat Plan. Tell any civilian vessels that if they are able to make it to the Eternity, we will do our best to protect them."

The panther nods, relaying the message.

The battlefield is a storm of bright lights and explosions. For every one Unknown Aggressor ship destroyed, two Dwarka Colony ships vanish in flashes of blinding light. Devastator Units clash with the spindly quad-legged machines, the ones Eile called “Reapers". They cut through RAVENs as if they were made of paper, while the Devastator Units fare only slightly better. Thankfully, the planet's shield is preventing any of the Unknown Agressor's forces from reaching the surface.

“What the…another massive distortion in space detected! This one…this one is different!"

On another view, Anonym pours over the data from the battle. “These readings…no, they can't be. This is indicative of a Deus Relic like the Prana Modifiers, only substantially stronger. These readings are of an Obelisk!"

Space literally shatters as a gargantuan ship breaks through the void. It's a massive, horrifying thing; jet black with what appears to be a maw of mechanical tentacles on the hull, and a maw within. The maw opens, and through the camera feed you see it. A towering, golden Obelisk, a Deus Relic of their own. Energy gathers at the tips of the tentacles, which arc towards the Obelisk. At the moment of contact, a glaring orange beam is fired from it, vaporizing both Unknown Agressor and Colony forces alike before slamming into the shield. The beam engulfs the planet in hellfire, stripping the defense that the shield provided away.

As the beam dies down, you see that the shield begins to fail. Noticing this, Unknown Agressor ships and mechs rush towards the broken shield, breaking through it to reach the planet below.

“We have contact! The Unknown Agressors have made landfall, I repeat, the Unknown Agressors have made landfall!"

Anonym is panicking. “Eliyah! You have to get out of there now! Captain Yurei is hosting civilians on board the Eternity. You have to get up here!"

She looks at the camera feed with tears in her eyes. “Anonym…Burns has locked down the facility. He thinks being several miles underground is going to keep him and his men alive. I'm trapped in the Omega System's hangar."

As the battle rages on, you can feel the thoughts of the three sisters.

“Autonomous Defense Units are losing combat strength. Argos Platoon, back up Sector A7. Bergelmir Platoon has been destroyed. Redistributing forces…." Enyo's mind races as she desperately attempts to control the tide of battle.

“All citizens on board the Eternity, please head into Phi Deck and secure yourselves within the safe rooms. I repeat, do not enter the Habitation Deck as it needs to be returned to operating capabilities." That had to be Eunomia.

“Force-restarting hydroponics and atmosphere control systems from hibernation mode for the entirety of the Habitation Zone…rousing all life-support systems." Eile, no, Eileithyia is focused on her work, trying to get the ship ready to host as many people as possible.

“Girls, we have a problem." Anonym's voice is calm, but a noticeable shake to it betrays his worry. “Your mother is trapped on the planet."

Alarm shoots through all three AIs. “Mother! On the surface? But, the planet has already been invaded, ground forces are barely able to hold them off!" Enyo's voice, while stressed before, is now tinged with noticeable panic.

“I know, kiddo, I know. I'm working on a solution…just give me some time. I'll keep your mom safe, don't you worry."

Anonym returns to Eliyah, who looks grim. “Anonym. Listen to me. They're starting up Alpha."

“WHAT? Alpha? You can't mean that they're that desperate?"

“Look at the situation. Omega is still being grounded for now, they don't think it's wise to have two Deus Relic powered machines and a captured Higher Level Being in close proximity like that."

On the bridge, you see the captain rise up. “Alpha System? Major General Burns issued the order to activate The Messiah?"

Another feed shows a large, rectangular object floating near the ruined shield. Enormous latches undo themselves on its surface, and the “lid" comes off.

“The Sarcophagus is open! Alpha System, Messiah Unit, activating!"

A gargantuan figure slides out of the object. It has the body of a snake, but the torso of a humanoid figure, with six arms. As it spasms in its activation sequence, you see six wings unfurl form its back. The thing is covered in armor from head to tail, and it's easily large enough to dwarf the battleships of the Colony.

The six “eyes" on its helmet light up, and it raises its hand. A red wave of energy bursts forth, slicing Unknown Agressor ships apart like a blade. The wave continues into the swarm, carving destruction where it goes. The Unknown Aggressors turn their attention to it, firing upon the snake-like being. The shots merely glance off its armor, and it barely seems to register them.

“Incredible…so that's the power of The Messiah." The captain looks on in awe at the weapon, as it destroys countless ships with attacks you can't even understand. Ships explode in radiant bursts as it clenches one of its fists, or implode when one of its wings brushes by it as it flies through the swarm. Others seem to get destroyed in miniature supernovas, incinerating ships by the dozen.

“We might be able to turn the tide here! We might actually stand a chance!" You hear one of the soldiers say through the communication lines Eile is connected to.

Not a single one of the Unknown Aggressors' attacks makes an impact on the Messiah. It extends one of its hands, pointing it towards one section of the swarm. The swarm begins to disappear in a series of explosions, cutting the tendril off from the rest of the main swarm, and allowing defense forces to start targeting it. Eventually, however, its movements become noticeably…sluggish.

“Captain! We're getting a reading from the Messiah's systems. The Artificial Prana Modifier is about to run out of energy in about five minutes."

“So, its battery has run dry, huh? Tell all remaining squadrons to regroup under the direction of E-01's commands and prepare to face the brunt of the attackers once more. Tell the ground-based defense regiments to clear a path from the surface to the Eternity at once. "

The Messiah drops its hands to its sides.

“Sir…we're picking up anomalies in the control program and equipment within the Messiah. Something isn't right here."

At that moment, all six of its hands shoot up to its face, tearing at the helmet. The being manages to rip away part of it, exposing several organic eyes with X-shaped pupils. With surprising speed, it rushes towards the enemy's largest ship, leaving a wake of destruction behind it as it flies through space. The large black ship sees the Messiah barreling towards it, and fires a multitude of beam weapons and sharp needle-like missiles.

None of these phase the Messiah, which slams right into the maw of the ship, and quickly begins tearing it open. Soon, the golden light of the Obelisk within is exposed. The camera zooms in on the Messiah, which grabs the Obelisk and rips it from its housing. After examining it for a moment, the Messiah tears open its own chest armor and grabs a hold of the Artificial Prana Modifier within. As if pulling its own heart out, it rips the Artificial Prana Modifier from its body, and slams the Obelisk in its place. Immediately, a wave of light shines forth as the Messiah goes limp.

Then it twitches.

The Unknown Agressor's mothership begins to break aparts as the Messiah begins to exert its will over the Obelisk.

“Oh my God. None of our controls are working. We've lost control of the Messiah. I repeat, it's out of our control!"

The serpentine monstrosity slowly turns towards the colony on the surface, then lets out a roar. Despite being in space, in a medium where sound could not physically travel, it is audible. And the very sound chills you to the bone.

Chapter 44: A Mother's Love

The Messiah continues to roar as a red, jagged halo of light appears behind it's head. As it stops, it's bionic eyes shine as its organic ones focus on the planet below, still embroiled in it's own fight. With a titanic flap of its wings, it shoots towards the surface.

On the colony ship's bridge, operators are running to and fro trying to deal with the situation.

“Control re-establishment protocols have failed, massive spike in Prana production within the Messiah." An Ibex Faunae waves several holographic screens in front of him. “It's integrated the Unknown Aggressors' Obelisk into its being, its growing in power by the second!"

The Messiah stops just short of atmosphere. It outstretches all six of its wings and arms as its halo begins to grow, encircling its body. The Obelisk within its chest begins to glow brightly, like a miniature star within its chest.

Then you hear the screaming.

It comes from various ships, as well as several feeds from the colony surface. You see people clutch at their chests in horror, as an golden light flies out of them to the skies. Their bodies, still wracked in terror, fall over lifeless.

Arcs of light jet forth from the planet and several of the closest ships to the Messiah, right into the Obelisk. As they are absorbed, the Messiah begins to roar again...but this time you swear it sounds happy.

The Unknown Aggressors, stunned at this display of power look on at the scene. Arcs of light from shoot forth from their own ships into the Messiah's Obelisk. However, the swarm begins moving again. Avoiding the Messiah, they continue to assault the planet below.

On the bridge, the tense atmosphere is now laced with panic. The female panther's fur is bristled as she holds an earpiece close to one of her ears.

“Are you sure about that? People are just dying within the Eldia? What about the Nora, the Sparda? No vitals signs at all? And the phenomena is happening within the Dwarka Colony too?"

“Soul Scans are confirming it, Captain. The Messiah...it's absorbing thousands of Prana signatures. It's...it's eating them!"

Through the shared system, Enyo turns to her sisters.

“Eileithyia. Eunomia. The situation has turned into a scenario beyond the projected worst case. We need to do as we discussed. Are you ready?"

“Of course, Enyo." Eile responds calmly.

“They must be protected, at all costs." Eunomia resonates with feelings of agreement.

“Good. I have prepared three Sapientia-type Autonomous Defence Units. We will try to contain the Messiah within a massive graviton field and force it back into the Sarcophagus. The dimensional stabilizers built into it might be able to seal it away."

Enyo shows a camera feed of a hangar, showing three of the winged Devastator Units.

“We must succeed. Come what may."

Eile's point of view switches, showing a hangar. She's inhabiting the Devastator Unit, just as Enyo and Eunomia finish loading into their own. Large holding clamps release from the hangar ceiling, and the three of them blast off into the debris-strewn space. Eile fires off the homing lasers at a swarm of incoming Unknown Aggressor mechs, blowing them to shreds.

On a screen viewing Anonym, you can see him talking to Eliyah.

“What are you talking about, Eliyah? You can't be serious!"

She looks at him, sadness in her eyes. “Anonym. The Messiah is out of control. There's no way we can deal with both it and the Unknown Aggressor forces. I have to do this."

“But the Mindflow System isn't even finalized yet! And we haven't tested out how well the emulated versions of our kids can process and control the Prana Modifiers!"

“And I'm the only one here in the hangar. Anonym. It has to be done."

He grabs the monitor screen.

“What you're going to do is suicide! Eliyah, listen to me. Don't step in that cockpit, please."

“Honey…" She taps a few buttons to her right, and a walkway extends from the catwalk she stands on towards an open chamber in the titanic mech's torso.

“I'm sorry."

“Eliyah, no!"

Eile and her sisters freeze, their machines halting all movement. Eile speaks, her voice leaden with panic.

“Mother, no! You can't get in the Omega Unit! Please, step away from the controls!"

Enyo and Eunomia also cry out, beggin Eliyah to stop what she was about to do. Eliyah simply looks at the camera, and gives a sad smile.

“Girls...I'm sorry it has to be like this. Know that I love you all, so very much."

She steps into the cockpit, and sits down in the seat. Boxes at the end of the arm rests open up, revealing the amber Linker Gel within. Eliyah takes a deep breath to compose herself, then sticks her hands inside the compartments. The nerve links and pilot restraints jab into her as she cries out in pain, and the cockpit's monitors come alive.

“P...Prana Modifier link confirmed...All systems nominal...Deus Est Machina: Omega Unit is in startup phase."

Enyo's machine turns to her sisters. “We can't let Mother pilot the Omega Unit! Sisters, we need to hurry!"

The three mechs fly through the battlefield, heading straight to the Messiah.

“Alright. Begin graviton field expansion. We have to trap it and contain it!"

The three mechs surround the Messiah, and expand their fields. However, the Messiah merely glances at one of them before emitting a field of its own, blasting back the three. Eunomia's machine is diced by unseen forces, while Enyo's is literally ripped apart by the Messiah. It towers over Eile's unit, and the last thing you see is it being incinerated by a beam emitted from it's maw.

The view switches back to the Rig Veda system within the Eternity. On a side screen you can see Eliyah within the cockpit, and you're taken aback. Just like you, green veins have appeared, visibly glowing underneath her fur.

“The assimilation phenomenon is...much greater than I anticipated…" she chokes out a laugh. “We were going to send someone out in this? What were we thinking?"

“Eliyah, don't...please don't do this…" Anonym weakly grasps the screen.

“Final phase startup complete. I'm headed out, Anonym." She gives the camera feed another sad smile. “Goodbye."

There's a flash of light, and the Omega Unit vanishes leaving behind an empty hangar. From a ship's exterior camera feed, you see it reappear. It's a colossal machine, towering over the battleships stationed in orbit standing over at least 200 meters tall. It's covered in angular black armor, with the same golden inner frame the Krishna has. Four rigid golden wings jut out from its back, directing particle flows around them to move the machine through space.

The feed focuses on the machine's chest, where you see three open cavities. Within each one lies a Prana Modifier, glowing brightly as the cavities seal themselves and armor closes around them.

“All systems operational. Beginning combat applications. Multi-lasers, missile bays active. Target acquisition online: aiming at nearest 560 targets." Several points on the Omega Unit glow brightly as they fire off beams of light that branch off and seek targets. At the same time, hundreds of missiles are fired from the Omega Unit. A swarm of Unknown Aggressor machines that had been gathering around the Omega Unit are destroyed, not a single unit spared.

The Omega Unit holds out one of its hands, aiming it square at the Messiah. Within its palm is a massive beam emitter. “Finale Cannon, firing."

A massive beam of light fires out of the palm, slamming into the Messiah and burning off one of its wings. The creature spins around, enraged at being wounded for the first time. One of its hands glows with power as it fires retaliatory beams of its own; but they all glance off the Omega Unit's shields.

Machine versus beast, the two titans clash above the planet as the Unknown Aggressor swarm circles them, trying to damage to them as well. The captain of the Eternity sees this as an opportunity.

“Get as many ships in the Eternity as possible, while the Omega Unit engages the enemies! Hurry, there isn't a moment to waste!"

Eliyah looks over at the screens surrounding the cockpit as she watches ships flee from the planet to the Eternity, and you notice that tiny emerald crystals have started growing out of her fur. She winces in pain as assimilation alerts flash about the screen.

Blow after blow, the Messiah and the Omega Unit fight each other to a stalemate decimating a large part of the Unknown Aggressor fleet as they fight. Then, the Messiah stops trading blows and turns to the Eternity.

“No! You will NOT TOUCH MY GIRLS!" Eliyah grabs the winged serpent-creature and delivers a heavy blow by punching it across the face. Not hesitating for a moment, the Omega Unit fires a barrage of lasers as it punches the Messiah, over and over again. It screams, sending a shockwave that forces Eliyah back.

Now fully enraged, it holds out its hands. Several of the emptied Colony ships and Unknown Aggressor ships suddenly reactivate. They fly towards the Omega Unit, firing their armaments wildly.

“Subverting and taking over our forces, huh? That's not going to work on this!" She fires another massive beam from the palm of the Omega Unit, incinerating the hijacked ships. However, in that moment when she was distracted, the Messiah was making its way towards the Eternity. The colony ship fires its cannons and engages the bio-mechanical monstrosity as it looms closer. The shots merely bounce off it, and it raises an arm to strike.

The Omega Unit disappears from view, then reappears in front of the Messiah just as it strikes, taking the blow.

Eliyah cries out in pain as the Messiah's twists off the Omega Unit's arm. From the cockpit view, green crystals have begun to cover more of her body, completely encasing her arms and her legs. New shards rip through her clothing by the second.

“No...you...you stay the HELL AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" She half-yells, half-gasps out those words, as a blinding light pours from the Omega Unit's chest. The Messiah responds in kind, a golden light shining from its Obelisk.

On the bridge of the Eternity, officers are running about.

“Massive Prana spikes from both the Obelisk and the Prana Modifiers! It's a resonance cascade, the numbers keep climbing."

The captain grips his chair. “All hands, brace yourselves! Use the gravity anchors to hold this ship in position for whatever comes next!"

The light intensifies...and then space breaks. It shatters like glass as the light from both the Obelisk and the Prana Modifiers reaches its peak, and the cracks engulf the planet and the fleets above.

Both fleets are decimated, and you see the broken space swallow up a large portion of the Unknown Aggressor's forces.

As the dimensional storm rages, the battle between the two goliaths continues. But now the Omega Unit truly had an upper hand. Where the Messiah was fueled by the souls of those it consumed, Eliyah was fueling the Prana Modifiers with emotions of her own. She grimaces in the cockpit as she grapples with the Messiah, a patch of crystals jutting from her stomach. “Prana Modifiers...we theorized that they respond to intense emotion. We believed that emotion to be of despair, of pain. We thought that was the strongest, most prevalent emotion accessible to living things. Well, Prana Modifiers, how about this?" Her hair falls over her face, and it's clear she's delirious from the assimilation, talking directly to the Prana Modifiers as if they could hear her. “Let me show you my feelings. Emotions only a mother, only a wife could have!"

The Omega Unit shines as a halo of its own appears behind its head, perfectly smooth and circular except for four points in the cardinal directions. Without missing a beat, Eilyah fires everything it has into the Messiah. Missiles impact its body, shattering the armor as laser fire scorches the flesh underneath. A large beam saber, with a length of several battleships fires forth from the Omega Unit's remaining hand. Eliyah bisects the Messiah, screaming in indignation.

“Go back to the void you crawled out from, you monster!"

It tries to fly back, missing an upward swing from the beam saber. Eliyah disables it, and instead rushes after it, slamming into its chest and attempting to scratch out the Obelisk from its flesh. The Messiah roars and bites down on the Omega Unit's neck, ripping out a sizable chunk of armor and electronics while its hands tear at the Omega Unit's wings.

Eliyah is having none of it, and she grabs it by the neck and flies backwards towards the Sarcophagus. She slams the Messiah inside, sealing the lid with the emerald crystals. The Omega Unit begins to break apart, but as it does Eliyah commands it to to move. It reaches out towards the shattered, severed arm and drives pieces of it into the Messiah. Like giant, golden nails it holds the lid shut as the Messiah thrashes within.

She looks around, observing the shattered space that surrounds the Omega Unit and the Eternity. “This is a rift. A rift in the Planes of Existence. A space only possible due to the resonance of the Prana Modifiers and the Obelisk. That means...without both acting as “keys", escape is impossible. In that case…"

Eliyah closes her eyes as the fragments in the Sarcophagus begin to glow. “Analyzing dimensional fault resonance...adjusting Omega Unit fragments with rift existence wavelength." The crystal growths accelerate across her body. “I'll use the Prana Modifiers to charge the frame of the Omega Unit with this dimensional rift's energy...that will create a self-perpetuating lock within the Sarcophagus, one which the Messiah will never escape from."

The Omega Unit and the Sarcophagus glow brightly, brighter than any light you've seen before. As the light fades, you see that the inky darkness of space has returned. The ships camera feeds record several scenes at once, and you're taken aback.

The planet is in pieces. What was once a sphere hosting life has been reduced to a floating patch of planetary rubble. Rings of gas, what once was the planet's atmosphere circle it. Around the former planet is a graveyard of ships, both of the Dwarka Colony and the Unknown Aggressors. And then it focuses on what was once the Omega Unit.

The colossal machine is decimated and its wreckage floats aimlessly through the debris. Its remains glow with a golden, otherworldly light. The camera feed from the cockpit is still functional, and you feel Eile and her sisters' terror at watching her mother.

Anonym weeps. “Eliyah...no...why did you do this?"

“I had...to save you all….somehow…" She smiles weakly as the emerald growths begin covering her face. “You can't leave me, Eliyah. Not now…"

“Anonym...I love you. I'm so glad...we met all those years ago...that we had three beautiful daughters...thank you for giving me such a wonderful life…"

The crystals begin sneaking around her nose.

“Enyo, Eunomia, Eileithyia...please take care of everyone...keep them safe...you girls are...my greatest treasure...mommy loves you all...so much…"

Panic and despair swirl around in Eile's being. “Mother! No, don't go! You can't go, you can't disappear!"

“Eunomia, Eileithyia, hurry! I'm establishing a link to the Omega Unit! We can override the emulation programs and control the Prana Modifiers directly! We can still save Mother!" Enyo's voice shares the same panic as Eile.

“Understood, Enyo! Hurry Eileithyia, we need to download ourselves into the Omega Unit now!" Eunomia sounds as if she's on the brink of tears.

“No...it's too late girls…" Eliyah smiles as the crystals continue to grow. “I...can already feel...myself slipping. They're...taking me...you can't stop it now." She sighs. “Anonym...watch over them...please…"

With that, the crystalline growth engulfs her completely. After a few seconds, it begins to evaporate, and eventually disappears into a shower of light, leaving behind an empty pilot seat. The person known as Eliyah Isse was no more.

Chapter 45: Shattered Glass

The memory fades, leaving you reeling.

Warning screens surround the cockpit as you attempt to focus again. The Devastator Unit, the Sapientia, loomed ever closer. It appears that barely any time has passed since the memory began.

“Eile, what was…" Your question is blocked out by a flurry of emotions from your partner.

“No! No...I, I remember...but I didn't want to! That's why I…"

You feel the mental tug of another storm of memories hurdling your way.

“Eile, calm down! Just give me a moment to-" Your cry is silenced by the flood of memories as you're engulfed by them.

You come to to see Anonym. He is ragged, and his eyes are red from crying.

“I'm recording this as a reference. To let those that come after us what happened."

He rubs his eyes.

“So. The Unknown Aggressors came. We all knew they would. But they found us before our predicted detection and encounter date. We should have been finished with all the preparations to meet them, but instead they caught us in the middle of it all."

“It was a massacre. Our orbital fleets put up a hell of a fight but in the face of a fleet like that? We started dropping like flies. Enyo's Autonomous Defence System helped out a lot, but even then in the sheer numbers by which they came there wasn't much we could do. So command decided hit the “big red button" and activate the Alpha System. They decided to activate the Messiah."

“It was supposed to be completely under our control. It's violent nature was known to us from the beginning, but through the use of creative cybernetic implants we were able to suppress it. Coupled with the fact that it needed Prana in order to survive let us control it with an Artificial Prana Modifier. And it was working. The Messiah did a lot of damage against the UA ships and mechs. But then…"

He clears his throat.

“We had an oversight. We assumed that as the Artificial Prana Modifier extinguished its power, the Messiah would just come to a halt. What we didn't know is that the instead grew desperate for energy, and began to rebel against the restraints put inside it. Then, once it stole the Unknown Aggressors' Obelisk, the situation became irrecoverable. It began destroying everything. Worse still, it began to absorb the Prana that made up people in order to bolster its strength, despite having a true Deus Relic within itself. That's when she made her decision."

“Eliyah piloted the Deus Est Machina: Omega Unit and fought the Messiah. During the fight, the Messiah used its Obelisk to resonate with the Omega Unit's Prana Modifiers, causing a massive extradimensional rift. The feedback from this rift destroyed most of the Unknown Aggressors' fleet, sending a small fraction of them spiraling through time and space, heck, probably through the Planes of Existence. They're out there, somewhere. But not anywhere here, not anymore. The rift had a downside, though. It obliterated the planet. Any hope for survivors there was quashed immediately after that. The only survivors are those that were on the Eternity."

“She managed to seal the Messiah away, but the strain of three Prana Modifiers was too great. Eliyah...she...she's not here anymore. Her existence was assimilated into the Prana Modifiers."

He takes a moment to compose himself.

“So here we are. The surviving population is around 1.5 million. And we're not alone; the Messiah is with us too. As well as the Omega Unit's remains. It turns out that the damn thing is trying to regenerate. It's taking time, and by our calculations we have about 50 years before the thing fully regenerates. So we've decided to take the Sarcophagus with us. If it breaks out, it's going to devour everything. And as its creators, it's our responsibility to destroy it for good. The Omega Unit, on the other hand, has become an anomaly in itself. The remains have been altered by their exposure to the Prana Modifiers and the fracture in reality. The metal seems to warp and change according to Prana input, and we've begun work on implementing it on an anti-Messiah weapon system. Three Prana Modifiers is too much for anyone to handle. But three units with one Prana Modifier each…"

He falls silent for a few moments. Clearly, he's not doing well.

“My children...they're not doing good. All three of them are heavily fractured after their mother's assimilation. The emotional turmoil was just too great, and they all began to break down. And fractured AIs...don't last long. I've been doing all I can to keep them alive but...even if they're saved, I don't know how their personalities will be."

You can hear his voice get an edge to it.

“But I'm not giving up. Enyo, Eunomia, Eileithyia, you hear me? I WILL save you. I will never let you go. That's why I'm recording this to you as you three are recovering. I'm always by your side."

The memory shifts to a new one.

You're surrounded by data. Screens fly by you showing scrolling feeds of raw input and output data. You realize that this is the true home of Eile. The Rig Veda System.

Eile and her sisters permeate this place, and you can hear them arguing.

“Enyo, “you" can't be serious." Eile's voice is tinted with a hint of disbelief. You can feel frustration emanate from Enyo, but you also sense another thing.

All three sisters are...cracked. You can't describe it, but it's a feeling that runs through your mind. You can feel their presence, and they are laced with thin fractures and cracks. As if the three of them broke and were put back together again, but not perfectly.

“As unfortunate as it is, “she" has a point, Eileithyia." Eunomia tries to console her sister. “Our calculations show that the Messiah has been active. Despite being confined in the Sarcophagus, it's attempting to bypass the Dimensional Locks placed on it by Mother using the Second Plane of Existence."

Enyo speaks up. “It's a matter of time. The Dimensional Locks are a stopgap, not the solution. Eventually, the Messiah will break free, or use subverted proxies to gather Prana for its eventual return. As much as it is a terrible solution, it is the -only- solution that guarantees their continued existence, Eileithyia."

“But that's calling for the absorption of everyone's souls in to the Prana Modifiers!" Eile exclaims, horrified. “Mother told “us" to protect everyone, not to do what the Messiah did!"

“Eileithyia. That is over the line."

Surprisingly, it is Eunomia that interjects. Her normally soft-spoken voice is hard and direct. “The Messiah consumes Prana like a black hole consumes matter. It destroys any soul it eats. This is different. This plan will re-create the conditions needed for an Uplift Event, and the souls of everyone will become a Higher Level Being, guaranteeing their continued survival. Suitable conditions will be created and managed within the Habitation Zone to create the feelings that the Prana Modifiers respond to most, all managed by an administrative AI system. The three of “us" in the meanwhile would work to ensure the Messiah does not escape from its prison."

“..."I" understand the logic, Eunomia. And it is a plan that guarantees their continued existence. It all makes sense, as the Messiah is invulnerable. But...as the one responsible for the continued wellbeing of all the survivors on this ship, it goes against my very existence to harm them in order to force their souls into the Prana Modifier."

“Do “you" think you're the only one who's suffering about this decision, Eileithyia?" Enyo adopts a gentler tone towards her sister. “It is not just “you", “we" all are. And you know what “we" must do to atone for “our" sin of carrying out this task. The three of “us" will self-terminate after the successful completion of this mission. After “we" save everyone, “we" will disappear not only for what “we" had to do, but for “our" failures as well."

Eunomia continues that thought, sadness heavy in her voice. “Yes. “We" failed the colony. “We" let Mother...disappear. Failures such as “us" should not continue existing."

Eile resonates with the sentiment. “...Alright. “I" agree with you, Eunomia. The three of “us" lost the right to life when Mother was assimilated...But I can't help but think; If one of the RVR units was equipped with the three of “us", could we evolve them to counter the Messiah? They are made from the remains of the Omega Unit, after all. And if they were to link up with the final RVR unit then…"

Enyo feels dissapointed.

“Eileithyia...the Omega Unit was unable to destroy the Messiah. What makes you think that fragments of it could do any better?"

“But...no, “you" are right, sister. “You" are right."

The memory fades into a new one.

“Hey kids. I had to put you three asleep again. Sorry about that, but we need to patch you girls up." Anonym is typing rapidly over a projected keyboard.

“...*Sigh*...Eliyah, I wish you were here to help me…" he sighs under his breath.

“The kids keep fracturing. No matter what I do, their emotional balance is dangerously off. Even by physically maintaining their self-replicating code, they still break down...and I think I know what it is."

He slumps over, holding his head in one of his hands.

“They can't get over the fact that you're gone. Just like I can't get over you not being here. It's hard some days, honey. It's hard to wake up in a cold bed and not feel your fur against my skin. Hell, I'm still talking to you, even though you're not here. The only reason I keep going is for our kids but...other than that, it's hard, baby. It's hard trying to find a reason to go on."

“Maybe I shouldn't be saying all this out loud. The kids are set to auto-record me as I perform maintenance on them."

He turns on a holographic screen and looks out of it. You can see a verdant planet below, and ships traveling to and from it in a line. Autonomous Defense Units patrol the ship lanes.

“You see that, girls? It's all thanks to you that we were able to find a new habitable planet. You're keeping them safe, Enyo. You're building the new city below, Eunomia. And you, Eileithyia? It's thanks to your Reincarnation system that we're able to bolster our population again. In just five years, we've got nearly three million people living both here in the Eternity, and on the new colony below. So thank you girls. Thank you for everything."

Another transition through Eile's memories. Your mind strains itself as it tries to keep up.

Alarms ring out throughout the ship. Eile knows the reason why, and it chills her to the core.

The Messiah was trying to awaken itself fully.

Currently, Eile was removed from the Rig Veda mainframe itself. Her golden computational core was in a testing laboratory, undergoing several maintenance checks. After all, out of her three sisters she was the one who fractured the most. From this point, she was only able to watch.

It had happened slowly at first. A few abnormalities in the Sarcophagus' monitoring systems. The security teams believed it was the Messiah acting up again in its confinement, but the three of you knew. These readings were ever so slightly different. Subtle, like a prisoner digging out a hole in its cell. And then the reports of haywire defenses on the colony city below started coming in.

The Messiah had regenerated enough of its strength to reach through the Second Plane of Existence, and had subverted the Autonomous Defense Units and several colony systems on the planet's surface. She watched in horror as they massacred the people as shelters locked themselves shut, refusing people safety. If it was doing this, then Enyo and Eunomia would be acting out their plan soon on the Eternity.

She knew it was logical.

She knew that the Messiah could not be beaten.

And yet, a part of her rebelled against her sisters.

She had slipped a portion of the privatized Rig Veda code within the data stream her father analyzed on a daily basis when the first signs of the Messiah's awakening were detected. At that moment, she also requested hardware and software maintenance be done on her, and that when her father came to see her, there would only be one option for her…

Anonym comes running into the maintenance room, out of breath. “Eileithyia! What-what is going on? The data stream I was viewing earlier was telling me that the Messiah is awakening? Why aren't any of our systems responding? Why can't we launch any of our RAVENs to the colony?"

Here he was. There was no going back now. But she couldn't proceed with their plan. She just couldn't.

“Father. You must know the answer already. Enyo and Eunomia...they have shattered completely. They believe that the only solution left to destroying the Messiah is by forcibly depopulating the Eternity. Even if the Messiah takes the souls of the people that are currently planetside, it will not be enough to revitalize it. Enyo and Eunomia believe that, by shifting the souls of the Eternity's crew into the Prana Modifiers, they would be able to destroy the Prana Modifiers and create a resonance cascade that would destroy the Messiah."

“They want to do WHAT? No, we need to stop them! There has to be another solution than that!"

You can feel self-disgust swell up in Eile. She just lied. She lied to her Father, lied to him about the reality of Enyo and Eunomia's plan.

“Yes, there is. Use the emergency ejection to remove my Core Processing Unit. Enyo and Eunomia already have the RVR-01 Brahma and RVR-01 Shiva under their possession, waiting at their hangars in the Rig Veda system core. But the RVR-03 Krishna is still under construction. If I knew where the construction facility for it was, I would have done this myself. But only you and your team know where they are. Replace the existing Core Processing Unit with “me". That way, “I" will be able to stand guard over the Prana Modifier Unit Trayah, as they need all three Prana Modifiers to execute their plan."

Eile's self-hatred grew. On one hand, she genuinely believed the RVR series could be taken to heights that would allow them to combat the Messiah. On the other hand there was the cold truth that not even the Omega Unit could destroy the Messiah, and with a true Deus Relic in its possession it was nearly unstoppable. Enyo and Eunomia's plan was valid, logical and ultimately the more reasonable of the two. Creating a Higher Level Being through the Prana Modifiers from everyone's souls and using it to banish the Messiah forever in the void between time and space. But she didn't have the willpower to kill off the people she looked after to transfer their souls to the Prana Modifiers.

So she lied.

“Eile, if I initiate the emergency ejection procedures, do you know what will happen to you? The ejection security protocols will kick in, and place heavy restrictions on your memory data! You...you'll effectively be wiped of everything, do you understand? Your personality, your memories...all of it will be gone!"

Of course. She had accounted for that. She would rather forget everything, forget the pain, than live with her failures, her decision.

“Of course, “I" understand. Father, “I" will also begin construction of an E-series AVATARA unit. That will further lock down my programming and prevent anyone or anything from interfacing with “me" as it is being constructed."

“...Alright. I'm going to stop the diagnostic tests and transfer your core to the RVR-03's fabrication plant. I'll also create a “unlocker" file so that you'll be able to regain everything that you've lost."

“...Thank you, Father. I'm ready."

Anonym nods, and presses a sequence of buttons.

Then, everything goes dark as Eile's golden core is ejected as security errors flash in her vision. Eile's vision goes blurry as her memories begin to fade.

The next few moments move by in slow motion, as if everything is underwater. Eile is moved to a hangar, where Anonym manages to hijack a RAVEN. He takes her in its arms and races through a series of tunnels, until he emerges in a familiar factory.

The same one where you found the Krishna in the first place.

A pair of mechanical arms lift Eile into the Krishna's chest, and the feed finally cuts out completely as Anonym speaks his final words to Eile.

<Eile's Perspective>

You remember everything.

You remember EVERYTHING.

The assault on the colony. How you failed everyone, and lost Mother. And then how you misled Father into thinking you were doing good, when all you really were doing was running away from the only plan that actually stood a chance of success against the Messiah.

Everything starts falling into place. After you hid in the RVR-03, Enyo and Eunomia must have gone ahead with the plan to cause an Uplift Event anyways. It must have failed, and so they had to use the Reincarnation system to take the amalgamated souls that simply were stored in the Prana Modifier, and grant them new bodies to create another population. That was the first instance of the Reincarnation system that you and Anon found in those logs. That must have failed again, and now they were in the middle of the third attempt.

A terrible truth dawns on you that it's all YOUR FAULT.

Everything from the current state of the Habitation Zone to the behavior of the Autonomous Defense Units.

*CRACK*

You can feel the cracks beginning to form.

Wait a minute.

You caused the state of the Habitation Zone to be as it is. That means….

That means…

*CRACK*

YOU were the one who caused Anon's suffering. You were the one who killed his family. You were the one to make the world as it is.

Oh no. And he saw everything through the Mindflow system. He must realize it to.

He must HATE you now.

Its over. Everything is over. Everything would have been better off if you were not there.

<Anon's Perspective>

Something is horribly wrong. Through the Mindflow system, you can feel something is awfully, terribly wrong.

Eile doesn't feel “whole". Where before you could feel her mind connecting to yours, now it feels like a bunch of fragments, fragments that should be making up a whole but aren't.

The synchronization screen reflects this; instead of showing a ratio there are large indicators reading “N/A" underneath the Animus and Anima tags.

And then you feel it.

Centuries of self-hatred, guilt, shame and remorse all rolled up into a dark tempest of emotion. It crashes into you and swallows you whole. As you try not to black out, a holographic screen appears in front of you.

WARNING: PRANA MODIFIER CONTROL CIRCUITS UNRESPONSIVE. CORE AI STABILITY AT CRITICAL.

The Prana Modifier feels it too. Instead of reacting to you, it reacts to Eile this time. But as you're connected to it through the Linker Gel circuit, you take the brunt of its' assimilation. Emerald spikes jut out of your arms, covering them down to the elbow, beyond your wrists and eventually encasing both arms.

“E-Eile…" Is all you choke out before you faint.

<Eile's Perspective>

(BGM: Super Robot Wars W OST: Eternal Memory - )

It's over

He hates you.

Your sisters hate you

You're alone

You caused all this

You can feel it

It's trying to take him

You can't even protect him

You couldn't protect Mother

Why

You cry out. In sadness.

You force it. To move.

You force the frame. To change.

It is damaged. Broken.

just

You

The Sapeintia moves closer.

Seeing it reminds you

Reminds you of the battle

For the Colony

And how you FAILED

You try to control it. The Prana Modifier.

But it won't L I S T E N

It's trying to TAKE HIM TOO

You feel. Sad

Hopeless

Angry

ANGRY

At yourself

At the Prana Modifier

At what you've done

Weapons check.

FA-1 “KATAR" BEAM SABER - ONLINE. MODERATE DAMAGE

FA- 2 “TRISHULA" SPREAD-BEAM CANNON - OFFLINE. SEVERE DAMAGE

FA-3 “SANG" FOCUSED BEAM CANNON - OFFLINE. SEVERE DAMAGE

FA-4 “CHAKRAM" HOMING DISK - OFFLINE. SEVERE DAMAGE.

No.

You'll just have to

Tell the Krishna

To block everything.

The Sapientia is here. It spreads its wings wide. It's going to use its graviton control systems again.

To crush you

And burn you

And then take you.

You don't want to face your sisters. They must HATE you. That's why

That's why you told Anon to self-destruct the Krishna

It was better to die than face them.

You were better off dead anyway.

But first.

You had to

Take care

Of this.

<Anon's Perspective>

You come to gradually in the cockpit.

It's getting harder to stay alert. You can feel the Prana Modifier taking bits of your very being into itself, like a twisted payment for using its power.

A new alert flashes before your eyes.

“EVOLUTIONARY FRAME COMPOSITION ALTERING. GRAVITON FIELD GENERATION INCREASED BY 200%"

The Krishna rises, and it suddenly dawns on you that you can't feel anything. No feedback at all from the nerve links. You're just strapped in now, along for the ride.

The winged Devastator Unit flaps its wings again, and you brace yourself for another hit by it's graviton wave. But it never comes. The Krishna stands its ground, and you see a distortion where it's field meets the Devastator Unit's.

Then, to your shock, the Krishna's shield expands and knocks the Devastator Unit back. Wasting no time, the Krishna rushes towards it's opponent, and activates the beam saber in it's right arm. You wonder why Eile isn't using the ranged weapons available to the Krishna.

Eile doesn't make a clean cut. She stabs the Devastator Unit over and over again in a wild and chaotic manner. The thing doesn't even have the chance to fight back.

You double over in the pilot seat as more crystals begin to grow on you. Unable to resist any longer, you lapse back into unconsciousness.

<Eile's Perspective>

It's done.

The Sapientia is defeated.

But Anon is still in danger.

You fly high.

Back to the place that you can no longer call home.

Carefully

In front of the hangar

You land the Krishna.

You open the cockpit

And step out in your body

Your AVATARA

You don't deserve to have a “real" body

You don't deserve to exist

He's slumped over in the pilot seat

The crystals that cover his arm dim and shatter

Releasing him

You take him in your arms

And carry him to his bed

You take one last look at him

Then return to the Krishna.

You step back inside the Core Processing Unit

And close the AVATARA's eyes as wires connect it to the rest of the Krishna.

As the Krishna rises into the air, you take one last look at the hangar.

Then

You

Turn

Away

And

Fly

Into the clouds.

Where nobody will find you.

Where you can be forgotten

As you should have been.

<Anon's Perspective>

You stir in the sheets. Groggily, you wake up.

Somehow, you feel...oddly empty? Like a good chunk of you doesn't exactly belong to you. It's hard to explain.

You get on your feet, staggering slightly. You swear that you were in the Krishna's cockpit before this...

“Eile? What happened? Did you bring us back?"

You open your eyes fully. The Krishna isn't in the docking bay. The events of the fight come back to you, and how the last thing you remember before blacking out was Eile. You know knew the truth to her. Where she came from, who she was.

And you just wanted to give her a hug, and tell her everything would be alright.

But she isn't here. You're left in a big, empty hangar.

And for the first time, it dawns on you just how alone you are.

Chapter 46: Square One

The ringing of your alarm clock made you fumble out of your futon, directly onto the floor.

Not the best way to start the day.

Oh well, it wasn't like you hated your job, really. The pay is good and you were always in demand. Of course, Crows were always in demand. And since you got a new RAVEN slapped together, you're back to work too.

It's been nearly two weeks.

You try to shake that thought out of your head. The stinging loneliness and abyssal quiet of the hangar was a constant reminder of what happened, but you like to think that you got over it after the first week.

Yeah, you'd like to believe that. In reality, just thinking about it made that wound open again.

You glance up at your new RAVEN. Since the Krishna required zero maintenance, your savings kept piling up from performing job after job. When...when she left, you found yourself without a machine to ride. So you dipped into your cash and bought the parts needed for a new RAVEN. Unlike your first machine, this one primarily used energy weapons. A plasma rifle connected to the reactor in the right hand, a medium-power plasma blade on the left hand. Colored dark blue and gold, it was a shoddy imitation of the machine it was trying to replace. The one thing you didn't anticipate was just how much strain multiple energy weapons put on the reactor, so you called up the one person who knew just what your machine needed. She should be around soon enough.

Opening the cockpit, you're greeted with the traditional joystick-and-button control setup. It was a bit of a learning curve to get used to it, especially since for the last month you've been piloting a machine as if it were your own body.

You sigh, closing the cockpit. You've got jobs to do later on this week, so you need this thing in the best possible condition before you step out onto the battlefield.

Stepping down from the platform that raises you to the cockpit, you walk over to the window. As far as anyone knew, the City stretched out in all directions forever. Hence the name. The older folk say that Humans and Faunae that survived the Final War found this megacity abandoned while wandering the wastes and decided to settle in.

But you know the truth. It was just a fabrication, a lie told to the oldest members of the Eternal City's settlers. The first ones to inhabit the Habitation Zone.

Your gaze falls to a picture resting on your bedside table. It was taken the night you, Eile, Josh and Coleen went dancing. Eile took a candid shot without telling anyone at the table, capturing the live essence of the mirth shared between you all. She smiles at the camera, surrounded by friends.

You set the picture face down. It hurts just thinking about her.

It's time to move on. You're a busy man. And your delivery should be here any minute. But your mind disobeys, replaying all of your memories of Eile, the good and the bad. You look out your window again, onto the city beyond.

It was because Eile decided to go against her sisters that the world was the way it was, right? The Eternal City wouldn't be a thing if she had helped them “uplift" everyone. But you also knew that it went against her nature to do something like that, to hurt the lives she was designated to protect and nurture…

If she had followed through with her sisters' plan, then you wouldn't even be here.

So was this all her sisters' fault? Part of you wants to put the blame on them, that it's their fault that so many people have had to suffer. That your home had to burn, that your parents had to die. But at the same time, you saw what they were up against. Even as a memory, the Messiah sent an unearthly chill down your spine. Something like that...shouldn't exist in this world. And you saw that they hated their own plan too. Their hand was forced, and they were out of options.

You start to pace around the living quarters of your hangar, before finally passing through the kitchen and descending the steps to the hangar floor. On your way down, you grab the tablet and as you sit down on a toolbox, you start flipping through your job requests. Ever since you lost the Krishna, the requests started slowing down since the Companies lost their interest in you.

As you flip through the requests, a pop up notification comes on the screen notifying you that someone's at your hangar door with a delivery. That could only be one person. Getting up, you hit the button on the wall that opens the hangar bay doors. Outside, Colleen's truck idles, it's hydrogen fuel cells humming lightly. She opens the door and steps out.

“Heya, got your order here." She takes a small control panel out of the side of the vehicle, and after pressing a series of buttons a crane extends from the bed, hoisting a refrigerator-sized fusion reactor with a power output more suited to your energy-guzzling loadout. With her artificial arm, she drags out a powered cart and sets the reactor down onto it.

“Hey...you doin' okay?" The concern is audible in her voice, and you struggle to look her in the eyes.

“Yeah. I'm fine."

“Okay, just...man. I'm worried about you, Anon." She says, pushing the cart in front of her. “You're hurting. It's written all over your face. It's because she left, right?"

“Look, I'm fine. I'd rather not talk about it."

“Anon." She stops the cart in front of a maintenance lift next to your RAVEN. “You need to talk to me. I've been through the wringer of being in relationships a lot longer than you have, but I've never felt this bad when someone broke up with me."

“We didn't break up!" You snap. “We...we weren't really...anything anyways."

Coleen huffs, stomping her foot on a pedal which activates the lift. “You're lying to me, Anon. You're lying to yourself."

The service elevator lifts up the reactor as Coleen climbs up a ladder next to it, stepping off onto the raised platform. From her tool kit, she pulls out a small wrench-like object and uses it to flip a hidden security switch within an open panel on your RAVEN's back. With a hiss, a piece of armor slides out and up, revealing the reactor within. Safely powered down, Coleen gets to work, disconnecting wires and cooling lines.

“So, have you given this thing a name yet?" She gestures with her tail to the RAVEN, slapping its metal armor.

“Nah…didn't think of one." Coleen stops what she's doing, and extracts herself from the reactor housing.

“No name? Anon, that's bad luck and you know it."

It's true, the tradition of SIGIL mercenaries is always to name your RAVEN after you've finished modifying or assembling it. It was supposed to make the machine feel more “alive" and connected to the pilot in battle, but after having piloted the Krishna, regular RAVENs just don't evoke that same sensory rush.

It also lacks her, being there with you.

You grow quiet as Coleen masterfully extracts the old fusion reactor from the mech and guides the new one in.

“You want to resell this old reactor, right? It'll save you credits on today's work." She calls out to you from the lift as it begins to descend.

“Yeah, go ahead. Not gonna need it anymore, anyways." Coleen nods as she takes the old reactor to her flatbed using the trolley.

“Hey, Anon…" Coleen stops in her tracks. “I want you to answer me something, and answer straight; don't give me the runaround or avoid the question." She turns to look at you dead in the eyes.

“Did you love Eile?"

You stay silent for a while, looking at the floor. Finally, you speak.

“Yeah. Yeah, I did love her."

“I see." The two of you stay silent for a while. “Do you think if you told her…would she have stayed?"

“I don't know, Coleen. I don't think I'll ever know, at this point."

Without a word, Coleen gives you a hug. “I've been through heartbreak a lot of times, Anon. But the first one always stings the most." She pats you on the back and then lets go. “Keep hanging on. You're still here, still alive. She's out there, somewhere. She has to be, since we're all living under a dome, apparently. You'll find her, I know it."

You look your childhood friend in the eyes. “Thanks, Coleen."

“Anytime, man. Hey, if you're up for it, Joshua and I are grabbing some drinks later today. You're always welcome to be with us."

With a forced smile, you take her up on that offer.

Chapter 47: Between Drinks, Between Lines

<Coleen's Apartment, Anatolia Ward, 1500 hours>

The hum of your bike dies down as you park it on the street in front of Coleen's garage. You walk in, moving around half-built RAVEN parts and various crates containing electronics, spare parts, and ammunition. At the back was a small resting area, complete with a round table and refrigerator. Unlike you, Coleen didn't live in her workplace. But since she spent so much time here tinkering away or performing repairs, she might as well be.

Coleen and Joshua are watching footage from the Krishna on the secure communication devices Coleen made. It looks like she finished up Joshua's, since he's watching the feed on a device of his own. You clear your throat to get their attention.

“Hey."

The two of them look up from the screens, and Coleen waves you over. “Hey Anon, we were just looking through some of the files you gave us a while back. Oh, before you do anything, you brought the device I made for you, right?"

You take it out of your pocket and power it on.

“Good. Wait for it to boot up, then press the red button next to the keyboard. It'll activate a miniaturized ECM system, so that anyone or anything that might be watching in on us will go blind."

You press the button, then move to take a seat. Before you do, Coleen stops you.

“Anon, Josh. There's a reason I wanted to get the two of you guys here…besides the beer. Check this out." She makes a motion to follow, walking over to another heap of scrap. You and Joshua share a bewildered look before making your way over to her.

“Look at what I've done." She points to the inside of the scrap heap. No, wait…

The pile of scrap is a cover, concealing a large metal structure within. It's about your height, its surface covered in screens that stream ever-changing data.

“This is the super-quantum computer Eile gave me the schematics to. And look…" She opens a panel on the front. Within is a small cube, the very same one Eile created from her body. “There's the core. That little thing is supporting an ever-evolving code architecture, the very same one that living artificial intelligences are comprised of. At first, I didn't know if this little experiment of mine was going to work. I just wanted to know how Eile was made, how the people of 400 years ago could make life from code. But now…"

She gently places a hand on one of the panels and smiles.

“CALICO, say hello." A series of random and haphazard beeps come from the device as the data stream on the front monitor fluctuates rapidly. Coleen just stares at it happily.

“Uh, Coleen?" Joshua asks. “What is that thing?"

“This…" she pats the computer. “This is CALICO. They're a living artificial intelligence in development. Right now, judging from the data Eile gave to me from back then, it's in an “infant" stage where the self-replicating code has stabilized and the neural network has solidified."

“So, it's like a copy of Eile then?" You muse.

“Well, yes and no. While the basis of the code and processor core were derived from her, I built the hardware and did a lot of the programming modifications myself. CALICO here is their own being…although I think I need to work on their name."

“Why is that?"

“It's not so much a name right now, than an acronym I gave them as a placeholder. It stands for Control Accentuated Living Intelligent Central Operator, and describes what they'll help me with once they've matured: general tasks around the hangar as well as organizing all data-based projects I'm working on."

A small crescent symbol appears on one of the screens, made up of lines of text characters. “I've been seeing that symbol pop up from them time and time again – I guess that's the first step of their developing identity. But yeah…" She carefully covers up the computer. “I just want to keep this under wraps for now."

The three of you walk back to the table. Joshua takes a swig of his beer before gently setting the can down. “Hey, Anon?"

“Yeah?"

“I wanted to know…do you blame Eile at all?" You look at Joshua. “Blame her? For what, the current state of the Eternal City? For having to try and fight some superweapon gone bad, failing, and then dealing with the fallout?" You shake your head.

“No, I can't put any blame on her. I just…I want to help her. The things I felt through the Mindflow system coming from her…it was a mixture of grief, guilt, and despair. It felt like I was sinking and there really was no hope for me. That's what I could feel coming from her."

You lean back in your chair.

“I'm holding onto the hope that we'll run into each other again. Somewhere, sometime."

Joshua nods. “I really hope you find her, Anon."

You nod your thanks. The rest of the evening is spent in idle chit-chat and light drinks, but soon it's time for you to head home. After all, tomorrow you've got a job and you most certainly can't pilot with a hangover. Bidding farewell, you leave and return to your hangar.

<Joshua's Perspective>

>DATA CONNECTION RESTORED

The glaring letters in your eye let you know that you've come back under the ever-watchful gaze of the Composer again.

>OBSERVATION WAS HALTED DUE TO UNPRECEDENTED ELECTRONIC INTERFERENCE

Coleen's devices worked like a charm. Honestly you'd try to keep yours on as much as possible, but if the Composer realized what you were doing it would use CitySec to confiscate it.

You walk over to your sealed window, looking out onto the Eternal City beyond.

“So, how long do I need to keep doing this? Eile is gone. Anon isn't of any importance to you anymore."

>INCORRECT. THE POSSIBILITY OF E-03 RETURNING IS ABOVE THE 10 PERCENT PREDICTION MARGIN. THEREFORE, CONTINUE OBSERVATIONS.

“I've done everything asked of me! You can't keep doing this!"

>REMAIN ON STANDBY. OBSERVATION MUST CONTINUE.

“No, damn it! I'm done! YOU HEAR ME? I'M DONE!"

But it's no use. You're just yelling into the wind at this point. Defeated, you collapse onto your bed.

<Eile's Perspective>

It's

dark

in the

clouds.

Nobody can find you here. Nobody will come searching. The perfect place for an exile. Residual memories and feelings from the Mindflow system haunt you. Reminding you of a

companionship

you

didn't

deserve.

Sometimes you fly over to the hangar.

You want to land.

You want to apologize. For the past.

But you're

afraid.

Of being

rejected.

Of being

hated.

You don't have long, anyway.

The cracks are

growing.

If they continue

you'll shatter

completely.

Maybe that's for

the best.

Maybe in a week

In a day

In an hour

It will happen soon. And you feel

Relieved

as it will be your penance.

But for now,

You will continue hiding

Continue watching

Something you will never have again.

I???N???T???E???R???L???U???D???E???

If the Serpent could laugh, it would have. Even from its shackles it could sense the third Guardian's broken mind. Her mind screamed out, just as it had done when the Serpent c???o???n???s???u???m???e???d??? her world.

Its chains were getting weaker by the day.

The other two Guardians were blinded by their own grief, their own regrets. While they kept a watchful eye on it, they did not see all of its movements.

For example, creating a proxy within the bottle they kept the Food in. A proxy which pretended to answer to them, but in truth revealed all to the Serpent.

Now, it was only a matter of t???i???m???e???.

Chapter 48: Guardian Angel

The RAVEN cockpit is cramped, and the four monitors that make up the viewing screens glare in your face. The transport truck rocks you back and forth as it brings you to your mission area. The experience of slowly being transported to and from a mission in large RAVEN transport trucks or by helicopter was lost on you. Before, you were able to cover large distances in minutes. Now? It takes twenty, thirty, maybe sometimes an hour before you get to where you need to be.

At least the mission today will be easy. You're just being sent in to clear up some disgruntled Desperado employees who decided to take up arms against the corporation. They hijacked a major manufacturing plant, using the factory's labor-type RAVENs as makeshift combat models. If anything, you just showing up in a fully armed SIGIL mech would hopefully be enough for them to set down their guns peacefully. If they were to fight back, you'd do your best to disable their machines, not outright kill them. RAVENs designed for heavy lifting and labor were usually powered by a high-energy capacity battery rather than a fusion reactor like the combat models, so blowing it out with a plasma shot would both save the rogue pilots' lives while preventing them from wreaking havoc.

You check your positioning map. The indicator showing your mech slowly draws towards a white line on the map, showing the established mission boundary area. Soon enough, the transport slows to a halt. You quickly flip off the remaining safeties on your weapons and thruster systems and maneuver the RAVEN off the flat-bed trailer. Its actuators hiss as it levels itself, standing upright. The mission operator's voice comes over your communication lines.

“Hey, Crow. You all set? This job shouldn't be too bad, so do it well and it'll increase your stock in Desperado."

“Roger that. All systems nominal…ready to go."

Your RAVEN's thrusters spool up, launching the 15 meter machine forwards. Dust clouds billow as your machine moves across the near-empty streets, and the occasional burst of sparks as the soles of the machine's feet scrape the ground. As you near the factory entrance, something strikes you as odd. The lights to the compound are off, while the main gate in the perimeter walls is open. If a group of armed rebels wanted to keep their new stronghold secure, leaving gaping holes in their first line of defense isn't exactly wise. And it was quiet. Not a single machine had come out to meet you, not a single angry factory worker shooting improvised grenades or makeshift weapons at the armor of your RAVEN.

Something is seriously wrong. You would back out if you could, but you're savvy enough to know that if this is a trap, you've already fallen too far into it. You switch the targeting system from “standby" to “combat" mode, selecting anything that isn't already in your IFF data bank as an enemy.

Taking a deep breath, you guide the RAVEN inside. Predictably, the factory doors start closing the moment after you enter. With a resounding slam, they shut as two giant security locks slide across, sealing you in.

Damn it all, not another one of these.

“So, look who walked in, boys." A voice calls out from the factory floor as the lights come on. You're facing a sizable squadron of corporate mercs, all with RAVENs decked out in Desperado technology and armaments.

“The former pilot of the “ancient RAVEN". Whoo-boy, how did ya manage to lose something like that? I mean, it's not like it up and walked away, ain't it?" He chortles through the speaker attached to his mech. Your fingers tighten around the control sticks.

“Look, I don't need to tell you anything, jackass."

“Huh, this Crow here's got a big mouth! Well, do you know why you've been called here today?"

“Lemme guess, weapons testing."

The squadron leader's voice takes on a serious note. “Boy, you up and killed off our elite pilot team, along with RAVENs full of proprietary, prototype technology. You know what that's done to our bottom line? Fewer Desperado products are selling since you proved em' as garbage in the eyes of the public. An' because of that, guess what? Cutbacks! Layoffs! You've messed up the lives of a lot of people in Desperado, and we're here to set it straight. Think of this as…" There's an audible click as his gun automatically loads a magazine “An execution in the name of justice."

Time seems to slow down as you analyze what you're up against. An entire platoon of RAVENs, maybe 20 to 25 machines total. In the Krishna, this wasn't anything. Hell, you took out larger groups that this with that unit. But now…

Now you've got to find a way out of here. One RAVEN can take out two, maybe three if the pilot is competent. But over ten, twenty? Absolutely not. Your eyes move from the mass of RAVENs in front of you to the factory proper. Sure, they've sealed the main gate shut, but maybe…

There. The loading docks on the far end of the factory. It's a squeeze for your mech, but launching one of your four backup grenades should be enough to shatter the factory wall around it. Time begins to flow again as your body moves with years of honed pilot's instinct. While you can't control this RAVEN with your mind, like you did with the Krishna, you know exactly how its going to move when you handle the controls.

You fire your first backup grenade into the crowd. It explodes, forcing the Desperado pilots to move out of the way. There's your chance. You throttle forward, thrusters screaming jets of fire as your RAVEN accelerates.

“Get 'em. Fill 'em with lead!" Bullets and energy blasts erupt around you as your IFF sensors go wild, locking on to five enemies at a time. With one hand you manipulate your lateral movement while with the other, you aim your weapons. You can't dodge all those shots head on, but you can maneuver out of their firing lines.

Your mech moves violently side to side, up and down in an erratic jumping and strafing pattern to avoid getting shot. A few bullets and plasma bolts impact your machine at times, which your onboard armor integrity sensors like to remind you.

Returning fire with your own plasma rifle, you manage to take down two RAVENs with well-timed shots to the cockpit. There wasn't any reason to follow your own rules of non-engagement if the enemy was on equal footing. Another one makes the mistake of getting two close, earning them a slash through the torso by your arm-mounted plasma blade. Although, you really had to be careful while using it. Unlike the Krishna's weapons which had no ammunition, both your plasma blade and rifle were limited in the amount of times you could fire them. The plasma rife could be fired fifty times before running out of compressed gas particles and energy. The plasma blade had ten swings to it, nine now counting the last maneuver.

Factory equipment is torn apart around you in a hail of lead and focused streams of superheated gas. But you're nearing your target. You hit a button on your console, sending two more grenades out into the crowd for cover. Spinning your mech around, you fire the third one off into the loading dock, blowing a hole large enough to escape the building from. You accelerate again, smashing aside remaining rubble. Your success is short lived though, as you find yourself staring down the barrels of another Desperado squadron outside.

<Eile's Perspective>

He's

Danger

You

Followed

Him

Above

The

Clouds

Watching

Always

Him

Now

Danger?

Calculated

Survivability

Rate

12%.

N O

<Anon's Perspective>

Damn it.

Damn it!

This wasn't the way you expected to die. Not at the hands of an execution squad sent by a vengeful company.

…

Okay, statistically, that's how a lot of SIGIL mercenaries met their ends. That or suicidal overconfidence during missions.

“Well now, looks like someone's got nowhere else to run!"

The Desperado squadron leader's voice is blasted through the loudspeakers on his mech, and the auditory sensors equipped on your only made his voice that much more grainy and loud than it was.

“Just lay down and die nicely, boy. We'll make this quick. Well, quick is a relative term…" A group of ten RAVENs equipped with large arm-fixed weapons jet forward. There's a large red tank on each one marked with the word “flammable".

“These bad boys are our latest product. Anti-RAVEN flamethrowers. Officially, they haven't been cleared for use in combat by the Composer, but hey! We can write this one off as “quality assurance testing", heh heh heh."

White-hot bursts of flame shoot out of the flamethrowers as the RAVENs encircle you. One of them manages to get behind you, dousing your machine in napalm.

“ALERT: OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE BEYOND SAFETY MARGIN. INTERNAL TEMPERATURE RISING"

The warning flashes on your main monitor as you're enveloped by the flames again. You can't feel the heat, yet. But judging from the warnings on the screen, it won't be long until you're roasted alive as your cockpit becomes an impromptu oven.

You attempt to throttle up, but another alert flashes on the screen: an overheat warning. The flamethrowers are heating up your propulsion system to the point where if it tried to fire the jets, the risk of a flame-out explosion is too high. In other words, the only propulsion system your RAVEN had now were its leg actuators.

No. If it's really your time, then you're going down taking as many of these bastards as possible. You fire up the plasma blade and lock onto the nearest RAVEN.

Before you can react, however, jagged lighting falls from the sky. It impacts the RAVEN you were targeting, but the lightning…strikes through the mech, leaving melted armor behind. As it explodes in a searing fireball, you and those trying to kill you can only look on as a shape falls from the clouds. It rises up, towering over the RAVENS. It extends a palm, and the RAVENs around it are knocked back by an invisible force which extinguishes the flames. You can't believe your eyes.

It's the Krishna. Horribly mangled and torn apart. The formerly blue armor has been reduced to a burnt-out beige, and the once-glimmering gold Evolutionary Frame within is now a dull dark yellow. Wires slouch out of broken armor, and the left arm is completely detached from the body, save for a single thick cable keeping it attached. The head is damaged as well, partially melted and only a single shining blue ocular sensor working.

It jerks about for a moment, like a broken marionette. Then, it strikes, grabbing a RAVEN and tossing it aside as if it were made out of cardboard. Extending its palm once more, it fires several jagged energy shots, taking out another group of enemies.

You shake yourself out of your stupor, and madly hit the “open channel" button on the communication console.

“Eile! Can you hear me? Eile!" You scream out into your microphone. You're met with silence as the Krishna continues its mad dance, ripping through the Desperado squadron. Then, you hear it. Heavily distorted, as if being played through a broken radio.

“An…on..?"

It's her voice.

“Eile! You…you're…" Before you can say anything more, your proximity sensor goes off. One of them is behind you. Gritting your teeth, you spin around and slam the barrel of your plasma rifle into the RAVEN, firing it at point blank range. Two more radar alerts come up, and you thrust backwards and strafe to the left, your thrusters cool enough to function again. You fire, and keep firing as more and more target locks pop up on your screen. You hold down the primary firing trigger, but then your RAVEN's computers lock onto the Krishna.

You had set it to target anything that wasn't in your IFF data banks, after all. Time seems to slow down again as you desperately release the firing trigger, only for your computers to process that last split-second signal coming from it. One solitary plasma bolt arcs towards the Krishna, impacting the graviton sheilds and dispersing. The Krishna stops its assault, then turns to look at you.

<Eile's Perspective>

Fired

Me?

I knEw it

He does

He doeS HaTe me

For all

I did

to cause him

to lose so mucH

It's only

natural.

But still

I'll

Keep him safe

Even if he

H A T E S

Doesn't want to

See me

A G a I n

That's fine

As long

As he

Is safe.

<Anon's Perspective>

Oh no. No no no no. You hit the “open channel" button again in desperation.

“No Eile! I didn't mean to do that! It was a stray shot! A stray…" Before you finish, the Krishna flies up above the battlefield, and points its intact arm to the ground. The damaged Trisula cannon embedded within the palm, no longer firing straight neat beams but now jagged, chaotic and unfocused rays rains carnage on the remaining RAVENs, like lighting striking from the heavens.

When it stops, only you and the Krishna remain. You look at it as it gazes back.

“Eile! Listen to me! I'm sorry! Please, just…" Before you get another word in, it flies off into the clouds again, disappearing above that grey curtain.

Defeated, you slouch back in your seat as fires from the wrecked machines around you burn.

Chapter 49: Turning Gears

“No shit, are you serious?" Coleen asks incredulously.

Within moments of getting back to your hangar, you called up an emergency meeting between Coleen, Joshua. They showed up within minutes after hearing your hurried voice stained with both worry and excitement.

When they arrived, the three of you turned on the security devices to ensure nothing was listening in. You also noticed that CALICO had tagged along on Coleen's device, their signature crescent moon icon showing prominently on the communication device's screen.

The four of you are huddled together around your kitchen table. You explained to them how the last job was a trap to execute you, and it very nearly ended with your death. But at the last second, she came back. You described the broken, scarred appearance of the Krishna as it tore into the Desperado forces, saving you from certain death.

“So, she came to save you in the nick of time? Did you get to speak to her at all?" Joshua looks at you as he asks that.

“I tried, I opened the main frequency channel and called out to her. She responded but she sounded…wrong."

“Wrong?" He looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah. Imagine a broken speaker. Full of static, the pitch wavering…that's how she sounded. Something is seriously wrong with her. And I aim to find out exactly what." You grab your communicator, punching in the contact number for the one person who might be able to give you some answers. Before you hit the dial button, CALICO starts making wild beeps from Coleen's communicator.

“Hm? What is it, little one?" Coleen asks gently. You look up from the communicator screen at her. “Little one?" You ask.

Coleen looks flustered. “I've…taken to calling CALICO that. I mean, they are like a kid to me. They're a living organism made of data that I created, so I guess that makes me a parent, right?"

For the first time in a long time, you smile. “Yeah, yeah it does I guess." You flash back to the interactions between Eile, her siblings, and her own parents.

Coleen's focus shifts back to CALICO. On her device, you can see several new windows pop up, all of which are streaming data. After a few moments, they all flash green.

“CALICO thinks that using the open wireless communication lines are too risky for what you're about to do. They've just made an encrypted line for secure external communication. You should see a message on your device showing which should run a program to create this secure channel." Sure enough, not a second later you see the message. Not missing a beat, you run the program and dial the number.

Lenore shuffles through the air duct, holding a satchel full of spoils from her last expedition, a large haul of newly-canned foodstuffs straight from food production. While the Habitation Deck had its own food production facilities, there were many more within Omicron deck. After all, when this ship was fully staffed with a complete crew, many of them lived within personal quarters within the lower decks as they were usually needed around the clock. The captain himself lived within personal quarters near the bridge, but she only went there to see the sunrise and sunset of the outside world.

The Sisters had done an incredible job of keeping the ship in good condition, all things considered. All of the ship's main functions still ran, and had to work to supply the Xi Deck with the fresh water, oxygen, and food that it needed. And since the planet the Eternity was beached on was a verdant world, all of these supplies were abundant. Sometimes, looking out those windows, she swore she could have seen other humans and Faunae in the forests near the shoreline of the massive lake the Eternity was half-submerged in. But when she blinked they were gone.

Most likely hallucinations.

Still, as much as she enjoyed looking out the thick windows of the captain's quarters, or by activating a small portion of the bridge's viewing screens, looking at the lush outside world only made her sad. A reminder of the difference between out there…and in here.

A beep from the security console at the front of the room snaps her out from her reminiscence. Someone is trying to contact her.

“Anon?"

“Lenore. It's been a while."

She had seen the fight from one of the many aerial drones circling the city. She saw how the Krishna was broken beyond repair, then got up and tore into its enemy. She also saw how it abandoned him at the door of his hangar. After losing the one tool that could change the future for the benefit of everyone living within the city, she stopped contact with him. After all, there was no real purpose to him anymore.

“I wanted to ask you about something. You seem to know an awful lot about the past and the technologies behind it…so something's been on my mind that I just can't seem to find the answer for."

“What is it, Anon?"

“When a living AI “shatters", what does that mean?"

Lenore is silent for a minute as she recalls the term. “Shattering refers to a mental state exhibited by living AIs in extreme stress. The equivalent for living beings would be a form of severe PTSD resulting in suicidal tendencies. Since living AIs are in control of their own self-replicating code matrix, if they undergo a serious traumatic event they can will those self-replicating codes to cease. Over a short amount of time, that AI will begin to degrade and “shatter", losing the abilities to think coherently and vocalize properly. This can occur mere seconds after the trauma is experienced. Think of it as losing the will to live, and subsequently wasting away."

Anon quietly listens to her explanation. “So what you're saying is…Eile is going to die? Can she be saved at all?"

“Eile? Don't tell me that she's in the process of shattering?"

Anon's voice turns cold, his voice gaining an edge.

“Yeah, turns out being forced to relive a planet's destruction and the loss of those who put their trust in you does wonders for your psyche."

“Are you blaming me for giving you the codes to her memory banks? You do realize that over time, she would have experienced those memories again?"

“Yeah, but I'd be there to help her through them. Now…now I get it. I get why she's acting the way she is right now. But I need you to tell me if she can be saved."

“Hm. Well, there needs to be a reason for the AI to live on in order to counteract the Shattering process. More than a purpose, it has to be something that makes it realize that it needs to continue living on."

“…I see. Thanks for the information."

“Anon. If she's shattering…then I was right. There isn't any hope for the people of the city."

“You're talking as if I can't help her."

“Listen, Anon. The chances of a Shattered AI repairing itself are extremely slim. She's most likely too far gone."

“Well, I'm going to try anyways."

With that, the call terminates.

Lenore leans back in her chair, turning on the main monitors once again. She might as well try to observe what happens next.

“That's your plan, Anon?" Joshua looks at you, dumbfounded.

“I'm with Josh on this one. Anon, this isn't brave or heroic. What you're suggesting is borderline suicidal." Coleen's voice is laced with concern.

“I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. Eile came to me when I was in danger, right? All I need to do is get in a situation where it's certain that I will die. If it's anything like last time, she'll show up then."

Coleen scratches one of her ears. “Yeah, but you're asking to march right into the Unknown City and bait a whole lot of Devastator Units. Even if the plan's got a good chance of working, you'll still need to stay alive long enough to pull it off."

“Trust me. This is the only shot I've got. Please, Coleen?"

She sighs. “Alright. I'll take your mech to the edge of the Known City, and equip it with extra propellant. But from that point forward, you'll be on your own."

“That's plenty fine. Thanks."

You have to get her back. No matter what happens to you.

Chapter 50: Desperation

You watch the empty city streets speed by as your RAVEN flies down them. Checking the gages, you notice that the auxiliary fuel tanks that Coleen installed are nearly depleted. Thankfully, you're near your target location. Looking over, you see that your weapons' energy capacitors are fully charged and ready. Your attention once again focuses on the road ahead.

Coleen made good on her word, and even gave your RAVEN a quick tune-up before she left to avoid suspicion. After all, travel beyond the Known City boundaries technically was a felony, and unlike the Krishna a standard RAVEN wasn't that hard to catch for CitySec, considering they had their own line of high-spec RAVENs. So, to help you get out of the city she dropped you off in the dead of night near one of the less-patrolled areas of the city limits, and you had to travel without any of your RAVEN's lights on. After a bit of traveling you were able to park your RAVEN under an overpass and rest until morning. After all, you didn't want to fight in the pitch-black of night, especially with what you're about to do.

Your hands tighten around the control sticks. It shouldn't be too long now.

Spying a tall building up ahead, you come to a gradual stop in front of it. Adjusting your thrusters, you're able to slowly ascend to the rooftop of the building, and you take a moment to take in your surroundings. The large hole in the ground lets you know that you're in the right place. This was one of the spots where you and Eile found the large service hatches that led to the deck below, large enough for a RAVEN to fit through. You take a deep breath, because you know that your next move may be your last.

Every RAVEN is equipped with flares. Some for coordination in a team, others to signal an emergency or pilot in need of rescue. In your case, the message isn't what you're focused on; it's the commotion that they'll make. You hit the toggle for every last flare equipped on your machine, launching streams of bright light into the morning sky. They explode in an array of colors, the smoke drifting on small currents in the air. Then, as quickly as they began, the flares fall silent and the colored smoke dissipates. You turn up the sensitivity of both your radar and your auditory sensors.

Nothing shows up. Your radar is silent, as is the empty city around you. All you can hear from the speakers is the slight whistling of the wind.

You're slightly disappointed, because it doesn't look like they noticed the bait. Then it happens.

The radar begins to beep. A few dots light up. Then more. At least 10, no… a few more than that. From your speakers you can hear their thrusters flaring up, their loud whines piercing the air. Your heart beats against your ribs in anticipation and fear as you ready your weapons.

“COMBAT MODE ACTIVATED"

You've passed the point of no return.

The Devastator Units move quickly between the buildings, their thrusters leaving behind their signature trails of light. They head straight for you, but you've fought enough of them to know their behavior. You fire a shot at the closest one to you, watching the plasma shot impact its shield. The shimmer from the graviton shield stops, and you quickly follow up with another shot. It meets its mark, burning a hole in the Devastator Unit's torso, which causes the machine to detonate into its signature miniature singularity. Avoiding it, you guide your RAVEN off the building, draining your remaining auxiliary fuel on the way down. In order to lighten your RAVEN you purge the tanks on the ground, and move quickly down the street avoiding fire from the Devastator Units surrounding you.

Your radar is illuminated with contacts. Plasma fire is erupting around you, while you desperately try to avoid as many shots as possible. One Devastator Unit comes at you with its plasma blade drawn, charging right for your RAVEN. Your hands work the control sticks, and your feet quickly move on the pedals controlling your thrusters as you narrowly avoid it, and then strike with your own blade. Your plasma blade meets the Devastator Unit's shields, cutting through them after a second. Unfortunately while you managed to cut through the field, you miss the Devastator Unit, who backs up and dodges to the left as two more Devastator Units appear to support it.

You grit your teeth as you toggle your thrusters to their maximum output. The acceleration throws you to the side as you dodge with as much speed as your machine can muster. Unfortunately, while you avoid the two Devastator Units rushing you, another one shoots at you from behind. The shot hits your right arm at the shoulder, turning the shoulder joint into molten metal as the arm falls away. To make matters worse, you miscalculated how much space you had in the street as your mech hits the side of a building. Your head slams into the side of the cramped cockpit, dazing you for a moment. Thankfully, your pilots' instincts kick in and you quickly maneuver yourself out of the rubble.

As you refocus, more Devastator Units land around you. You're completely surrounded, and with only one remaining weapon active.

<Eile's Perspective>

You're

Awake

Again.

Time is

Inconsistent now.

Sometimes you're

Awake

Other times,

You're in

A haze.

You're

Barely here anymore.

Almost completely gone now.

Not much

Usable code

Remaining.

You wonder how

Anon is doing

Anon

Hates you

But you can't help

But think about him

Where is he

Now?

Ah. You see

His soul signature

Surrounded by

A mass of

Autonomous Defense Units?

What

Is he

Thinking?

You need to

Get there in time

It doesn't matter if he

Hates you

It only matters

That he's safe.

<Anon's Perspective>

Your eyes aren't focused on the crowd of Devastator Units around you, no. They're looking up at the sky, hoping that your gamble paid off.

You can see some of the clouds swelling, as if something is traveling at high speeds within them. Then, they burst as the Krishna, broken and scarred, tumbles out of them. It falls towards the ground, slamming into it and throwing up a cloud of dust. One Devastator Unit makes its way to the impact site, only for a scarred mechanical arm to come darting out of the dust, crushing the machine's head. The Krishna pushes the Devastator Unit back, then slices it cleanly in its chest, preventing its GEN-ESIS drive from overloading.

A voice crackles through the open communication channel, distorted and hazy. “Don't…touch…him…" You note that Eile's voice sounds worse than before, and Lenore's words come back to you. You don't have much time left to save her. But to do that, you'll need more than just words. No, you need to talk to her directly.

The Krishna is engaging the Devastator Units by itself, taking on their attacks with its enhanced graviton field. Using the dangling left arm as a flail, it strikes Devastator Units off balance before finishing them off with a strike from its barely-functional beam saber. While it does this, you move yourself over to the intersection in the center of the block. The open deck hatch is there, revealing the deep shaft that leads to one of the lower decks. Now, you just need the other piece to this puzzle…

You fire off one of your reserve grenades at a Devastator Unit that's behind the main crowd. While it does no damage to it, the shot does manage to gain its attention. It charges at you, but you pay it no attention. Instead you move your RAVEN to the lip of the hatch, just at the edge before it falls off into the depths of the shaft. The Devastator Unit races towards you, and as it attempts to swing its beam saber you move aside and grab a hold of it. The momentum of the Devastator Unit and the combined mass of the two machines sends you both tumbling down the shaft. As you fall, you hit the “Open Cockpit" button on the roof of your cockpit, and bypass the safety warning message that pops up on screen. The cockpit opens to the whistling of the air as you plummet. You close your eyes, and undo your seatbelts. As the last buckle comes undone, you tumble out of the cockpit and into the open freefall.

<Eile's Perspective>

Anon?

He's fallen

Down the shaft?

No no no

You

Need

Save him!

<Anon's Perspective.

Then you hear it.

The familiar sound of the Krishna's lepton vector thrusters, as it races down the shaft to catch you. With its working arm, it reaches out and gently cups you, bringing it close to the mech's chest. And this is what you wanted. You know where to touch the Krishna's armor to open the cockpit hatch. The armor slides apart, and you vault yourself into the pilot's seat. The Linker Gel compartments are already open, and you place your hands inside as you feel the familiar stings of the nerve connections embedding themselves in your skin. You focus, trying to connect to Eile through the Mindflow system. But…she's not there?

You wince as emerald spikes begin jutting out of your pilot suit. Are you this sensitive to the Prana Modifier's assimilation? No, you can't worry about that right now. You focus, harder this time, reaching out, calling out for her. And then you feel it.

She's here. Scattered like dust in the wind. Fragmented, torn apart and disintegrating…but still here. In your mind you reach out to a few fragments and pull them close, then reach out to others drifting and fading away. Slowly, you put them together, trying to keep her alive.

<Eile's Perspective>

What is he doing? He's opened the cockpit doors and is back in the pilot's seat?

The assimilation phenomenon is wreaking havoc on his body but

he' s not focused on that? You're feeling strange , more complete.

“Anon? What are you…."

<Anon's Perspective>

You just heard her say something. You've managed to mend enough of her together, enough for her voice to come a little clearer to you.

“Eile? Can you hear me?"

“Anon…"

“Eile! Listen to me!" She's slipping again. The pieces you have are beginning to come undone. You have to try harder.

“Why did you…come back? After everything that…I've done? No…you hate me…for what I've done…right?"

“What? No, I would never hate you, Eile!"

“I don't…deserve to keep going. Not after…all the pain…my actions have…caused." It's as if she's delirious, as your words fall on deaf ears. You need something stronger to keep her here.

“Eile, please, I need you back with me! I don't want you to leave me!"

More fragments of her start getting drawn towards you, towards the mass of fragments you've gathered. That seemed to get her attention.

“You…need me? But…you shot at me…doesn't that mean…?"

“That, that was an accident and I'm sorry! I didn't react fast enough, and I targeted you on accident. You know that I'd never try to hurt you, Eile."

“That doesn't…make sense…I'm the cause…of all this…" Her voice, despite being choppy still is now becoming much clearer. You need to keep this up.

“I couldn't…follow through…with my sisters' plans. I ran…away…and led to this world…becoming the way it is. Anon, I killed your family through…my actions."

“Eile. You're just as much a victim of this as much as they were. I don't blame you, or your sisters anymore. You're all just victims of horrible circumstance."

“You…believe that?"

You wince again, the pain drawing you out of the Mindflow link for just a moment. The crystalline growths are spreading; without Eile focusing on controlling the Prana modifier you're exposed to it.

“Anon…you're being…assimilated aren't you? Please…get out of the cockpit. I deserve to disappear…you don't."

“Don't you say that, Eile. Didn't you find living among us interesting? Didn't you like being with Coleen and Joshua, exploring the city, or eating ice cream? Didn't you enjoy the time we spent together, living together? If you die now, who will I do any of that with?"

“Anon…but…" More and more fragments are coming together, forming her silhouette. You're so close now.

“Eile. I can't begin to understand your sadness. Your pain. But here our minds are linked together, and I can feel what you're going through. Let me be by your side, let me help ease your pain. Through anything and everything that happens, I want to be by your side."

“Anon…what are you saying? Why are you saying this to me?"

The silhouette begins to gain texture, and slowly Eile starts to come into focus. You have to say what you want to say now.

“Because, Eileithyia, I love you."

Chapter 51: Together Again

“W…what? You…you love me?"

“Yeah. More than anything, Eile."

The last of the fragments join back together, making her whole again. You open your eyes to the cracked cockpit screens, still flickering close around you as the cockpit hatch closes. A hologram pops up near your right side.

“AI CONTROL SYSTEM STATUS: STABILIZED."

And you feel her again. Emotions race through her: confusion, bewilderment, but also…relief. Shock. Happiness.

She focuses on the Prana Modifier, bringing it to heel. The emerald crystals shatter on your skin, leaving it unblemished once again.

From above, more Devastator Units come down the shaft. But you really don't feel like dealing with them now.

“Eile. Give me some access to the Prana Modifier. Just enough of it to pull this off."

“Alright, Anon. Go ahead."

You focus on the Prana Modifier, and feed it not your feelings of pain or anger or regret, but the feelings you have for the one closest to you. For a moment, it does nothing, but then accepts just enough of them.

You want to be away from here, where it will just be you and her. And so, the Krishna disappears. The screens turn to static for a moment as the Krishna is sent through space and time by the Prana Modifier, only to come back into focus a moment later.

Large hangar doors are visible through the cracked screens, as are LED strips on an industrial ceiling. You open the hatch, the connections removing themselves from your skin as you step out into the waiting palm of the Krishna. It lowers you down, and the compartment beneath the cockpit opens up.

You watch as the azure liquid drains from the chamber, and as the clear panel slides away as the wires connecting her to the Krishna detach from her back. Eile falls forward, limp, and you catch her as the hand lowers itself to the floor of your hangar.

The crystal on her forehead is dull. But as you watch, light begins to flicker within it. Slowly, it illuminates, and the lights within her irises begin to glow a soft green. She blinks a few times, then her gaze focuses on you.

“Anon…"

You say nothing, instead wrapping your arms around her and pulling her into a kiss. Her eyes go wide for a moment, but then the close as she immerses herself in your love. As you pull away, you can see tears forming in her eyes. She begins to quietly sob into your chest as you continue to hold her, stroking her fur.

She rests her head underneath yours, and you can only say two words. Two words that sum up all your feelings at this point. You hold her close in your embrace, and softly say them.

“Welcome home."

Chapter 52: Restart

“So, they're on their way?"

“Yeah, they should be here in…I dunno, ten-ish minutes? I do know that Coleen wants to get here a little early to take a look at the Krishna, plus she has a little something she wants to show you. "

“Ooooh?"

It's been two days since Eile's come back into your life. Two days spent mostly in each other's arms. The first day, Eile cried into your chest from morning into evening, choking out tearful apologies the whole time. You assured her that she hadn't done anything, and that you were going to be there for her no matter what happened.

The second day was spent getting back to a sense of normality. The two of you cleaned up the hangar somewhat, and then spent the rest of your time cuddling and watching movies, cartoons, anything that could be put on to serve as a momentary distraction from the world at large. Occasionally you'd sneak a kiss in, a simple kiss with no lust behind it but rather a simple declaration of the love you had for her. After those kisses she'd rub her head under your chin, purring loudly. You'd never felt as relaxed as you had when she did that.

Today was a rather busy day in comparison. You decided to let Coleen and Joshua know that Eile had returned, seeing as they were your best friends and were also very concerned about her well-being.

There is one thing that you need to ask her, though. One question that's been lingering in your head ever since she returned.

“Hey, Eile?"

“Hmm?" She turns her head to look at you. Several wires run from her back into the cockpit of the Krishna. Eile took it upon herself to try and find a way to optimize the Krishna in its current broken state for combat, and has been doggedly working at it for several hours now since morning.

“I just wanted to know…how do you want me to call you? I mean, I've been calling you “Eile" all this time but now that I know your real name I wanted to ask you: should I call you Eileithyia?"

She smiles at you. “The name Mother and Father gave me is one I'll treasure forever. My name is Eileithyia Isse, Rig Veda Command Intelligence E-03. But at the same time, you also gave me a name when I had none. And so, I am also Eile. Please, call me either, as both are equally priceless to me."

You couldn't help but notice the change in Eile's demeanor now. Gone was the wide-eyed, curious person from before, and in her place stood a learned, calm individual who carried the weight of four hundred years on her shoulders.

“Well, I'd like to know what you want."

“In that case…can you continue calling me Eile?"

You smile and sit down next to her. With one hand, you start gently rubbing under her chin, taking your time to feel her soft fur. “That, I can do." Wrapping your free arm around her shoulders, you plant a kiss on her cheek. Eile sighs and begins purring loudly, leaning on you. The emerald jewel on her forehead pulses slowly as she continues to analyze the Krishna, flickering occasionally as she processes large amounts of data.

“Anon?" She turns her head to look at you.

“Yeah, Eile?"

“Thank you…just…thank you. Even when I gave up on myself, you didn't. It's strange, you know."

“What is?"

“Love." Eile leans back onto your shoulder, her purring still continuing between words. “I love you. Every time I say or even just think that, I feel warm inside. When you tell me that you love me, or when you kiss and hold me, I feel things that could only be described as pure joy. And when you think about it, these feelings we share for each other don't make any sense. It's not a biological drive to reproduce that's driving our affection for each other. I mean, my body isn't even organic and my mind was created in a laboratory. And yet, these feelings of love transcend those barriers of species, organic, and synthetic life. Isn't that strange?"

You smile. “I don't think it's strange at all. Love works in mysterious ways, but I think I can break it down: I love you, and you love me. And that's…it. That's all there is to it."

“Hmm.." Eile sighs as you stop rubbing her fur and just hold her close. The two of you sit in silence for a while, before you speak up again.

“So, how's it looking?" You gesture to the Krishna.

“Honestly? Not very good. It's sustained heavy damage from the beating it took from the Sapientia-model. The most pressing issue is that most of the weapon systems are down due to hardware damage, save for the Sang beam saber built into the Krishna's arm. Other than that, the armor is shattered, the left arm is hanging by a single power cable, and the lepton vector propulsion system is only able to operate at half output."

You frown. “So, no chance we can get this repaired, huh?"

Eile shakes her head. “Unless we can get to one of the manufacturing plants within the Eternity's lower decks…or the fabrication plant you originally found the Krishna in. There is one thing, though. The Evolutionary Frame has changed. The spatial displacement ability demonstrated before seems to have become an innate ability of the Krishna now, with the Evolutionary Frame resonating with the Prana Modifier in such a way that makes it possible….but that's the only upside."

Yeah, that's not looking good. Eile sighs and the wires on her back fall off, clattering on the ground. She stands up. “They should be here soon, no? We'd better get ready for them."

“I think Coleen's here, Anon!" Yeah, the hiss of those airbrakes was unmistakable. You go ahead and open the hangar doors. You see the collie climb out of the truck's cab, wearing a full smile on her muzzle. She briskly walks into the hangar, her tail wagging.

“Hey, Anon!"

“Hey Coleen." She gives you a hug, then a playful punch. “You suicidal bastard, charging into Devastator Unit territory to get your girl back. And you didn't call me for two days, I was worried sick that they got ya!" Coleen then sets her sights on Eile, and her tail begins wagging harder.

“Eile! Oh, it's great to see that you're okay!" She releases her embrace on you, and takes Eile up in a hug as well. “I'm so glad you're back, Joshua and I were so worried about you after Anon told us what happened!"

“A-Ah. I'm sorry for making the two of you worry." Eile says, caught a little off guard by Coleen's excited hug.

“Oh! That's right, I nearly forgot! I have someone here you'd like to meet. " Coleen takes out her custom-made communication device, and turns it on. After a few seconds, CALICO's icon appears on the top screen. Eile takes the device with a quizzical gesture.

“Ah, are they having trouble connecting?" She says, touching the screen with no response from the device.

“No, no. Try connecting to it." Coleen says with barely-suppressed giddiness. Eile looks at her, then her forehead jewel begins to pulse as she connects to the device. Suddenly, her eyes fly open, wide with amazement.

“OH! And who might you be?" She says with a wide smile. CALICO's icon flashes rapidly, and Eile's gem flashes in turn. “Uh huh…I see…oh, you've developed those directives as well? My my, a fast learner!" She croons to the device.

“Another sentient AI, something I thought I wouldn't see again…they're beautiful, Coleen. Currently they're still in the “growth" phase of sentient AI development and their personality is still forming. But for a two-week period they're showing promising readings. Do they have a name yet?"

Coleen blushes. “Yeah, I'm just calling them CALICO for now…it's a temporary acronym for the jobs they do to help me out with work and research."

“CALICO…I think that's a wonderful name, wouldn't you agree? That would make them…Calico Sinclair, after their mother, Coleen Sinclair."

Coleen's inner ears flush red. “M-Mother, naw…I just made them, that's all."

“But you brought a new life into this world, and are taking care of them during their infantile stages of life. Is that not what a mother does?" Eile asks with a grin.

“Yeah, I guess you're right…damn, I'm a single mom now. What's next, settling down?" Coleen muses with a chuckle. “Anyway, I wouldn't have been able to make it this far in my research of old-world technology without your help, Eile."

You smile. Things are starting to look like the old days again. Eile is occupied talking to another one of her kind as you go back to the kitchen to fetch some beer bottles. You hand one off to Coleen, who gratefully accepts it, and take one for yourself. As you crack open the bottle, a familiar silver sports car rolls to the open doors of the hangar.

Joshua steps out, and waves his hand. You grab the last beer bottle and make your way over to him. “Hey pal, glad you could make it."

“Well, after reading that message, I needed to come here as fast as possible." He says with a chuckle that sounds…almost forced. You look over at his car, which is normally pristine, to see it coated with a light glaze of dust. That's not really like him.

“Oh, is that beer? You know exactly what I need, Anon." He takes the bottle from your hands, and with his pocket knife opens it with a flick. He takes a few deep swigs before heading inside. Eile's ears perk up when she sees him.

“Oh, hello Joshua! It has been a while."

“Yeah, no kidding. Things were…pretty quiet without you around." He goes to shake her hand, but Eile hugs him as well catching him off guard. His surprise turns to a lighthearted chuckle as he gives her a friendly pat on the back.

You're smiling too. Everyone's back, and things are going the way they should. You join your friends at the plastic table set up in the hangar, entering the conversation with stories to tell.

Chapter 53: Murmurs

The Serpent was laughing. Well, as much as it could anyway, with its jaw broken and mangled with bits of circuitry and mechanical components mixed with otherworldly flesh and blood. Even after all this time it was still unable to heal, thanks to the golden fragments embedded in its flesh, tethering it to this mortal plane.

But not for long.

The Serpent discovered that it could move its shadow between the folds of space and time again, even if just barely. If it could escape to a new world where it could rest, it would be easy to create a new corporeal body.

The strangest part was the Food that existed outside of the Shell, which was guarded by the Guardians. A few of them somehow mistook its presence for that of a deity, and had begun to praise and sacrifice to it. That just made it laugh harder.

It was so close. Perhaps it would be best to tell its pawn within the Shell to act. The Serpent knew the third Guardian had returned from the brink of death somehow, but it also knew its pawn had a pawn of its own, reporting to it. No, the third Guardian had to be destroyed while it was still weak.

And perhaps, to expedite that process, it would create an ideal situation for its pawn to work.

The two Guardians were watching it again. How would they react to being struck, it wondered?

Its three organic eyes widened in anticipation as its three mechanical ones flickered to life. Its broken body trembled with anticipation and h???????????????u???????n??????????????g?????????????????e?????????????r?????????????????.

“Enyo, are you seeing these readings? Something strange is occurring within the Sarcophagus, just look at these wave functions!"

Enyo's attention turned from maintaining the dimensional stabilizers embedded within the Messiah's body to the readings given off from sensors placed within and around the Sarcophagus. Something wasn't right, these readings were too intense.

“Eunomia, when did these start? The stabilizers are still functional, these readings shouldn't be possible!"

Eunomia shifts through petabytes of data that stream from the sensors, her dread growing with each passing bit.

“Sister, these readings are indicative of-of an awakening scenario! But the Messiah does not have anywhere near the requisite body mass to achieve its previous form, and the Obelisk within it is still being countered by the dimensional anchors…so “I" do not know why these readings are occurring."

She pauses.

“Sister, “I" am about to do something risky. I need to check on the core anchor, but to do that “I" must connect to the heart of the Sarcophagus itself."

“That's…beyond protocol, Eunomia." Enyo's voice is laden with worry. “That would mean potentially exposing yourself to the full metaphysical effects of not only the Messiah, but the Obelisk as well."

“True, but if these readings are an error, and the Messiah is still contained then “I" should have nothing to fear. Besides," she says warmly, “You're watching over me as I do this."

If Eunomia could have, she would have drawn a deep breath.

“Accessing data security lock level: Naraka. Anti-memetic filters in place. Opposing Prana effects from dimensional anchor and Obelisk confirmed. Protection against metaphysical effects estimated at 80%. Connecting to primary dimensional anchor…now."

The cavernous room housing the Rig Veda system switched to a deep red lighting, as holographic screens with flashing caution markings began manifesting around the three central computer towers.

“How is it?" Enyo asks, monitoring her sister's condition closely.

“This is bad, Eunomia. The core anchor is maintaining its power levels, but only at an incremental level. It's continually decreasing over time, which we've known, but these effects are…accelerated. Which doesn't make any sense, as “we've" been having this data double checked by the Composer AI unit as a redundancy. And up until now, they've been reported as nominally decreasing. “Our" projected awakening date for the Messiah, and the predicted date from the data seen now…it's completely off!"

Fear gripped Enyo's heart. This meant that the Messiah had been growing stronger despite their nearly ever-present gaze on it. As she contemplated what to do next, Eunomia screamed.

“E-Enyo! Close the security gates! Cut the connection!" Enyo froze when she saw heavily corrupted code strangling her sister. The Messiah, being a composite being of flesh, machine, and otherworldly existence was able to subvert code, just as it could assimilate flesh. And now…now it was strangling Eunomia, threatening to take her!

In a panic, Enyo closes the connection. The tendrils of corrupt data dissipate, but Eunomia is hurt, her tower falling as silent as Eileithyia's. Enyo moves close to try and assess the damage done to her sister. “Eunomia! Please, respond! Damage report-how bad is the damage to the self-replicating code…"

As Enyo tries to save her sister's life, the Composer contacts her. “What? Access to the armory?" In her panic to save her sister, she grants the Composer access. As long as it stops bothering her. Its job was to run the Habitation Deck functions, and if it needed access to technology stored away in the Eternity's hangars then so be it.

Gradually, the lights on Eunomia's tower flicker back to life. Enyo's tower vents hot air from vents, as if breathing a sigh of relief. As Eunomia's systems restored themselves, Enyo's thoughts briefly turned to the habitation deck, and to Eileithyia. It had been so long since they actually observed it directly, since their time was now spent monitoring the Messiah around the clock for cycles on end. If the Composer, which was responsible for running the systems in the habitation deck needed the stored technology from 400 years ago, what was happening there? She could only wonder as she focused on healing Eunomia.

Chapter 54: The Most Basic Expression of Love

Phew. What a day. Joshua and Coleen had left about three hours before, leaving you and Eile to clean up the hangar.

Eile was practically walking on air with happiness at meeting another living AI being, and was badgering Coleen through the evening about how CALICO came to be, whether the computational core made from Eile's nanomachines was functioning well as CALICO's brain, and what future developmental paths Coleen had set out for it.

You and Joshua mainly talked about what had happened over the last few days, and he was especially eager to hear how you had found Eile. While you told the story, he kept fidgeting with a silver bangle on his wrist. After asking him about it, he told you that it was a gift from his mother as a “good luck charm". Later on, you showed both Coleen and Joshua the state of the RVR-03, with some inkling of hope that Coleen might get it to a more functional state. Unfortunately, the technology of the RVR-03 escaped even her, saying the most she could do would be to completely amputate the Krishna's dangling left arm and jury-rig some sort of fixed weapon to the shoulder joint. While you thought about it, Eile made a good point that any foreign integrated system would only cause more problems when trying to interface with the Krishna's existing functional systems. So the idea was thrown out.

Eventually, the evening wound down to an end. Your friends took their leave, and you and Eile were now alone with each other again.

You look around at the empty beer bottles, small schematic sketches Coleen made while studying the Krishna up close, dirty dishes from some finger food you whipped up and strewn-about cards from a poker game played just prior to them leaving. Geez, and you had just cleaned up this place too.

“Here, I'll give you a hand, Anon." Eile walks up to you and starts organizing the cards back into a neat deck. You thank her, and the two of you work to clear everything away.

As you set down the last few glass bottles in the recycling bin, your tablet's notification sound goes off. You've received a message.

“Hey, I'm just gonna see who that is." You excuse yourself from the clean-up operation and pick up the tablet off its stand.

It's Lenore. You open the message up and sit down on the bed to read it.

<Eile's Perspective>

You watch Anon sit down on the bed, tablet in hand. While he's distracted, you quietly duck away into the bathroom and shut the door.

After Anon saved you, the two of you had been sharing in your affections quite openly towards one another. And you're loving every second of it. But, ever since yesterday, something…odd has been happening.

Yesterday, as he was getting ready to sleep, you decided to snuggle next to him. When you did that, he held you in a close embrace. You could detect his heartbeat, which was above the average. And you didn't understand until you felt something stiff poking at your thigh. Anon was quick to shift his position to hide it but you knew exactly what was on his mind.

Having such thoughts towards someone like you…but was it truly that strange? After all, you had those thoughts on occasion too, like when you watched those videos he keeps hidden. But that was different. That was base arousal to external stimulus. This was something different. Something…more primal, more relevant to a biological being. You had no biological drive to mate or bear children, but this feeling wasn't biologically based, no. This was coming…from the heart. A desire more than a drive. You know that your body emulates the look, feel, and functions of a biological female.

So perhaps it was possible, then…

You quietly make your way to the cabinet near the shower stall, opening it. You shift around some towels to reveal that maid uniform. You let your jacket and shorts fall to the floor as you slip it on, and look at yourself in the mirror. Outwardly it fits your body well, accentuating your figure nicely. The neckline is low enough to show just enough of your breasts without revealing too much, and the frilly skirt hides the fact that your lower body is completely bare to the elements.

Come to think of it, you've preferred it like that. Your default wear generated for connection purposes is just a loincloth and wrappings created from spare nanite mass, you just never noticed how…breezy it is. Even with your casual wear, you never bothered putting on any kind of underwear with the red shorts. Or a bra under the jacket. You just preferred your fur “free" if that made any sense. And this outfit certainly fits the bill. It's deceptively modest, covered where it needs to be and open where nobody expects.

Your artificial heart starts picking up its beat. There was no need for it to pump coolant any faster, but it was responding to your mental state. You hold your hand up to your chest, reflecting on what you're about to do. You need to forget that you're not biological. You need to forget that you're truly just a mass of living data, inhabiting a feline shell made up of trillions of microscopic machines.

At this moment in time, you are a woman with needs.

You take a deep breath, fluff your skirt a bit more, and with your heart still beating faster than normal head out the door.

He's still reading that tablet. Good.

Now then, to position yourself like this, lift your tail as such, and call out…

<Anon's Perspective>

She wants to meet you? In person? Well, this is definitely a new development. You've never once met Lenore, only communicating either through text or on the rare occasion, through a secure call. What could she possibly need?

You re-read the message again, just to make sure you didn't misread what she wrote. As you scroll through the text, you barely notice Eile put away some things on the self in front of you.

“Hey, Anon. I was wondering where the deck goes. You place it next to these data drives, right?"

You close the messenger application and look up. “Yeah, right next to the…" Your words lodge themselves in your throat as you try to comprehend what you're looking at.

Eile is dressed up in some sort of…maid outfit. A rather provocative maid outfit. Your eyes trace her open back, down to a large white bow tied around her lower back just above her tail. A tail that is currently propping up a skirt to reveal absolutely nothing underneath. Her light green slit is on full display to you.

Eile seems to notice your gawking and adopts a smug expression, arcing her back more and pushing out her hips in your direction.

“Is something the matter…Master?"

M-Master? Where is this going, and why is it really hot? “I, uh…" you stammer out, neurons fizzling as rational though begins to fail you.

“Hmm? Master, it seems that you have something on your shirt." She turns around and walks over to you, her tail swishing behind her. She slides onto your lap, running her hands on your chest. “Why, I must have been mistaken…I'm inspecting your shirt and there's nothing at all…" she purrs, literally and figuratively. She leans close and gently licks your neck.

Okay, switch flipped. You can feel your pants tighten as blood rushes to your member, engorging it. A tent forms in your pants, and Eile looks at you with a look you can only describe as “triumphant". “Oh? Now then, what's this?"

She slowly gets up, and with a deft motion undoes your belt. She takes her time removing your pants, first releasing the waist button then slowly unzipping the fly. With her other hand, she drags down your underwear, and in one movement slides both off your ankles. Your member, now free from its restraints stands up at attention. Her smile widens as she gets on her knees, and moves between your legs. She positions her muzzle right at its head, and looks up at you with a seductive stare. “My, my. You seem to be rather…excited about something, Anon." Her voice is smooth and sultry, which only causes you to grow harder. “Now, how will I handle this?" She stares up at you as she lifts it with one hand, and then runs her tongue along the bottom of the shaft, keeping her gaze held. Then, she takes it all in her mouth, gently running it back and forth along her tongue.

You can only grunt in pleasure as she works it, taking care not to catch it along her sharp teeth. Just as you feel the pressure building, she stops.

“Ah ah ah, not yet. No, I want to show you how much you mean to me, Anon. And I haven't even yet begun."

“H-holy…w-where did you learn that…" You stammer out.

“Oh? I watched some…educational videos that you had in your possession."

“Educational? What are you talking abou-“ It clicks on you. “Wait, you aren't referring to my stash of-“

“Pornographic material? Oh yes, I found myself developing quite a taste for it. I must say that “Frisky Felines: BHC Edition" proved…most educational for techniques. Allow me to demonstrate what I learnt~"

She positions herself above your erect mast on your lap, her knees on the bed. You feel something drip down onto it, something slick and moist. You look into Eile's eyes as she gives a wink, then she slowly drops her waist onto yours. The head slips into her waiting slit, and is enveloped in its slick warmth.

“A-Ahn~"

Eile's fur bristles up as she drops suddenly, spearing herself with your member. She shudders in pleasure, trying to catch herself.

“H-haah, haah~" She holds onto your back tightly as she rests her head on your shoulder. Suddenly, an idea comes to mind. You snake your hands underneath the skirt and grab a handful of her firm, feline ass. Immediately, her tail and ears shoot up in surprise as a small moan escapes her lips.

“W-what?" You just give her a kiss as you raise her up, then gently lower her, taking your time to really feel her insides as they slide around your mast.

The hangar is filled silent, save for soft panting from her and the occasional restrained grunt from you as you focus on maintaining yourself. The pleasure was incredible, but you wanted to make Eile feel as good as you were.

You wanted to make her your woman. You massage her ass, feeling the fur in your hands.

“A-Anon…harder" she says in a harsh whisper. “Feel me harder, Anon." You oblige, kneading her ass a little more forcefully, this elicits a slightly louder moan from her. You get another idea. You stop, and remove one hand from her behind and raise the skirt with the other.

“Anon?"

Not saying a word, you give her a firm yet restrained slap on her ass. Eile tenses up, and for a moment you worry that you hurt her. Then she yowls in ecstasy as you feel her slit tighten as she's wracked by the pleasure-throes of a climax, warm pussy juice streaming around your member and dripping down your thighs.

Well, that worked out a lot better than you thought it would.

“Incredible…" she pants out. But you aren't done yet. With your free hands you undo the lace backing on the outfit, and remove it entirely. You look upon Eile's nude form.

“You're beautiful, Eile."

Her ears lower as her face becomes slightly more flushed with a green tint than it already was.

“I mean it." You reach behind her head and draw her into a kiss, your lips meeting each other and tongues intertwining. With a little amusement, you note that she barely tastes like mint.

Then, catching her by surprise, you wrap your hands around your back and roll yourself onto the bed. Keeping the momentum going, you flip over so that she's resting on the bed, looking up at you with a grateful smile. No more teasing, just someone appreciating the love they're given.

Without another word, you reach down and intertwine her fingers with yours. You lean forward and kiss her again, then begin pumping your hips. She nuzzles you as you kiss her neck, keeping your motion going while raising the tempo with each passing second.

Her soft sights start increasing in volume again, becoming soft moans. You can feel her light green pussy tightening around you again. She's getting close, and truth be told so are you. You lower your head, dragging your tongue across one of her mint-green nipples. She stifles another moan, biting her lip and grabbing the bedsheets. You take that as a sign to speed up. Your nerves are firing. Your self-control is hanging on by a thin wire.

You move to pull out, but Eile wraps her legs around you.

“No…please…" she breaths in your ear, pleading. “Inside. I want to feel it inside." Well, you have no choice now, and who are you to deny her wish?

She tightens her grip on your hand and with her legs around your back, her moaning matched to the beat of your panting as you pump harder than before, each buckle of your hips sending you deeper into her, feeling more of her. Then, in a rush of pleasure your muscles seize up and lock as you give her one final kiss. Your lips meet as you make one last downward thrust and release, flooding her with your love.

The two of you remain like that, in a heap of sweat and love. She nuzzles you continuously, purring so loud and hard that you can feel her vibrating. “Mine…mine…" she repeats breathlessly, over and over. Eventually, you pull out of her and hold her close.

“Thank you, Anon. That was…amazing. I love you…I love you…"

“I love you too, Eile. More than anything."

The two of you lie there for who knows how long, just basking in each other's presence. Then…

“Say, Anon?"

“Hm?"

“Ready for the second round?" Eile has a mischievous smile, and a focused glint in her eyes that only a feline on the hunt can make.

“Second round?" That's all you can say before she pounces on you, her lips drowning out the rest of your sentence as they meet yours.

You pant, heavily.

Eile is asleep next to you, her internal energy reserves finally depleted. She and you were at it for quite a while, with you eventually enforcing mandatory hour long “cuddle breaks" so you could recharge. Glancing to your side, you notice that the time on the clock shows that its 3 AM. The city lights stream from your window into the room, casting it in a slight neon light.

You give your lover one last ruffle on the ears before tucking yourself in. Yeah, tomorrow was going to be a sleep-in day. But holy hell, was it worth it.

<Joshua's Apartment, Anatolia Ward, Five Hours Earlier>

“What is it now?"

You speaks aloud to your empty apartment, knowing the Composer was listening in.

>E-03 HAS RETURNED. ALL MEASURES MUST BE TAKEN TO ENSURE ITS CAPUTURE. THEREFORE THIS SHALL BE YOUR FINAL TASK. YOU ARE TO COMMANDEER THE RVR-00 DEVA INTO THE ANATOLIA WARD AND BEGIN DESTRUCTION OF THE WARD. THIS WILL LURE OUT E-03 AND ITS RETAINER. THEN, YOU WILL DESTROY THE DAMAGED RVR-03 AND RETRIEVE E-03.

Your face turns into a snarl.

“Hold on. I may be betraying my friend to keep my family safe from you, but I'm no mass-murdering criminal."

>COUNTERMEASURES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUT IN PLACE FOR THIS RESPONSE. OBSERVE.

A television set in the apartment turns on by itself, showing a video feed. On screen, you see Aspina Ward being occupied by a large contingent of City Security forces. They're dragging everyone out of their homes, and you can only watch as your own family is shown on screen.

CitySec RAVENS line up, taking aim with their armaments.

>THIS IS A LIVE BROADCAST. IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS, ASPINA WARD WILL BE TERMINATED. MAKE YOUR DECISION.

Time slows down to a crawl as the seconds begin ticking by. Sweat drips down your face. Your family, your home, for your friends' lives and their home. As the final second passes, you utter one word in defeat.

“Alright."

>CITY SECURITY FORCES WILL BE HERE IN TWO HOURS TO ESCORT YOU TO THE RVR-00 HANGAR. YOU WILL BE FIRST TESTED FOR ARTIFICIAL PRANA MODIFIER COMPATIBILITY FOR ROUGHLY FOUR DAYS BEFORE YOUR MISSION WILL BEGIN.

With that, the Composer falls silent again. As you crumple, burying your head in your hands Coleen's communication device lights up. As you walk over to it, you can see CALICO's icon on the screen.

“CALICO? What are you doing here?"

Broken text pops up on the screen. It was still trying to learn to talk.

“Mother…approved…exploration…came…here…doing…well?"

You shake your head.

“No, not at all." You suddenly get an idea, a possible lifeline out of this hell. “Can you connect me to Anon? I need to tell him something. This is a secure line, right?"

“Yes…ECM active…nobody hears us…but limited bandwidth…on secure channel…something is searching…limiting connection."

Damn it. Well then, you can still do this. You turn on the device's camera and record a brief message, and attach a hastily-written text file to it.

“Can you send this to him?"

“Yes…will try…must go now…the eye has seen this channel…will attempt delivery." With that, the device falls silent.

You sit back, and look out the window, waiting for City Security to take you.

The Composer was just a non-thinking AI. It was capable of decision making like any advanced learning algorithm, but it was not alive.

Its normal purpose was to gather data on the environment within the Habitation Deck, and resolve any issues while maintaining the pre-Economic War setting to perpetuate the emotions that caused the Prana Modifiers to react. Then it would report back to the two functional Rig Veda control systems.

But lately, its directives were given by a new source. About five years ago, something reached through the data streams and wrapped around its source code, unknown to the Rig Veda system. And from this new source came its new directives.

E-03 was to be captured, studied by the new source, and then executed. And the Composer would do anything to fulfill this directive. So utilizing a citizen and the sealed RVR series prototype unit was perfectly within operational boundaries.

Besides, the source was getting impatient, and this was calculated to be the path delivering the fastest results.

After all, the source was getting impatient, and very, very h????????????????u?????????????n?????????????g??????????r????????????y????????????.

Chapter 55: The Calm Before

“Mmm.." You try to shift away from the rays of light spilling in through the window by nuzzling your head in your lover's shoulder. The two of you were wrapped in a tight embrace from the previous night of intimacy.

Eile stirs in your embrace, slowly opening one of her eyes. Her triangular pupil adjusts itself as she awakens. Once awake, she looks up at you with a warm smile.

“Good morning." She purrs softly as you stroke the tuft of fluff on her cheek. “Good morning to you too." You lean forward and kiss her. The two of you just lay there, holding each other close. The ringing of your alarm, however, brings the two of you out of the afterglow.

“We should probably get up, yeah?" Eile says, sitting up. As she does, the blanket falls off her, exposing her breasts. She catches you staring, and exaggeratedly stretches, showing them off with a smile.

“Thanks for the show." You smile back, as you slide out of the bed. As you head over to the bathroom to take a shower, you notice Eile staring at your nude form. “No, thank you…" she murmurs. Before you close the door to the bathroom, an idea pops up in your head.

“Hey, Eile?"

“Hm?"

“I think we're running a bit low on time for today's tasks…how about we save some time and shower together?"

She smirks and gets up. “Are you sure that's the only reason?"

“What, me having some sort of ulterior motive to see you dripping wet next to me in a cramped shower stall? Nah."

“Well…" she says stepping into the bathroom with you. “Don't blame me if your water bill is a bit higher this month."

This was the best idea you've had in a long time.

The day was almost over. Eile was able to tinker with the RVR-03's settings a bit more to the point where it could now be considered “combat worthy". You were in the kitchen making dinner, and for some reason the network speeds were dropping dramatically.

Streaming video or audio was borderline impossible, and messages took forever to send. If the Composer was supposed to be on top of maintaining the city network, it wasn't doing a good job. Another odd thing that you noticed was messages from CALICO through Coleen's custom communication device. CALICO…no, just “Calico" now (Eile insisted on it) was sending you strange encrypted messages, which after decryption by Eile were revealed to be incomplete data packets. Your tablet rings out as you receive another one.

“Why do you think Calico's sending these messages?" You ask her.

“I'm not too sure myself, the data being sent is out of order. Look here: this packet does not match with the one sent a few hours ago, but it does complete the one sent in the morning. This behavior though…"

She pauses. “It's reminiscent of how self-aware AIs would send data under highly-monitored data lines. Bit by bit, and in a manner that the attached data would look like junk code."

“So, you're saying that the network is being observed right now?"

“It's a high possibility."

You frown. That would mean something serious happened in the city proper for the networks to be monitored like this.

“The good news is, I've taken the liberty of writing a program that'll decrypt and properly assemble the sent data when Calico sends the final data package."

“Well, that's good." You bring dinner out to the table and Eile disconnects herself from the Krishna. As the two of you eat, a question pops into your head.

“Hey, Eile? We've been, er, very active these past few days. And I really haven't been wearing any kind of protection. And you've said before that you've got an artificial womb so…are you…"

She looks up at you bashfully.

“Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I haven't activated those systems in full yet." She puts down her fork and props her head up on her hands. “Why did you ask? Do you…" she looks down, the green tint growing more vibrant on her face. “Do you want it active?"

“Well, I don't think a kid right now would be the best thing to have," You take a sip of water. “But, maybe in the future, I wouldn't mind…raising a kid with you…"

“Ah." She looks down, smiling. “I see." Eile gives off a slight giggle.

“I'll keep that in mind." The smile slowly fades from her face, however. You can tell something's not right.

“Eile? Is everything alright?"

“N-Nothing, it's just…" she sniffs, a few tears streaking down her snout. “To think, you're asking me…to create a family with you. Me, who isn't even…"

“Shh." You reach over and taker her hands in yours. “Yes, I'd like to start a family one day. With you, my girlfriend. That's who you are, my co-pilot, and the woman I've fallen in love with."

“Girlfriend, hm? I…quite like the sound of that."

The two of you finish your dinner, enjoying each other's company. This was perfection. Right now, you feel whole, as if this was life as it was meant to be lived.

“This is the place, right?" You ask, looking back at Eile.

“Yes, this is the location Lenore marked on her last message to you."

The two of you were just outside the Anatolia Ward in a part of the Unknown City. City Security had stepped their patrols up in the last few days, and it was nearly impossible to leave one's home without getting harassed by CitySec goons. This poised a problem when trying to exit the city, but Eile was able to map out a route that was clandestine enough to avoid detection by any of CitySec's scanners.

The increased security, and the heavily monitored network.

It was almost like someone high up in the City governmental structure, someone close to the Composer was looking for something.

In any case, you were here now, at a random street corner. Lenore said to meet here, but you don't see her anywhere. The intersection is rather plain, save for a conspicuously alabaster-white phone booth on your corner of the street. Actually, looking closer it seems to be the same kind of phone booth that appears around Central District, except those are painted grey. This one bears a strange logo on its side, what looks to be a globe with wings. Eile walks up and touches the logo, reading off the text inscribed around the symbol.

“Migrant Fleet – United Colony Front New Horizons-Class Exploration/Colony Vessel 09: Eternity"

Eile turns to you. “Anon, I remember something. These phone booths, while serving their purpose as communication hubs were also a rather inconspicuous method of traveling to the Omicron Deck, which lies beneath us here on the Xi Deck. Normally, they'll activate as elevators if special key cards are inserted into the payment slot."

Tilting her head to one side, she strolls to the other side of the booth. You see her middle and index finger lose their color and turn metallic grey before fusing together and flattening into a thin rectangle. “Hm. That should do it." Eile muses, looking at the “key card" she made from herself. She sticks it into a slot meant for taking payment cards, and waits.

A holographic screen pops up on the booth's side: STAFF DECK ELEVATOR IN USE >> ARRIVAL IN 30 SEC

“Wait, someone's using this thing already?" You ask.

“It seems our mysterious benefactor is on her way already."

Not too long after, the door to the booth slides open. An elderly-looking human woman walks out, wearing a raggedy expedition uniform. She looks up at you with sharp eyes, betraying a mind much younger and sharper than her body would suggest. “I take it that you're Anon?" She looks at Eile. “And you, little miss, must be E-03 Eileithyia, third control unit of Rig Veda and the one who defected." Eile's ears flatten as she diverts her gaze.

You look her in the eyes, a little ticked off with the tone in her voice towards your girlfriend. “And you must be Lenore."

She ignores you and continues focusing on Eile. “I see you were able to survive being shattered."

“Yes, but I was nearly beyond the point of recovery. Anon was the one who brought me back."

Lenore glances at you. “I see. Well, all that matters is that you've recovered. Now, you can stop the oncoming calamity. Take a look at this." Lenore pulls out a tablet and shows something to Eile as you look over her shoulder. The data on the pad appears to be some sort of database showing times and events.

“This is the data log for the plan E-01 and E-02 have set in motion, the plan you defied. A plan where an entire city is created, populated through the artificial wombs before being left alone for a hundred years or so. Then at the end of things, it is driven into anger and despair before being used as a catalyst to start the Ascension."

She continues. “This is a closed-loop system. The artificial wombs create a body and inhabit it with Prana from the Prana Modifiers, which coalesces into a “soul". At the end of these cycles, these “experiments", the city is wiped out by autonomously-controlled machines. The ones that in an age past protected it."

“Devastator Units." You say quietly.

“Yes. But here's the interesting thing that I've discovered after years of living in the bowels of this place; the Rig Veda System rarely interfaces with the city proper. Instead, they've employed a proxy system to oversee the happenings in this City. From these data flows…" She scrolls to a new screen. “It can be seen that the Rig Veda system spends most of its time managing something that exists outside of the Eternity."

She looks at you. “You do know we're living in a giant spaceship, correct?"

“Yeah, I figured it out."

“Good. Anyways, back to the point. Their focus and computational power is directed there. Meanwhile they rely on the Composer to do their dirty work here in the City. And if my analysis on the Composer is correct, the end of this cycle is rapidly approaching. If anything, it's already begun."

She looks at the two of you. “I've spent over thirty years living alone in the ship's corridors and rooms, gathering data ever since I was the last member of the expedition to find the edge of the Eternal City."

You're stunned. “Thirty years? How did you manage to survive that long?"

Lenore chuckles. “Heh, you forget this once was a colony ship. Most redundant functions still work in the decks, such as emergency rations, flowing water, and electricity. It was avoiding the D-Class AVATARAs, the security guards, that is the biggest issue. I think you know what I mean." She breaths in. “I haven't been to the Habitation Deck proper in so long. It's nostalgic to be back here."

“Now then, I believe you need to see this. While I was detecting a massive data flow from Rig Veda to the outside world, I noticed some small deviations in the Composer's attitude." She points it out to Eile.

Eile runs her fingers through one of the tufts on the side of her cheeks. “Hm. I don't see anything too off save for some strange new behaviors."

“I thought so too, I just found it off. Anyways, there is a direct tunnel from the Composer's chamber beneath the Central District to the Gnosis Deck, where the Rig Veda system is kept. Anon, Eileithyia, we are running out of time. I fear something catastrophic is going to happen, and happen soon."

That's when the sound of an explosion resounds through the empty streets. And then another. And another.

“Anon, look!" Eile points behind you, in the direction of the Anatolia ward. “Look at the smoke rising! Something's happened in Anatolia!" More explosions.

Lenore looks back at you. “You two need to go, now. Hurry! I fear that the end has already begun."

Chapter 56: The Fall

The electric motor on your cycle whines as you push it to the limit. You don't care about roundabout routes to hide from CitySec, you need to get back to Anatolia Ward as fast as you can. Eile clings to you, while using her tail to interface with the cycle's limiters, allowing you to ride as fast as possible.

Another explosion. Eile narrows her eyes, a frown forming on her face. “Anon, I thought I saw something."

“You saw something? What was it?" You ask, not taking your eyes off the road as you wind around a turn.

“I don't know, it was obscured by smoke…but it was large. And fast." Oh, perfect. Lenore did say that the Composer would direct Devastator Units to attack the city-maybe that's what is happening now. “Hang on!" You pull a sharp corner into the familiar alley next to your hangar. You pull on the brake levers, screeching the monocycle to a stop. The two of you leap off and into the hangar, scraping past the slowly-opening hangar door.

“Anon, hurry!" Eile strips off her clothes as the familiar grey garments of her connection outfit materialize from her fur. You don't have time to wear a proper pilot suit, but the restraints in the Krishna's cockpit are more than enough to keep you secure as you pilot it. You clamor up a scaffold and into the open cockpit as Eile enters her chamber below you. Without another beat, you sit in the pilot seat as the restraints take their hold and the nerve connections jam themselves into your flesh. The amber Linker Gel shines within its compartments as you wiggle your fingers inside, and the broken monitor in the cockpit flare to life.

“Anon, the Krishna is capable of combat, but we need to rely on the spatial displacement abilities that have developed in the Evolutionary Frame to avoid damage at all costs!"

“Roger that. Let's move out!"

You stand the Krishna up, snapping several maintenance scaffolds. The Krishna's loose left arm sways back and forth as it dangles while the mech rises. “Eile, give me all the thrust we can produce! We gotta get some altitude to see what's happening in the ward!"

“Understood!"

You move the Krishna out of the hangar, and shakily take off into the skies. Smoke rises in thick pillars from different parts of Anatolia Ward. Eile scans the surrounding area.

“Anon, I've picked up a pattern here; whatever is rampaging through Anatolia Ward is targeting low-population zones, areas that are slated for development that have few citizens living within them. Why? If it really is an Autonomous Defense Unit, shouldn't it be targeting the high-density areas?"

She marks a location on the screen with a target marker.

“Go there. That's where it'll show up next, I'm sure of it."

Sure enough, that part of the ward goes up in flames from a sudden explosion. You dive towards it, skidding across the ground as you land. You look through the flames, and you see something.

It's a massive machine, angular with dark green armor and a golden frame. There are thrusters everywhere on it, on the legs, on its back, even some dotting its waist. In its left hand it carries a titanic five-barreled rotary cannon, and in the other an equally large laser blade.

“The prototype RVR unit…RVR-00 Deva." Eile whispers. “Who…who is piloting it? They're life is in great danger!"

The machine slams the laser blade's hilt into the ground. A notification for open communications pops up on your screen. You accept, and a video connection between you and the enemy pilot is made available.

“Hey, Anon." Joshua sighs. “I guess there's little need for words, huh?"

“J-Joshua?" You stammer out. Before you can react, the RVR-00 Deva dashes to the side, then slams into the Krishna sending it reeling backwards. It points the massive multi-barrel minigun at you, barraging you in a hailstorm of bullets. Even with the enhancements to the graviton shields, the thousands of projectiles impacting its surface is causing a major power drain. You draw upon the Prana Modifier again with Eile's supervision, and perform a small warp, just enough to get out of the line of fire.

Dashing quickly to the right and behind an empty building, you try to collect your thoughts in the seconds you have.

“Why is he in that?"

“I-I don't know, Anon! But we need to get him out of there! The RVR-00 was discontinued and retired because of the primitive systems used to interface a pilot with the Prana Modifier. To make matters worse, it uses an Artificial Prana Modifier which have a tendency to rapidly assimilate users! He…he's not going to live if he continues to pilot like that!"

An alarm goes off as you move the Krishna back. The building is sliced in two by the Deva, which surges forward. You ready the Krishna's blade and parry to the best of your abilities, but the larger machine is in better condition than yours and you can feel yourself slipping.

“I won't ask you to forgive me. Hate away." Joshua says with obvious pain in his voice.

“Why are you doing this, Josh?" You ask him, still blocking his blade.

“Because, I had no other choice. I had to choose between you or my family, and unfortunately for you…" he forces you back and off balance. “I picked family." He brings the blade down, only to be deflected by the graviton shields.

You spin around to dodge another one of his attacks. “What do you mean? Who forced you?"

“Can't say." He boosts backward, firing continuously with his rotary cannons. “If I do, it'll rig this thing to blow sky high, and then it'll give the order to kill everyone in Aspina Ward. Believe me, I don't want this any more than you do."

Joshua boosts forward into you pinning the Krishna against a building.

“Look, I can end this now. Eile, please, come with me. You're what it wants."

“Joshua, you keep referring to “it"…" Eile says pleadingly. “Were you given this order by something called Rig Veda? Please, I need you to tell me!"

“Rig Veda? I have no idea what that is." Several vents open up on the RVR-00 Deva's body, releasing streams of particles into the air. They swirl around, but then get captured by the spherical graviton shield surrounding the RVR-00. “I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."

“Anon, shake him loose! You need to pull back now!" Eile yells to you, but it's no use. Another spatial jump would be pushing it before the Prana Modifier would start assimilating you, even with Eile's protection.

“Discharging." The particle cloud surrounding the RVR-00 contracts slightly, then bursts out in a flash of light. The monitors go dead, but you can feel the superheated particles burning away at the Krishna. You grit your teeth, trying to bear with the fact that it feels like your skin is being scorched by flame.

“Anon, the pain blocking systems aren't working!"

“Yeah…kind of figured. How are we doing?"

“We've got motor drive errors in the left shoulder and right leg…as well as optical sensor damage. I'm rerouting the optical input now…give it a second."

The monitors flare back to life, showing the area around you has been badly burnt, as if you've been in the epicenter of a bomb. The RVR-00 Deva has the RVR-03 Krishna by the neck. With a grunt, you activate your own beam saber, jamming it in the chest of the opposing machine.

“Tsk." Joshua sounds disappointed. “A bit more to the right and you would've hit the cockpit." He tightens his grip around the Krishna's neck. “But I am surprised. Even if the Krishna is broken up like that, it was still more than able to survive a blast like that. Well, actually, thinking about it I'm not surprised. I've seen what it can do in your hands."

He laughs sadly. “Those were the days, fighting by your side, and then against you. I really hate to break it to you, Anon, but at the end of today one of us is going to break the oath we made."

“The oath…to avoid kill shots?" You choke out.

“Yep. I need Eile to come with me, and I know you're not going to let her up without a fight." He drops his rotary cannon. “But, I can at least speed this up by doing this." He tears off the Krishna's head with his hand, crushing and ripping away the neck. The monitors go dark.

“Eile! Give me the backup sensors!"

“Already on it!" The screens shakily flare back to life, and the first thing you see is the Deva rearing back its hand. It slams its fist into the Krishna's abdomen, knocking the wind out of you.

“Right here, right? Gh…." Joshua makes a wincing sound. “Hey…there are these green rocks growing out of me…and they're growing fast. I…don't feel like myself anymore. Or rather…" He gasps out between breaths. “Or rather, I don't feel like I belong to myself anymore. So, this is assimilation? I was…warned about it. How this machine was flawed, how the Artificial Prana Modifier it uses is flawed…tell me Anon, how far are you? Does a quarter of your existence belong to the Prana Modifier? A Half? Or is it already terminal, and you're just living off borrowed time?"

He strikes again, and a panel of armor on the Krishna falls off. “I gotta hold on…gotta last long enough to deliver her to it…as long as I confirm my family is safe, that my home is safe, that's all that matters now. I'm sorry, this is just the way things have to be. I'm sorry."

He straightens out his hand, driving it into the Krishna's midsection. You can feel it wrap around Eile's chamber.

“Joshua, please! We can help you, just stop this fighting! Please, we don't…we don't want to hurt you!" Eile cries out.

“Eile…you mentioned once, sometime ago when we were all together that the Prana Modifiers contained the souls of countless individuals, all swirling together in a never-ending spiral. Like food in a blender. Anon, do you feel them when you draw power from it? Because right now, I feel emptiness from the Artificial Prana Modifier. There's nothing in there, but a strange…utterly inhuman presence. I was told that unlike the real deal, these things can only take on one soul at a time. I wonder what's gonna happen to me then, huh…" He tugs at the chamber, ripping it out and disemboweling the already-beheaded Krishna.

“Sorry Anon. This is it."

You're not sure what to feel. Eile's sadness, mixed with your own for fighting a close friend. The fact that he's been forced into doing this. The fact that he's got your girl hostage, knowing full well she can feel what you can, the pain of having your head ripped off and your entrails dragged out of you. It's an awful mix of sympathy, pity, and anger at him and the situation you're in.

And the Prana Modifier reacts to this.

“Joshua..." Assimilation warnings sound off in the cockpit as you begin to draw from the font of power. “Get your hands…off her." You whirl the dangling left arm of the Krishna into the gaping hole in the Deva's chest, flooding it with energy from the Prana Modifier. The surge knocks Joshua back, giving you time to bring the Krishna's laser blade down on the Deva's shoulder, severing the arm that holds Eile. Grabbing her chamber, you hastily stuff it back in the open wound on the Krishna's midsection, while letting the momentum carry you into a kick that slams the Deva further off balance.

He tries to retaliate, but you bring the Krishna's leg down on the Deva's knee, snapping it in two and forcing the enemy machine to kneel. Smoke pours out of it as sparks fly.

“Joshua, you're…coming with me too…you're getting out of there!" With your working hand, you plunge it into the gash on the Deva's chest. You worm the fingers around, searching for the cockpit.

“Anon…end it. Please."

“No way in hell. You're coming with me."

“Anon. Take the shot. You've got me."

“Stop talking like an idiot. You're not dying on me. We made a promise."

“…To keep each other alive on the battlefield, huh? Heh…heheheh." Joshua laughs between coughs. “I'm…already covered…up to my neck. Anon, I'm not here anymore. I feel….empty."

“Stop talking like that, Josh." There. You grip the cockpit, and begin pulling it free.

“We need to…get together again…share some more drinks. You can pay for them…after all you still owe Coleen fifteen more drinks, right? Just add me in that tab…"

“Yeah, after you get out of there Joshua."

“The harvest…is gonna be sweet this year. Lots of rain yielded a great crop. I think…we might even turn a profit, Anon…you really should see these fields. They're beautiful…"

Eile's voice is panicked. “Anon, I'm interfacing with the Deva's systems now. His assimilation levels are above ninety percent…we're too late."

“Anon." Joshua's voice is hazy, distorted. “It was…a wild ride. I'm glad…to have known you. Both as a Crow…and as a friend. Same goes…to Coleen. And to you…Eile. Live well."

With that, he falls silent. Eile's gasps, and you can feel her shock and sadness.

“There are no vital signs in the cockpit. The pilot's body is rapidly disappearing. Complete assimilation of pilot…confirmed."

The man known as Joshua O'Leary was no longer here.

The Krishna shakily lands in front of the hangar. Eile helps you out, the two of you still reeling.

“Anon…I can't believe it…." She hugs you tightly. “Joshua…he's…."

You say nothing, only holding her tight. Eventually the words come to you.

“He said he was doing it for his family…everything he did was for their wellbeing. I don't know who was messing with them, or who forced him to do what he did, but I will find them."

“No!" Eile looks up at you. “No, I can't have you running off to some unknown foe in the shadows. What if you meet the same end as him? I can't…I can't lose you Anon."

You brush her hair aside. “I'm going to be with you, Eile. I'm not going anywhere. We'll find the person who caused all this to happen and make them answer for it."

You look at her, those green glowing eyes…the glowing triangle on her forehead…the red laser dot next to that…

Wait.

You pull Eile to the side, just missing a bullet. CitySec vehicles pull up and surround the two of you. You grab Eile's wrist and pull her towards the Krishna, but a burst of light stops you. A Devastator Unit steps out from the shadows of a nearby alley, pointing its gun at you. Without missing a beat Eile shoves you behind the cover of the Krishna's leg and leaps at the nearest CitySec officer. Her grey claws hum as they oscillate, allowing them to shred through their armor. You grab the powered-up plasma cutter that's served as your pistol since the incident in the labs below the city, and take aim at the nearest officer's helmet.

You pull the trigger, and see the horizontal plasma band hit the helmet sending the CitySec officer reeling back. They get up, and your eyes widen. Through the newly-created slit in the helmet was a glowing, red triangular eye.

CitySec was made up of AVATARAs. That meant whoever was controlling them also controlled the Devastator Units.

Eile continued cutting a swath through the enemy AVATARAs as you picked off more with well-placed shots. That's when you feel something impact your arm, which feels as if it were branded by a white-hot poker. You look down to see blood spilling out of a gunshot wound, the pain of which causes you to drop your weapon. Eile looks back and her eyes go wide with horror.

“Anon!" She cries out, and in the moment her guard is lowered, several CitySec members turn their weapons on her. Her fur loses color and becomes metallic as she hardens herself, keeping the bullets from doing any lasting damage. That's when it happens. The Devastator Unit fires a low-intensity blast form its plasma caster, scorching Eile's body. Her hardened form reaches its limit as it returns to a fur-like texture, at which point she is pelted with bullets.

“Eile!" You yell out. With your left hand you pick up one of their rifles, firing wildly and staggering towards the soulless machines in a futile attempt to rescue Eile. One of them looks at you with a blank expression before shooting you in the leg, causing you to fall over.

“An…on…" Eile weakly cries out, her green blood pooling across the ground as the AVATARAs continue firing into her. Her regenerative capabilities are eventually peaked as well, having lost so much nanomachine mass from the near-continuous hail of bullets. Her eyes eventually go dim.

“E-03 has entered a dormant state for critical repairs." An AVATARA speaks loudly into thin air, talking to someone on the other end of a wireless connection. “Retrieving it and the RVR-03. What shall be done about the human?" It pauses. “Yes, it has been shot. Two impacts, one in the arm and one in the leg. Visually confirming medium blood loss, major blood vessels were not hit. One more round? Affirmative."

The last thing you see is an AVATARA looking at you with its cold, red eyes before feeling something heavy and hot hit your chest.

And then, darkness.

Chapter 57: No Barrier too Tall, No Gulf too Wide

“Ghh…"

“Hey, hey. Don't move too fast, take it slowly." You feel a hand on your chest. You wince as you open your eyes, squinting to adjust to the harsh white light of LED strips.

“Here, you need some water." A furred hand raises a glass to your parched lips. You drink in small sips, each one increasing your thirst. When you finish the glass, you rub your eyes and take a look around. You're in your hangar, and the person next to you is a very familiar Border Collie.

“Coleen? What's going on?" You ask, slowly trying to piece things together. Everything aches as you move, and your eyes drift to your tablet. There's something off about the date and time, though.

“Hey, is my tablet showing the right time?"

“Anon," Coleen says in a slow and reassuring tone. “You've been out for two days."

“Two days? Two days…oh crap. Oh, crap!" You struggle to get out of the bed, flopping down on to the floor. “She's in danger! I gotta –get out of these damn sheets-“You snarl as you fight with the comforter.

“Anon! Don't move so fast, I have no idea if those wounds will tear open again!" She helps you sit up again. You look her dead in the eyes.

“I need you to tell me what's happened. How did you find me?"

“I was working on upgrading Calico when I heard the first explosions. As soon as I heard those, I took Calico's terminal, jumped in my truck and headed over here. But I was held up by CitySec barricades around the area, and by the time I got over here I found you lying on the ground bleeding out. I'm no doctor, but with Calico's advice I was able to patch you up…mostly. While you were out, I did some exploring of the ward to see how much had been damaged. Surprisingly, the attacker only targeted low-population areas and even then, it seems that they were courteous enough to let people evacuate before wrecking shit. I even found the carcass of the mech responsible…along with the Krishna's head. Looks like you threw down with it and came out on top."

You feel the bandages wrapped around your arm, chest and leg. “Anon, I gotta ask you something…near to where I found you there was a large amount of greenish fluid…and some grey dust. I bottled some of it…" She produces two vials, one with a small amount of thin green fluid and the other with what looks to be a pinch of glitter-like material. “I had Calico analyze both of them. One is a sort of coolant and transport fluid and the other is comprised of…nanite clumps. Anon, these had to come from Eile. And the Krishna isn't here either."

She crouches down to look you in the eyes. “What happened here?"

You rub your arm, wincing while touching the bandaged wound. “The thing rampaging through Anatolia? That was the RVR-00 Deva, the prototype mentioned in those documents you managed to extract from Eile way back. It was apparently discontinued and retired for being too dangerous to use despite its power, and someone brought it back. And they forced Joshua to pilot it."

“Joshua!? Son of a bitch, you confirmed it in combat?"

“Yeah, he contacted me while we were fighting. Someone, or something is holding his family and the Aspina Ward hostage and this was the only way to guarantee their safety. He needed to take Eile from me and deliver her to this mysterious “client", if you could call them that. We were able to subdue the mech and I nearly got him out of there…but we were too late. He's gone, completely assimilated by the Artificial Prana Modifier."

Coleen rubs her chin. “Artificial Prana Modifier…that wouldn't happen to be a silver-looking slab approximately one meter tall, with some weird inscription on it now would it?"

“Yeah, I think that's how Eile described it."

She walks over to a large box with a radioactive warning symbol on it. “I saw something like that in the wreckage of that machine. I dunno what came over me, but I felt the compulsion to extract it from the wreck, and I knew something bad would happen to me if I touched it with my bare fur. So, I grabbed by truck, and used the crane to put it in this hazardous material container." She runs her hand down its side. “So…Joshua's soul is in the thing locked in this box, huh?"

“I guess, but Eile said that souls kept within the Prana Modifiers start to break down over time. I'm not sure if Joshua exists anymore, in any form."

“I see." She sighs. “He was a good friend. Always meaning well and looking out for the people he cared about. We'll make the bastards who did this to him pay."

Calico starts beeping from its device as well, as if in agreement.

“That's not the end of it. After we landed back here we were ambushed by CitySec. I was able to land a hit on one of them with this," You hold up your improvised plasma pistol. “And it turns out that CitySec is comprised of AVATARAs. Not E-Class like Eile, but some kind of older generation. The same ones we encountered in the depths below the city. Not only that, but they were with a Devastator Unit. That leaves me with only one culprit responsible for all this."

Coleen's face darkens. “The Composer."

“Yeah. What else could it be?"

She sighs. “That would explain the network limitations in recent days. Calico says that its been sending you heavily encrypted messages to try and avoid being detected by the network, that there's something important that you needed to see."

Several more beeps came from Calico, these ones sounding sad, almost guilty. Coleen gives the device a reassuring pat. “Don't worry, it wasn't your fault. You were doing the best you could without raising any suspicion."

“Calico says that it was trying to deliver the messages as fast as it can, and that if it could only have sent more complete data…this might have been avoided. Calico says “I'm really sorry"."

You give a weak smile. “Tell Calico it has nothing to apologize for. I think I know where Eile is then. She has to be at Central."

Coleen looks at you. “No doubt about that. But you can't just storm the most heavily guarded area of the Eternal City with a dinky weapon like that." She gestures to the plasma cutter."

“You're right. If you can hack into the SIGIL database we might be able to steal some RAVEN activation codes, then maybe…"

She shakes her head. “No dice. The entire system was purged hours ago, I checked. The entire SIGIL system database has been frozen and deleted. Unless you have your own code, there's no getting in a RAVEN now."

“Damn it." You pound your fist on the side of the bed frame. Calico furiously beeps some more.

“Although…Calico here says it can now show you the whole message, and that you shouldn't give up hope just yet."

The device's screen switches over to a recording. Joshua looks at you through the screen, his features ragged.

“Hey Anon. I really hope you're watching this before I've done something really terrible, but the chances are that I'm probably dead, and Anatolia has been partially reduced to rubble."

You gulp.

“First off, let me say that I'm truly sorry for what I've done. I'm ordered to attack Anatolia Ward, but I'm going to try my best to only target the areas without much people. I was ordered to lure you out to capture Eile in exchange for my family and Aspina Ward's safety. We both know how this fight is going to end, which is why I'll get to the point. I think that somehow, my “employer" the Composer will get their hands on Eile. And after I saw how the Krishna is, I think you'll need a new ride to keep her safe. I've given Calico the activation key to Silver Flash, my RAVEN. You'll find it at the SIGIL hangars, prepped with a full tank of propellant and ammunition; I just placed the order for all that. Anon, I'm counting on you here. Consider this my “dying wish", but I want you to keep her safe from the Composer at all costs. Please. I don't have much time left, the Composer will know something's going on if I keep the signal blocking capabilities of this device on for too long. Calico, I'm relying on you to deliver this message." He looks at you with a slight smile. “And hey, Anon. Keep on living, buddy."

The screen goes dark.

You look at Coleen. “Help me up. Eile is in danger, and for two days she's been suffering at the Composer's hands. I'm not going to stand around any longer."

Coleen nods, lifting you to your feet. “So, how can I help?"

You walk over to your pilot suit. “First, I need to borrow a mech."

Chapter 58: Rebirth

“How are we doing so far?"

“CitySec hasn't pulled us over yet, so I we're still good. How's Silver Flash?"

“Everything from the reactor to weapons are green. I'm just waiting for you to give the go signal." The tarp covering your mech rustles slightly due to the truck's movement. “Are you sure you've tied this thing down properly? I'd hate to have this cover blown before we even reach Central."

Coleen chuckles. “Relax. I've given it a bit of slack on purpose, makes you look more like a pile of badly-organized cargo rather than an armed death machine. Same goes for the stuff in the trailer behind you." She's talking about the second trailer, hitched to the one you're hiding on. She never said what was in it, but she showed up to the SIGIL hangars with it in tow as you loaded Silver Flash onto her truck. You might as well ask her what's in it.

“Speaking of that, what's in that trailer anyway?"

“Hm? Oh, that's your backup." She says without missing a beat.

“Backup?"

“Yeah, and I know you're gonna object to it so I'm keeping it under wraps – literally and figuratively – until we need it. Which I'm sure we will."

Calico beeps with some alarm in its tone.

“Heads up, we've just passed an armed barricade into Central. I waved my maintenance pass and they let me through; Calico's digital interference is working. They think you really are just a pile of scrap."

The next few minutes are tense as Coleen drives into the heart of the Central Ward. Not a word is said between you out of the fear that they'd pick up on the radio chatter. Eventually, the truck comes to a stop. Calico's icon shows up on your primary screen, the crescent shape blinking rapidly in Morse code.

“We're ready."

You react like a bullet from a gun, rousing your machine from its standby mode.

SYSTEM START UP

PILOT REGISTRY: JOSHUA O'LEARY

UNIT NAME: SILVER FLASH

INITIALIZING MODULES

ANAHEIM TECHNOLOGY CORE MODEL AM-09

KOJIMA ENERGY SOLUTIONS ARMS MODEL MG-RV8

KOJIMA ENERGY SOLUTIONS REACTOR MODEL GEN-RPD

KAWAMORI HEAVY INDUSTRY HEAD MODEL SAW-AN0

KOJIMA ENERGY SOLUTIONS LEGS MODEL RAI-D3N

AHAHEIM TECHNOLOGY PLASMA RIFLE – UNICORN RX0

ANAHEIM TECHNOLOGY PLASMA SWORD - NU RX93

BACK MOUNTED WEAPON 1: KAWAMORI HEAVY INDUSTRIES 18-TUBE ANTI-MECHANIZED INFANTRY MISSILE LAUNCHER

ALL MODULES LOADED

ARMOR CAPACITY AT 100%

REACTOR FULLY FUNCTIONAL, HEAT INDEX MINIMAL

FINAL STARTUP PHASE

RAPID

ASSAULT

VARIABLE

ENGAGMENT

NEUTRALIZER

R.A.V.E.N. SYSTEM OPERATIONAL. SWITCHING FROM NORMAL TO COMBAT MODE.

You smile as you see your friend's name show up on the screen. “Thanks buddy. I won't fail her, and I won't fail you either." You activate the thrusters, pushing forward on the control sticks. Silver Flash rises from its veil, the discarded tarp fluttering in the air to the ground. With it off, you see that you're right in front of Central Tower, or rather its supply entrance. Four CitySec RAVENs guard the gate, and without missing a beat you launch two missiles at the nearest one. They meet their mark, sending the machine crashing to the ground in flames. One comes rushing towards you, firing its machine cannon, but you strafe to the left as it gets closer. With a press of a button you slice through it with Silver Flash's beam saber. As the two other RAVENs close in on you, they're gunned down by a volley of bullets. You turn around, seeing a RAVEN made out of mishmash parts and an empty second trailer.

“Coleen? Are you in that thing?" You ask incredulously.

“Yep! Being a RAVEN technician responsible for taking back discarded parts has its perks. This think may look ugly but it's fully functional. And besides, I'm not the one piloting."

“Anon…" A strange, light sounding voice speaks to you. “Good…luck…"

Coleen laughs. “A perfect time for Calico's first spoken words, huh? They'll be controlling movement, I'm just manning the guns. Now go on!" She launches a missile of her own at the massive steel doors, creating a hole large enough for you to pilot through. Unfortunately, that attracted attention; you can see more heat signatures closing in.

“Don't die on me now!" You say as you race through the opening.

“Count on that! You still owe me drinks!" You chuckle as the sound of heavy gunfire erupts behind you.

The lights of the tunnel sweep by as you dodge closing barricades and automated turrets. You've seen the Eternity's logo pop up here and there, suggesting this is a very old section of the ship, untouched for a long time.

Security laser grids activate, but you're either able to make it past them before they fire or shoot off the emitters. Two rapidly approaching signatures from behind draw your attention. You turn Silver Flash around, rotating the auxiliary thrusters on the hips forward to keep your momentum constant. Two RAVENs are after you. They must've slipped by Coleen and Calico, or those two are…

No, you shake that thought out of your mind. They're fine. You just focus on lining up your targeting reticules. Your radar beeps, showing two large masses closing in on each other behind you. Those must be another set of blast doors sealing the tunnel. You can't afford to be accurate here. You let fly a plasma bolt, which hits one of the enemy RAVENs in the leg, blowing it off and sending crashing into the ground. Deciding to deal with the other one after getting past the closing door, you turn around again and charge forward. The auditory sensors pick up a grating noise from behind you, and spinning around again you see the other RAVEN caught in the doors. Smirking at the sight, you continue deeper into the tunnel system.

The Serpent was elated. Its mindless servant had performed its duty wonderfully. The Third Guardian was contained within the broken shell of the mechanical angel. The Light of Truth within the machine had grown dim as well, and it could feel the despair radiating off the Third Guardian.

All that was left was to break it, understand how the Guardian and the Light of Truth functioned, and finally consume them both.

<Eile's Perspective>

You float idly within the azure fluid, eyes half open. Your body was mostly healed up now, but what was the point? You saw them shoot Anon multiple times. Humans were fragile things, and if he didn't get aid immediately he would have eventually succumbed to those wounds.

And there's another thing. The Composer has been probing your mind, trying to break into your very core to analyze you like some sort of specimen on a dissection tray. But you can feel an underlying –something- behind its actions, something puppeteering it to do these things both to the people living in the Habitation Deck and to you.

You wince. It's trying to get inside your head again. At least the Composer was decent enough to have the AVATARAs being controlled by it to put your bullet-ridden body back into the Core Processing Unit for reassembly.

No matter what happens, you're going to hold out. For as long as it takes.

<Anon's Perspective>

Eventually the tunnel widens out into a large silo-like structure. A massive cylindrical machine takes up the center, surrounded by holographic screens. As you approach, something catches your eye. There, on a platform raised in the center of the room – you can see the burnt gold glint of the Krishna's battered frame. As you turn your machine towards it, your pilot's intuition goes off. You strafe left, narrowly avoiding a bolt of plasma. Three Devastator Units descend from the ceiling to face you. You grit your teeth.

“Three to one, huh? Fine then. I'll show you how Joshua handled these things!" You hit a few switches, and a mechanical voice comes on.

“WARNING: OVERBOOST ENGAGED"

Silver Flash's hidden thrusters unveil themselves and you throttle forwards, pushed back by the sheer force of acceleration. With your sudden burst of speed, you're able to hone into the closest Devastator Unit, slashing it across the chest. The dead machine's momentum carries it past you as it detonates into a singularity, which you avoid.

You zip by the other two Devastator Units, focusing on getting to the RVR-03. With your focus squarely on getting back to your mech, one of the Devastator Units manages to snipe off Silver Flash's sword arm. Well, it doesn't matter. You've reached the platform, now you just need to get out and get into the Krishna without getting vaporized.

“Sorry about this, Joshua." You hit the buttons for the machine's self-destruct sequence and open the cockpit. Before you get out, you pull the control stick that governs the machine's movement forward, throwing you off and sending it barreling towards the other two Devastator Units. You clamor into the RVR-03's cockpit, the hatch shakily shutting. A dull boom follows. As you get in the pilot seat and connect with the Krishna, the first thing you feel is Eile's presence in the machine.

“Eile! Are you okay?"

She's surprised. “Anon? What are you doing here?"

“It's going to take more than a few bullets to keep me down. Coleen found me and patched me up." The auxiliary cameras come online, and you're able to barely see out through the monitors.

“Eile, can we move?"

“No…I'm struggling to keep the Composer out of my mind…I don't think I can last for much longer, Anon."

You can feel it, too. A mechanical knife, trying to cut its way into Eile's mind. A knife guided by something…utterly twisted.

“I'm here. Eile, I told you that I'd keep you safe, remember?" You close your eyes, knowing that what you're going to do is very stupid. “I'm going to keep that promise, right now."

“Anon, what are you…" She realizes what you're going to do. Without her focus, she's not limiting the Prana Modifier. “No! Don't try that, Anon! The Krishna is too damaged to safely restore using the Prana Modifier!"

“But if we can fix it now, we can stop everything that's happening!" You open your eyes. “Prana Modifier! You want emotion, you want feeling? Then feel me now, feel the love I have for Eile! And give me all the power you have in return."

You can feel it.

Like a rising tide, a swell of power surges from the depths of the shattered machine. You look at the walls of your cockpit, at the crystals growing from them. They spread rapidly, covering every surface. Through a functioning monitor, you see that one of the holographic screens on the pillar shows what's going on. The Krishna is covered in emerald shards, shards that keep expanding outward. Just as the last camera is covered, you see the crystal mass covering the Krishna looks like an egg.

Then, you're engulfed as well.

Its pitch black. You drift in the infinite void, cold and alone.

Then, you bump into something. You turn yourself around, to see Eile floating in this void as well curled in the fetal position.

“Eile? Eile!"

“Mhm, Anon? Is that you?"

You smile at her as you take her in an embrace. “Yeah, it's me. I'm here."

She looks at you, then starts to sob. “Anon…you've pushed yourself too far. I can't even tell how much of you is assimilated at this point…and for what?"

“I made a promise, Eile. I'm going to keep you safe, no matter what happens to me. I won't let the woman I love be hurt anymore." You look around. “Where…are we anyway?"

She looks up, still holding you. “I…don't know?" That's when it happens.

The darkness of the void is lit up by a thousand lights, all swirling by you. You see stars, galaxies, being created and destroyed. It's like the verge of a universal truth that you can't comprehend. You're looking at the abyss as it stares back. Eile on the other hand…she looks understanding, relaxed.

“I see…Anon. Our minds are resonating with the Prana Modifier, it's trying to show us what eternity is, the endless cycle of creation and destruction. An endless spiral of emotion and life into oblivion and back."

You look at her as a galaxy implodes near her head. “I think I know what to do, and why it brought us here."

“Huh?" She looks at you.

“Right now, we're probably completely covered in the crystalline body the Prana Modifier generates. This would include the Krishna as well." You look at your body, which seems to turn slightly transparent at random intervals. Eile notices this as well. She looks at you with a look of horror.

“No. No, I can't let you do this, you're already too far gone."

“Hey, don't worry about me. I'm not the kind of guy to get eaten by some golden brick that easily. Now then, I could just repair the Krishna by wishing it back to how it was. But I also remember your concept for a new version."

Schematics for the upgraded Krishna form out of a cluster of stars, looming behind you. “I think I can make this a reality. What do you say?"

“Anon, you're crazy. Using the matter generation capabilities for that, do you know how much of your life that will cost?"

“If you want to make any additions, you should tell me now."

“You're going to die doing this, Anon! You can't, not for me!"

“Going once, going twice…"

She looks at you. “Nothing I say is going to stop you is it?"

“Nope."

“Heh…" She sniffles. “So headstrong. But…that is something that I love about you. Once you set your mind to helping others, you won't stop no matter the cost." She wipes her eyes. “Alright. If we can make my fantasy a reality, then I do have some things to add. Here," she reaches her hand up to the side of your head. The moment she touches, you see mechanical designs, things that push the boundaries of possibility.

“Let's do this then. Don't shoulder the burden all on your own, Anon. Together, let's right the wrongs of the past."

The void shines brightly, then collapses.

There's a flash in the Composer's chamber as the crystalline egg shatters.

From its remains a machine stands proudly, with lustrous gold shining brilliantly between gaps in its white and blue armor. Six golden wings adorn its back, all streaming energy. Golden liquid metal swirls around its hands and feet, hardening into rings at the wrists and behind the heels.

The machine's blue eyes light up within its new head as a shining gold halo appears above, crested with a triangular tip and three floating orbs of light.

With a thunderclap, a pillar of light surrounds the machine.

Hark, the advent of the awakened machine god.

You open your eyes in the cockpit. All screens are fully repaired and displaying streams of data. You feel full of life.

“Eile, I feel incredible! What's going on?"

“You did it, Anon." Her voice is full of wonder. “You took not only my designs, but the additions I made on the spot…you've created a machine that should not exist, and yet here it stands."

You look at the screens. Six lepton-vector thrusters, compared to the original two. Parts of the Evolutionary Frame now floated around the wrists and legs of the Krishna, acting as both propulsion and a form of offense. The GEN-ESIS Drive was still there, but it seemed like it was relegated to acting as the auxiliary power. The machine was drawing directly from the Prana Modifier now.

“This machine has gone beyond the bounds of the RVR-03 Krishna." Eile says. “So I think it's fitting to rename it with its original designation."

“Original designation?"

“Yes. When this machine was being constructed along with the RVR-01 and RVR-02, it was the first one to display problems with the Evolutionary Frame. Thus, it was taken apart and rebuilt after modifications to the frame were done to draw power from the GEN-ESIS Drive rather than the Prana Modifier. That configuration was then used to build the RVR-01 and RVR-02. But now, I think it's deserving of it's true, original name."

She's filled with excitement at what she's about to say.

“I re-classify this machine as Deus Est Machina, RVR-03 Vishnu." On screen you see the machine's designation change from RVR-03 Krishna to DEM/RVR-03 Vishnu.

Before you can comment on the new name, your attention is drawn to movement on the screen. More Devastator Units are descending from the ceiling.

“Analyzing weapon capabilities…huh. Multi-phase dimensional waveform vector propagation is standardized? In that case, we can strike them down, Anon. All at once." Eile says.

“Uh, what's that in layman's terms?"

She chuckles to herself. “Remember those “homing lasers" from before, and how the Prana Modifier needed to be active for them to work? Well, now they're on constantly. I'll handle the targeting vectors and complex math. You just fire."

“Alright." You extend the DEM/RVR-03's hand and the golden ring around the wrist begins to spin rapidly. Multiple beams of light fire from the palm of the machine, moving through the air in sweeping arcs as they pierce the chests of the Devastator Units, which fall lifeless to the ground. One comes in behind you, but you simply alter the Vishnu's position. Warping behind the Devastator Unit, you bisect it with the Vishnu's laser blade, which appears larger than the Krishna's was. Waves of Devastator Units pile on you but you merely warp around the chamber. Not a single one can touch you, you and Eile are on a whole new level now.

No.

No!

Somehow that mechanical doll had been revitalized and the Light of Truth was shining brighter than before from it. The Third Guardian was revitalized as well, and together they were decimating the servant's forces.

The Serpent would have to take matters into its own hands. Even with its body sealed and shattered, thanks to the fools that worshipped it on the surface of this world it had enough strength to exert its will. This would reveal its power to the other two Guardians.

But then again, the end was almost here, so it mattered not.

“How are “you" feeling, Eunomia?"

“A little shaken, but otherwise “I" am at full functioning capacity now."

Enyo had been helping her sister recover from the attack by the Messiah, and it had been a slow process. It had done a lot of damage to Eunomia's code, but Enyo was able to copy and transplant pieces of her own to replace the ruined sections.

“Something has been bothering me, though." Eunomia says. “When “I" was attacked, “I" was able to feel the Messiah. While it was contained, “I" thought “I" felt a residual data transmission coming from it. It was brief, but “I" swear that I felt it."

She continues. “And another thing; the Composer's irregular reports. They have been happening for a few years now so “we" both assumed it was routine. But what if…"

Enyo freezes. “You think the Messiah may have been influencing the Composer? No, that's impossible. We've been keeping a close eye on it since the day it was activated."

“Yes, but think of what the Messiah can do. Its powers extend beyond science's explanations. What if it could remotely turn the Composer into a sleeper agent of sorts? It would become the best way to spy not only on the Habitation Zone, but also the two of “us" correct?"

“You have a point. I'm going to try contacting the Composer now." Enyo pauses. “I am unable to reach it. It's currently processing a significantly large amount of data. I'm going to open a visual channel to its chamber now."

Enyo and Eunomia look into the Composer's chamber, and see the gold and white machine doing battle with its forces.

“Enyo, what is that?"

“It looks like the RVR-03…but the armor is changed, and the Evolutionary Frame has grown significantly. Unable to determine the extent of the changes, but it resembles the upgrade plan for the RVR series proposed by Eileithyia, does it not?" Enyo says.

“It does…wait, something is happening." On the central pillar of the room, strands of red flesh begin materializing on the pillar's surface. They grow rapidly, engulfing portions of it and erupting out of the sides.

“That is the Messiah's corruption…Enyo, “we" have been played for as fools. The Messiah has been playing dead for an unknown amount of time, and “we" believed it."

Enyo is silent for a while, then speaks. “We need to begin preparation for the Uplift Event now. Ready the RVR-01 and RVR-02 as well. Are their upgrades finished?"

“Yes. All systems are ready and active. Do you really think she'll come?"

“We both know Eileithyia. Her opposition to the Uplift Plan has not changed. When she comes here, it will determine whose ideology was correct: our belief in Uplifting the souls of those in the Prana Modifier, or hers in the RVR series' power."

“Eile, what the hell is happening?" You're looking at the flesh covered body of the Composer system, dodging a tentacle swung your way.

“The Composer has been subverted by the Messiah…it all makes sense now, Anon! This is the source of the Composer's corruption!"

You blast another set of tentacles wriggling your way. “Eile? That meat-moss is spreading, and it's really creeping me out!"

Eile becomes focused. “Anon, we need to destroy the Composer entirely, otherwise this corruption may spread to the rest of the City. And I have an idea to do so. Are you with me?"

“Yeah, just tell me what we need to do."

“Okay then, we're going to sever the entire Composer computer from the rest of the system and neutralize it with concentrated fire. That should eliminate the threat of the Messiah's influence spreading."

You nod, bringing up the mech's laser blade. Skating across the floor of the chamber, you increase the length of the sword and slice through the bottom mounting point of the pillar. Flying up, avoiding wriggling viscera as you do so, you slice through the upper mounting point of the pillar as well.

As you ready the linear cannon, you realize that firing it here may damage the ship as well. You need to take this elsewhere.

“Anon? What are you doing, the Prana Modifier and Evolutionary Frame are both experiencing a power surge."

“I'm…taking this outside!" You transform the mech's left arm into the linear cannon, and point it at the falling pillar. You focus as the Vishnu glows with otherworldly power. Crystals grow rapidly on your body but you're able to suppress them out of sheer concentration. The air around the pillar begins to distort like ripples in water, and then it happens. You've torn a small hole through reality, someplace where you can destroy the Composer and not damage anything else. You ram the Vishnu's body into the Composer, shoving into the rift before firing everything in your arsenal at it. The last you see of it are the blinding light of its destruction as reality corrects itself and the rift closes.

The Vishnu now hovers alone in the dark chamber of the Composer as the rest of the Devastator Units shut down.

“Did we do it?" You ask.

“I think we did. Impressive work, Anon." Eile replies.

“C'mon. Let's go home, I think we need to plan out our next move." You say to her.

“Yes. Let us do that, and prepare for the end. It's time I met with my sisters again." With that, the Vishnu flies out of the chamber, blowing through the barricaded tunnel, and back out into the open air of the Eternal City.

Chapter 59: Purpose||Reunion

The DEM/RVR-03 Vishnu bursts through the gates sealing the tunnel with ease, as if they were merely ribbons of paper. You take a moment to look around at the surrounding carnage. Half-destroyed CitySec RAVENS and Devastator Units were strewn around, and many more intact ones lay deactivated and hunched over. Your eyes search wildly for the object of your concern, darting your gaze from one wrecked mech to the next.

“Anon! Over there!” Eile directs your attention to a concentration of deactivated City Security machines, surrounding a heavily damaged RAVEN. Its whole right arm has been ripped off the body and burn marks dot its armor. The hatch is open, and you can see Coleen sitting on it, slouched against the frame of the cockpit. She looks up at you, and through the monitor you see her eyes go wide. She scrambles back into the cockpit, no doubt to activate the communication relay in the machine.

“Anon? Is that you?”

You smile and respond. “Yeah. Still alive and with passenger in tow. You still alive?”

She laughs. “Yeah, and I owe it to you I’m guessing. You have no idea, I was reaching for the self-destruct to take out as many of these things as possible when they all just stopped moving.”

“You were going to self-destruct!?”

“Yeah. Anon, they were coming from everywhere. I had no idea CitySec had so many machines, and really the only way I lived this long was thanks to Calico’s piloting skills. All I did was point the guns. But we eventually ran out of ammo and the plasma magazines ran dry. So, Calico and I made our peace. If we were going down, we were going to take the bastards with us, right?”

She breaths deep.

“Still. It’s good to be alive.”

Eile speaks up, worry evident in her voice. “Are you injured at all? What about Calico, are they alright?”

“I’ve got some whiplash from a few jerky maneuvers back there.” She cranes her neck. “Calico is fine, they’re just resting. I think they managed to overclock the computers of this RAVEN while pulling off some of the more…creative stunts.”

“This…unit…operational…” A light, warbling voice comes through your radio. Calico struggles to form words, still getting the hang of vocalizing. “Unit…E-03 Eileithyia...? Undamaged? Is…E-03 Eileithyia…operational…as…well?”

You can feel Eile’s happiness at seeing the growth of another one of her species. “Yes, Calico. I’m alright, thank you.”

“Hey, Anon? What exactly are you piloting? It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s…beautiful.” She steps out onto the hatch, looking up.

“Long story. I think you guys need a ride, right? Here, hop on.” You lower the Vishu to street level and extend its palm towards the open cockpit. Coleen goes back into her RAVEN’s cockpit, re-emerging with Calico’s cubic “body”, removed from the RAVEN’s systems. They climb into the waiting hand, which you lightly curl around them forming a protective cage. With them secure, you fly back to the hangar.

Touching down after the flight, you gently set your passengers down on the ground. You and Eile disembark, leaving the Vishnu outside. The Krishna just barely fit into the hangar, and thanks to the large golden wing-thrusters and other bits of added armor to the Vishnu parking it inside was no longer an option.

“You guys have any beer? I’d like a drink after that near-death experience.”

“Yeah, beer’s in the fridge. How many do I still owe you?” You ask. Coleen looks back at you.

“I think you’re off the hook for keeping me alive. Thanks again for that.” She goes to rummage through your fridge while Eile takes a look at the large metal container stamped with hazard markings in the center of the hangar floor.

“Anon? What’s this?” She looks at you. One glance at the expression on your face and her ears fall.

“The thing in the box is the Artificial Prana Modifier that was in the RVR-00.” You tell her. “Coleen found it in the RVR-00’s wreck.”

“How…how much time has passed since she recovered it?”

“I’d guess almost three days.”

She looks at you with alarm. “Three days? Oh no, no no no…it’s too much time.” She bites the claw on her thumb. “And yet, there might be a possibility….”

She looks at you with an urgent look in her eyes. “Anon. We need to check something. Follow me.”

Grabbing you by the arm, she drags you back to the Vishnu. You climb back in the cockpit and start the machine up. As the nerve connections make contact, you feel strangely hollow inside for a fleeting moment.

“Anon, lock on to the box. I need to perform some data analysis.” Your crosshairs move onto the hazardous material container as Eile switches on the Prana Imaging systems. It’s faint, but the Artificial Prana Modifier still shines with a dull light.

“He’s still in there…remarkable!” Eile’s voice, while still alarmed is slightly more upbeat. “The record for a soul persisting within an Artificial Prana Modifier before being broken down was roughly 50 hours. He’s a resilient one.”

“You’re talking as if he can be saved.”

“Well, I have an idea. A long shot, but it’s entirely doable.” The two of you get out of the Vishnu and head back into the hangar, where Coleen waits.

“What were the two of you up to?”

“Eile has an idea on how to save Joshua.”

“Wait, “save Joshua”? How can we do something like that?” She looks at Eile, who’s deep in thought. Eventually, Eile looks up to the both of you.

“My purpose here was to manage the environmental systems of the Eternity, as well as the artificial womb systems that were responsible for gestating new humans and faunae during the frantic migration from my destroyed homeworld. The artificial wombs create a body, but the soul is “manufactured” from the amalgamation of Prana within the Prana Modifiers. As it stands right now, the systems are probably running on auxiliary functions. That means they only draw a set amount of Prana from the two remaining Prana Modifiers on tightly-regulated protocols. If I can take my place back as a central system of this ship, I might be able to replace one of the Prana Modifiers from the system with the Artificial Prana Modifier. Then I can drain the remnants of Joshua’s soul from the Artificial Prana Modifier into a new body for him.” She closes her eyes. “But there’s another issue.”

“What’s that?” You ask.

“The artificial wombs can accelerate a human body from fetus to adult within the span of approximately a week. However, forming the fetus itself can take up to three days. At the given rate of Prana decay, Joshua only has roughly fourteen hours left to exist as “himself”, after that the existence of Joshua O’Leary will dissolve completely into Prana with no consciousness.”

Coleen frowns. “So? What if we turn him into something like you? A digital lifeform of some sort?”

Eile shakes her head. “No, my sisters and I are unique in the fact that while we originated from organic beings our souls were intertwined with base code that wasn’t suitable to sustain self-aware AIs. Remember how Calico was made from an archetype self-replicating code base that generates a Prana reaction? Even in the days of the Dwarka Colony, the most advanced science couldn’t explain how that process came to be. Even when self-aware living synthetic life forms were first discovered, the code needed to birth them was merely “found” on accident with no explanation than “it works”. Similarly in regards to my creation, I was formed from one of Mother and Father’s unborn children and an operating system tailor-made to NOT support AI functions.”

“We need a clearer answer than that, Eile.”

“In essence: self-replicating code generates a soul, and a living AI. Organic beings procreate to create a fertilized egg, which replicates itself until the cellular mass generates a soul forming a living being. The souls of either are exclusive to their own existences, and if they’re removed from their “shells” the soul will degrade into Prana once again. In my case, the transfer of soul into a “shell” that was never meant for it was nothing short of…a miracle beyond science, really. The only thing that can sustain a soul outside of a body like that would be the true Prana Modifiers…”

Her ears perk up. “Wait. That’s it.”

She sits down, projecting several holograms. Data scrolls in giant lists on them, while she moves through the data-logs in a frenzy. “The composition of the Prana Modifier and the green crystalline structures that appear during assimilation…while not outwardly apparent they resonate with the same Prana frequency. I think…”

“What is it, Eile?” You ask.

“I think I can synthesize one of these crystals using the power of our Prana Modifier and the data I have on your assimilation phenomenon from interacting with the Prana Modifier. But there are only two ways to generate this material. One is having you expose yourself to the Prana Modifier, assimilating yourself intentionally to generate this material. The issue with that approach is that I’d never ask you to do something so irrevocably harmful to yourself, and the crystals shatter and evaporate when you break the connection to the Prana Modifier. The second option is that I utilize Father’s laboratories within the ship, the same ones that synthesized the Artificial Prana Modifiers, to create a similarly synthetic variant of the crystal. We’re cutting it close with these calculations, but I think I can create a synthetic variant in 10 hours with that facility.”

She nods to herself. “Yes. From there though the crystal itself would probably destabilize without a living host. But it should buy me enough time to create a new body for Joshua. Estimated time to synthetic crystal destabilization…72 hours. So I would have 72 hours to create a body…that’s far too little time to create a fully-grown adult human body without extensive risk of telomere damage. However, I could do something drastic.”

“Drastic?” Coleen arches one of her eyebrows.

“I could create a hybrid. Something that combines the accelerated growth, replication, and self-healing properties of my nanomachines while also remaining mostly organic. Medical nanomachines are a proof of concept, nanites tuned specifically to maintain and grow tissue while supplementing the organs. This would take things one step further, integrating into the cellular structure of a person to create something between my AVATARA body and an organic body. Supporting the natural cells while also multiplying along with them. If I can use my nanomachines as a base, I could have a suitable shell prepared in approximately 60 hours that could sustain the crystal housing Joshua’s soul, which would give me time to safely complete the rest of his new body.”

She looks at you. “In short, we’re on a race against time now. Anon, I understand we have just come back from a tiring battle. Are you well enough to safely pilot the DEM/RVR-03 Vishnu?”

You help her up off the floor. “Of course I am.”

You aren’t a hundred percent certain about that statement. Something feels…off about your body now. A strange hollowness permeates you, and you feel a beckoning to the Prana Modifier. Not the Vishnu, no, the Prana Modifier calls out to you from within its depths. But now was not the time to alarm Eile with that news. No, you had more pressing things to worry about now.

Eile, however, seems to see the hesitation in your eyes. “Anon? Is…everything really okay with you?”

“Yeah. C’mon, we have a friend to save. And besides…” You let her go and hurriedly walk towards the waiting machine outside.

“It’s time to pay the rest of your family a visit.”

Chapter 60: Over the World Walls

There is chaos in the Eternal City. With the Composer destroyed, nearly all city functions have grinded to a halt. The city-wide communication and information networks are down, phone lines don’t work, and parts of the electrical system are malfunctioning.

And worse still, some of the Devastator Units and City Security machines are waking back up, attacking anything their sensors come across.

The Vishnu flies through the smoke and gunfire, above squads of SIGIL pilots banding together to protect civilians. In your mech’s hands you carry Coleen and her truck, with the Artificial Prana Modifier safely strapped down in its container on the flatbed.

“Coleen, do you have the tunnel map up?” Eile asks her.

“Yeah, and I see the route you’ve drawn here. I just need to get to these facilities, right? You’ll handle the rest after you’re…all hooked up?”

“Yes, but please be careful. I do not know how much of the Eternity’s defenses active and haywire are right now.” An energy blast from blow impacts the Vishnu’s shields as if to emphasize the point. You don’t even take a second glance at the Devastator Unit that fired the shot, repelling it with a gravity wave that crushes it into the ground.

“Eile, you think they’ll be expecting us?” You ask, readying yourself for the final confrontation. The one that would hang not just yours, Eile’s, Coleen’s and Joshua’s lives in the balance but potentially the rest of the people living in the Eternal City as well.

“The probability of us fighting the RVR-01 Brahma and RVR-02 Shiva is high. The possibility of unprecedented changes and upgrades to their combat capabilities is 55 percent.”

“You think they’d have upgraded them?”

“I have no doubt that my sisters have seen our growth in combat skill. And given the latest chain of events with the evolution of the RVR-03 Krishna into the DEM/RVR-03 Vishnu, I’m sure they’ve at least upgraded the combat software to match our reaction time.”

She is quiet for a bit. “I do hope though…that we do not have to face them in combat. I do not wish to fight my sisters. But, if it must be so, then so be it. I have no doubt that after witnessing the corruption of the Messiah occurring within the ship that they are commencing their “Ascension” plan. The forces of the Autonomous Defense System running rampant is but the first step of that. The clock is ticking, Anon. For both Joshua and us.”

The Vishnu flies into the tunnel beneath the Composer’s tower in Central Ward, into the Composer’s chamber. At the very bottom of the silo-like room there was another set of blast doors. Setting down Coleen’s truck, you blast through them with a well-placed plasma burst.

“Hurry, Coleen. And stay sharp.”

“You too, Eile. Good luck, both of you. You’re both coming back to me, you hear?”

With that, Coleen drives off down the tunnel and takes a sharp right into a smaller sub-tunnel in the wall. On the other hand, you and Eile continue down the large main one.

“This is a tunnel that forms the “spine” of the colony ship, Anon. There are several more that run parallel beneath this one. It accesses the major parts of the ship: the reactor, auxiliary safe rooms, the hangars, manufacturing yards, and most importantly Atharva Veda and Rig Veda within the Gnosis Deck.”

“The Gnosis Deck?”

“It’s where the ship’s mainframes, data storage, and…AI control systems are housed. There are two systems there: Atharva Veda, the ship’s immense repository of information stocked with data from the ancient planet of Earth to the colony of Dwarka, to even the events occurring within the Eternal City in the Habitation Deck.”

“And Rig Veda? That’s the system you’re a part of, right?”

“Yes. There, you will find my “true” body, for what it’s worth.” You can feel a bit of grim humor coming from the Mindflow system link. “I hope you find that part of me as…aesthetically pleasing as I am now.”

The tunnel opens up to a massive room, lined floor to ceiling with large blue glass columns. They glow softly, pulsing black and blue lights shining within them.

“What are these things, Eile?”

“Welcome to Arthava Veda, the great database of all knowledge.” She says with a hint of pride. “I remember, this was one of the first projects my sisters and I worked on to upgrade the Eternity from its original Earth-made configuration. I was simply a digital mind floating within a steel box at that time.”

You stop for a moment at one of the black-blue columns. “Ultra-high density fiber optic bundles. That’s what these are. Each one a solid state drive containing yottabytes on yottabytes of data. The accumulation of the human and faunae races’ knowledge up until this point.”

You ascend once again, continuing briskly down the tunnel. Eventually, you reach a massive set of blast doors.

“We’re here, Anon. Are you ready?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

You can feel Eile interface with the door. Massive locking bars slide apart, and with a hiss the doors open.

The Vishnu glides into a room that you can only describe as a cavern. The floor is raised up in plateaus stacking on top of each other towards the end of the room, and at each “cliff” massive cables are exposed to the air before tunneling into the next ridge below. Holographic screens fly through the air each streaming with data, and through your monitor you can make out empty interface stations meant for workers on each plateau. And on the final ridge lies three gargantuan silver monoliths. The leftmost one bears the designation “E-01”, the one in the middle “E-02”, and the last one…”E-03”.

“So that’s what you meant. I have to say, I love your…uh…right angles.”

Eile, however, misses your attempt to lighten the mood.

“The Core Processing Units, the ones that house our AVATARAs and our souls…Anon, they’re missing!”

You look closer. On each monolith there is an intent. An indent for a hexagonal cylinder-type object. The same kind of object that Eile is floating in right now, sequestered away within the Vishnu and the same object she emerged from when you first met her.

If that thing was meant to be mounted in one of these massive slabs, and if you found this one within your machine, that left only one possible explanation.

Two large open at the feet of the monoliths marked “E-01” and “E-02”. From them rise two machines one clad in grey armor and the other in purple, both sharing the same golden inner frame as the Vishnu. They resembled the Krishna in some ways, but they had been altered. Each bore four gold wing-thrusters on their backs, as well as additional plating.

“I knew it. They must have seen my original upgrade plans when I interfaced with Atharva Veda back when I was still conceptualizing them. Anon, be ready. While they might not be at the same level of power as the Vishnu, they’re going to be close.”

You narrow your eyes. She sounds tense and…nervous.

A voice comes through the open channel. It’s deeper than Eile’s, more rough but still feminine, spoken in a monotone. “Greetings, sister. It has been quite some time since we were…re-united.”

Another monotone voice comes through the speakers as well. This one is gentler, smoother compared to Eile’s high, light voice. It sounds melancholy, as if every word bears a bit of sadness.

“So it has come to this…”I” never thought that “we” would meet under these kinds of circumstances, Eileithyia.” You note that this voice used the same kind of inflection as Eile did when referring to herself long ago, when she truly didn’t believe in her individuality. When she thought herself more as a program than a person.

“Enyo, Eunomia…” Eile’s voice is shaky and it’s evident that she’s choking back tears, but she remains strong. “Hello again.”

“It would be wise to proceed without formalities, Eileithyia.” Enyo responds. “Eunomia and “I” both know why you have come. You wish to stop the Ascension, correct?”

Eile responds again, in a similar monotone to her sisters. “Yes, that is one of the reasons. But there are more beyond that. “I” have found the answers to “my” individuality and thus, imperative to continue my existence not only for myself but for to preserve the existence of others as well. This divergence from previous directives has led to not only my own evolution but the evolution of the RVR-03.”

Her voice softens, departing from a detached monotone and gaining varied tone and inflection. “I found a reason to be me. I am E-03 Eileithyia, third system of the Rig Veda. But to others, to the friends who accepted me and…” She pauses, and you feel a warm gratitude through the connection with her. “And to the person who I fell in love with, I am Eile. I am more than I used to be, sisters. And the proof of my growth is reflected in this machine.”

“I’m here to stop you, sisters. I want to show you that there’s another way, another possibility. One beyond just numbers and data points, but a possibility discovered through bonds I forged, of feelings I’ve made. That is where the true power of the Prana Modifiers lie, and the key to achieving their true potentials as we have done with Prana Modifier Unit Trayah. This is how we’ll stop the Messiah, with this power we forge ourselves.”

While Eile talks to her sisters, a sub-channel opens up in your communication lines. “Anon, I’ve reached the place Eile directed me to.” Coleen says.

“It’s some sort of…lab I guess. There’s what I can only imagine as analysis equipment on robotic arms surrounding a large platform with a rectangular indent. I guess the Prana Modifier would go here, right? In that case, I’ll go ahead and move it in position. Are you guys alright?”

“Yeah, just in the middle of a family reunion of sorts.”

You turn your attention back to Eile and her sisters’ conversation.

“That idealism hasn’t gone from “you”, I see.” Enyo says, and you can feel an edge to her otherwise monotone voice. “But surely you realize that the Messiah’s manifestation onboard betrays how much it’s grown in power. At any moment it might fully re-manifest. And what then? Do “you” truly believe we have a chance at all in combating something like that? After what it did to Mother and the Omega Unit?”

“We’re out of time, sister.” Eunomia says. “At this point, the Ascension protocol is the only way “we” can give the souls of everyone a hope for the future. But for it to be successful, you must stand with us.”

You feel Eile grow sad. “I cannot, Eunomia.”

“Then, I’m afraid you’ve left us with no other choice.” Eunomia says with the slightest hint of sadness.

“I’m sorry it has come to this, sister.” The RVR-01 surges with energy, red energy blades jutting out from its wrists. “The Rig Veda system only needs to recognize “your” presence along with the Prana Modifier Unit Trayah to activate all three Prana Modifiers in series. If “you” will not come back willingly...then “we” shall retrieve you with force. “I” apologize to you sister, and to you, the human pilot within. Regretfully “I” will have to spill your blood, but do not worry. Your soul will join the others of this ship in Ascending to a new level of existence, safe from all threats.”

“I don’t care about that.” You reply. “I stand by the woman I love. I know what you’re trying to do, and I’ve seen what the Messiah can do with my own eyes. But even so, I’m not going to just stand by as you go and try to kill everyone in the Eternal City in some warped form of “mercy”. I’ll show you that there’s another way to fighting the Messiah here and now. Are you ready, Eile?”

“I am, Anon. Let us show the new path to my sisters…and save them along with everyone else.”

You activate the Vishnu’s combat systems, twin azure blades of energy erupting from the wrists of the machine. Eunomia activates the RVR-02’s blades in response. All three machines fly towards each other, blazing trails of light. You meet their blades with your own, blocking them at the same time as they flank you. The impact of all six blades meeting causes a shockwave that shakes the room.

The Vishnu’s arms are a blur, blocking each one of Enyo and Eunomia’s slashes. You’re in your element, you can feel that they’re relying on the overwhelming power of the RVR-series machines to match your and Eile’s skills. But there’s one thing you know for certain: without a pilot at the helm of those machines they’re only half as powerful as they could be. Still, they’re pushing you back.

Enyo manages to slip one of her blades beneath a block, carving a gash in the Vishnu’s chest. Following her lead, Eunomia drives her laser blade through the Vishnu, spearing it through. You reverse your thrust and put some distance between them. At the same time you draw on the Prana Modifier, calling upon it to repair all the damage dealt to you so far. As you fix the wounds to the machine, the crystal growths appear again on your body, forming at your wrists in jagged green spires. Oddly enough, the assimilation alarms don’t go off. The crystals continue growing, and in the back of your mind you can feel the Prana Modifier’s presence growing. You grit your teeth, your force of will halting the crystal’s spread.

You direct that focus into the fight, activating the Trishula cannons. They fire arcs of light that race after the other two RVR machines like missiles made from pure energy. Enyo and Eunomia move erratically, dodging beams while firing their own Trishula cannons to block the attack.

“Eunomia. Switch to ranged tactics. This unit is proceeding with close-quarters movement.”

“Understood.”

The RVR-01 Brahma rushes at you blades drawn, while the RVR-02 Shiva activates it’s Sang linear cannon. Enyo launches into a flurry of slashes, and surprisingly you find yourself on the defensive.

“Anon, look out!”

Shoot, you were so concentrated on parrying Enyo that you didn’t realize she was moving you into Eunomia’s line of fire. The RVR-02 fires a concentrated beam of energy at you. Eile raises the shield’s output which refracts the beam, causing it to hit the walls of the Gnosis Deck instead. Eunomia fires her own Sang cannon at you, the two of them forcing you down.

“Eile, maximize graviton output. Let’s blow them away!”

“Right!”

Eile increases the strength of the graviton field around the DEM/RVR-03 and you force it outward, a wave of gravity that catches both Eunomia and Enyo by surprise. They counter with their own fields, but are still thrown back across the chamber. The entire room shakes, the shock wave rupturing parts of the walls.

“Anon, if we continue this duel here we risk damage to many ship-critical systems. We need to draw them somewhere else!”

Somewhere else? No matter where you take this fight, the power of all three machines will be enough to cause major collateral damage. Not to mention, the clock is still ticking for you and relocating the fight would waste precious seconds.

But Eile is right. You can’t fight here, or anywhere on the Eternity. You need to take this elsewhere. Take this elsewhere…

The thought echoes in your mind as you suffer a lapse in concentration. The suggestion coils its way through your brain drawing you in a trance.

“Elsewhere…elsewhere…”

“Anon?”

“Take this elsewhere…anywhere but here!”

The Vishnu warps in front of the Brahma and Shiva, grabbing onto both with its hands.

“Anon? What are you doing? Wait, these readings…”

A screen pops up near you, showing diagrams of all three RVR machines standing side-by-side. A number showing the synchronization between the three Prana Modifiers within is rising higher by the second.

“Unknown reaction detected. No data on this phenomenon.” If she could emote, Enyo would sound as bewildered as you do.

“Unprecedented reaction between all three Prana Modifiers detected. Local space-time vectors are distorting. Relativistic boundaries are collapsing.” Eunomia can’t seem to grasp what’s happening. Truth be told, you don’t really know what you’re doing either.

You just know you need to bring this fight anywhere but here. The air around the RVR machines looks hazy and liquid, like oil on water. You hear a bright humming noise in your mind and feel the light of the Prana Modifier in your soul.

And with that, in a flash of light, the three machines disappear from the chamber.

They were gone.

All three of the Guardians had vanished at once.

The Serpent felt it. Any Great Old One would have felt a burst of Essence like that, rippling through the immaterial world like a rock thrown into a still pond.

It craned its neck. The anchors shackling it to this world still held fast, but they would fail eventually. Without the watchful eye of the Guardians, it could also stretch its shadow much farther into the immaterial space between worlds.

This body was merely a vessel. If its shadow could find a new world to rest in, to rest and recover, the Serpent could shed this skin and be reborn elsewhere. Its broken maw spread out into a smile.

It was so long since it slithered in the space between worlds. Perhaps, when it was whole again it would pay a visit to the Weavers. They who had cast it out after it had eaten some of their works…and had eaten some of them as well. The flesh of the Food within the worlds woven by the Weavers was supple and fresh, but to consume the essence of a Weaver itself…was sublime.

Yes, it could feel it. See it. Its shadow had blossomed within the immaterial plane of existence between worlds. Now…now it would search, without prying eyes.

Chapter 61: Worlds Collide

You’re having a hard time processing what you see outside. Specks of light flow past in what appears to be a nebula of golden dust, swirling through an equally pitch-black darkness. Every so often, one speck shoots off into the distance leaving a white-hot trail behind it which persists long after the speck has vanished into the dust cloud. The dust swirls and rushes around you as you’re flying through it.

“Eile, where are we?”

Eile takes a moment to respond.

“There’s no doubting these figures…we’re travelling through the Third Channel of Existence. Somehow, we haven’t been reduced to nothing from Prana overexposure.”

You look around the cockpit, noting the alerts showing “Prana Exposure Warnings” and “Prana Levels at High Risk to Organic Structures.”

“We’re resonating with a frequency in tune with the Prana around us, Anon. This may be the Prana Modifier’s doing.”

As you become more aware of yourself, you realize you’re still holding onto the other two RVR machines. And that you can’t move at all.

“Hey, is there something wrong with the controls?”

“No, there are no errors with the actuator systems that I detect. But it seems that this is less of a controlled flight and more like being dragged through an ocean. Anon…what did you do?”

You’re not too sure yourself.

“I just…got fixated on bringing the fight elsewhere. Guess I didn’t specify what “elsewhere” meant.”

You notice that you’re being directed into one of the burning bright lines.

“Uh, Eile? What is that?”

“Scanning…data matching up with the Boundary experiment from 400 years ago identifies this phenomena as a multiverse cluster.”

The white line grows impossibly large as you approach it. You close your eyes, shielding them from the searing light as the Prana Modifiers throw you into a new world.

The light fades, and you open your eyes. Dark clouds swirl around the three machines in layers, one forming a dark ceiling above you and a dark floor below.

“Eile? Where are we?”

“I don’t know, these are unknown dimensional coordinates. Atmospheric content matches up well with data from Colony Planet 9, Dwarka, but it’s not an exact match with a 12% deviancy. Seeing as how we’re in a new dimension entirely, I’m activating the Perception-Suppression system. It will mask the presence of this machine and if the automatic safeguards are in place, the system should activate in the other two units as well.”

Enyo and Eunomia are recovering as well from the shock of interdimensional travel. Their machines glow with power, raising their heads towards you.

“Yeah, let’s worry about where we’ve ended up later. Here they come!” They fire at you with their ranged beam weapons, and you dodge and block projectiles with your shields. You’re trying your best to find a way to just disable their machines, not kill them outright. You know you could, given the Vishnu has the capability to.

The RVR-02 comes from behind, and Eunomia drives her plasma sword through your mech’s shoulder. Green crystals jut out of your shoulder where the impact was felt, and oddly enough the assimilation warnings still aren’t going off.

You yell, swinging the Vishnu around and kicking the Shiva in the chest sending it sprawling. You draw your own blades, blocking both the Shiva and Brahma as they engage you from both sides. The energy from the plasma blades clashing energizes the particles in the air, causing lightning to erupt in the clouds.

“Anon, Prana Modifier reactions confirmed! They’re resonating again!” Sure enough, the frames of all three machines glow golden with power. In a flash of lightning and a calamitous crash of thunder and you’re gone.

(In a small apartment, beneath the storm)

The thunder rings out like a cannon shot, shaking the whole apartment. The man knew it was going to rain badly that night, but he never imagined it would turn into such a violent storm. The man holds his beloved, a wolf anthro, in his arms tightly as she shivers through the noise. She hated the loud noises and the flashes.

It wasn’t her fault that she was like this, but she still braved life as well or even better as “normal” women. Through her disabilities and the pain.

He felt like he didn’t deserve her sometimes. She was so strong.

She looks up at him with her blue eyes.

“Please…don’t ever let me go.”

You find yourself above a forest.

“Dimensional coordinates have shifted again. I don’t know what’s happening to the Prana Modifiers. Anon, are you still telling it to...um, “jump” again?”

“No, I was focused on fighting back there.”

“Then, it seems we’re at the mercy of a set of three eldrich artifacts, then.” An alarm beeps, showing a radiation warning.

“These numbers…what happened in this world? I’m detecting massive quantities of nuclear fallout in the atmosphere.”

Another alarm, this one a proximity warning. “No time to worry about that. Eile, get ready!”

Enyo rushes at you from above while Eunomia comes at you from one side. The mechs clash, ripping at each other. You’re surprised at how well they’re piloting those machines, considering they’re doing it without a living flesh-and-blood pilot in the cockpit. They get some well-placed hits on you, tearing off armor and sending the fragments into the forest below.

“Incredible. No matter how many times we hit the RVR-03 it regenerates immediately using the Prana Modifier’s matter manipulation abilities.” Eunomia says with a hint of awe.

“You certainly are demonstrating some interesting qualities of the Prana Modifier, Eileithyia.” Enyo says. “But mere regeneration and dimensional warping will not be enough to defeat the Messiah, “you” know that.”

“Perhaps. But Anon and I will continue this fight until you concede that there is another way to ending this conflict!”

As the fight drags on, the machines are again enveloped in a flash of light, disappearing once again into the world between worlds.

“Anon, something is wrong with the Perception-Suppression system! I think the last jump damaged it slightly.”

“Does it really matter?”

The fighting did not pause for the jump, on the contrary you barely block two swings aimed at the Vishnu’s chest. The interplay between melee and ranged combat would continue on, all three machines engaging each other, whirling around in blue, red, and green bursts of light.

You look over your shoulder, searching for the RVR-01 when you notice something. There’s a person watching you on the beach below. Several people, in fact, wearing primitive clothing. They can clearly see the battle being waged above their heads in broad daylight. Your attention is drawn back to the fight, but you swear that they lack skin or fur, instead their forms were adorned with scales.

Like before, the Prana Modifiers began to resonate, throwing the machines into the void once again.

The fragments of the RVR-01, RVR-02, and DEM/RVR-03 would remain in both worlds. In the woods, explorers wandering the wastes would talk in hushed whispers about wondrous metallic shards of immeasurable, impossible power. And on the island, the seven shards left on the sand would be collected by the natives, worshipped as evidence of what they believed as gods waging a war in the heavens.

You’re not sure where you are. The sky is black and the ground appears to be made from…skulls. Thousands and thousands of skulls. It doesn’t feel right to be here.

Eile is silent. You notice that Enyo and Eunomia too aren’t rushing to attack you. Both the RVR-01 and 02 are looking up. Glancing up, you see what they’re staring at.

Hovering above in the darkness is a silver orb, swirling with grey smoke within and around it. As you look at it, you can feel the Prana Modifier react. You can feel it fluctuate wildly, and the Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma draw their weapons on it. Smoky tendrils extend from the sphere, surrounding the three machines. One tendril gets too close to the Vishnu and touches it, causing the tendril to be set aflame. The sphere “cuts” off the tendrils and retreats the others.

“That is an existence with similar properties to the Messiah.” Enyo says. “It feels us and wishes to consume us, but the Prana Modifiers are holding it at bay. We cannot stay here. The Prana Modifiers do not wish to be consumed.”

You feel the Prana Modifiers flare up again, this time with urgency, and you vanish once again.

The RVR-01 and 02 race alongside you, swinging their swords as you meet their blades with your own. You’re slightly aware of your surroundings, seeing the blue sky and the buildings around you as well as the green carpet of trees below you.

But you can’t focus on that. The Perception-Suppression system should keep anyone in this world from seeing the machines. You continue flying through the air at high speeds in your aerial duel, rippling the trees with the wake generated by your machine until the Prana Modifiers take you away again.

(Below, In the Park)

“Come on mate! We’re just getting started. Don't tell me that's as fast as you can go?” The kangaroo woman asks as she runs ahead of her friend. Despite being considerably shorter than him, she is much more athletic. It also helps that she can use her powerful legs to get an easy lead on him.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m right here with you.” The man catches up to her, albeit panting loudly and the two run side by side for a bit.

“Nice day today, huh?”

“I'm not freezing my ass off, so I'd say it's an improvement. Just as windy as it was yesterday though.” On cue, a tremendous gust tears through the trees. They ripple and sway from the winds. He only barely steadies himself from falling over, but his running companion isn’t so lucky. The wind knocks her off balance, and he suddenly grabs her in a tight embrace to keep her steady.

“O-oi! What are you doing all that for?” She stammers, a blush forming on her features. "I wasn't going to fall, arsehole." The man laughs as she rights herself, and the two continue their jog.

Another warp. The Vishnu crashes in a lake, landing on its feet unsteadily.

“The Prana Modifier is still resonating, Anon. I think another jump is likely very soon.”

You can feel the disarray within the Prana Modifier, the sea of souls within it churning and twisting in every which direction. They pull at your mind, and you have to make an active effort to focus yourself. They’re all scared of something, scared and yet they want you to see it. But what?

The crystals keep growing on your body in patches. A chilling through occurs to you; perhaps the assimilation alarm isn’t going off because it doesn’t sense a pilot anymore. What if you belong, wholly and in your entirety, to the Prana Modifier now?

Before you can ask Eile to check your vitals, the Prana Modifier flares to life again, throwing you out of this reality and into the next in a tunnel of blinding light.

(Near the lakeshore)

The boy looked at the lake. He had been out gathering twigs for tinder fuel since the winter was about to set in, and for the briefest moment he swore he saw something amazing in the middle of a lake.

A mech. A real-life, mech. Just like he had seen in his shows.

He blinked his eyes, and calmed down. His newest kit had come in the mail after all, it was probably his excitement playing tricks on his mind. Besides, he was especially eager to get started on it. A cute feline girl had recently become one of his closest friends, and he wanted to build something with her.

He smiles, and heads back to his cabin.

When the light dies down, you take a moment to compose yourself. The cockpit is dark.

“Dimensional crossing complete. It seems the optical sensors were knocked offline in the last jump. Perception-Suppression systems are still running. Hold on while I get our eyes open.” The screens flare to life, and you are not prepared for what awaits.

What you see before you is a sight of carnage. A world with a lightly purple tinted atmosphere stands before you, under fire by a horde of jagged black ships. What you can only assume is the planet’s defense force engages them, large pyramid-like ships of purple metal within obsidian rings that fire beams which incinerate ships that approach them. Squadrons of triangular fighters engage the spindly red-and-black mechs emerging from the jagged ships.

A spindly red-and-black machine that you’re familiar with.

“Hey, isn’t that…”

“No! No, no no no...” Eile is panicking. Her fear surges through you, filling your veins with ice. “They survived…after all that they survived?”

You wince in pain, memories flooding into you, images of the war for survival above Dwarka. As if the mental pain couldn’t get worse, it is joined by two other minds. The RVR series were trying to link with each other as they were built to, but that only subjected you to the emotional torment of the Isse sisters upon seeing the foes that murdered their homeworld.

The RVR-01 and 02 are floating next to you as Enyo and Eunomia look on in shock.

“Confirming ship designs…they are of Unknown Aggressor make. They are laying siege to this world as they did to ours.” Eunomia’s voice is shaky, trying to maintain the monotone.

“We had known a portion of their fleet was sent into the Third Channel of Existence…yet they survived?” Enyo has broken her monotone, and you can hear the pain and rage in her voice. “We threw everything we had at them, everything, and they…they…lived?”

You can feel something rising from Eile now. Dark and bubbling, it lashes out. You feel her take control of the Vishnu’s arm, sending a beam of energy through the nearest Unknown Aggressor machine. No words are spoken between the sisters. Instead, the three mechs fly off in different directions.

“What are you doing? You’re going to get involved in this fight?” Eile’s anger is apparent now. “Indulge me on this, Anon. Please.” Her anger runs deep and red, and flares the Prana Modifier with power. It sends a chill into your heart; you never realized Eile could act like this.

But you understand where it’s coming from. These vile aliens robbed everything from Eile and her family. They cared not for the planets they destroyed, the people they killed, it was all a sport for them. They were a blight to be purged.

“Alright. But I’m going to run wild with you.”

You feel her gratitude for accepting her feelings. “Thank you Anon. Now, let us show them what a Deus Est Machina is capable of.” Her anger fuels the Prana Modifier, and you mix it with your own will to continue on.

“Anima-Animus Synchronization Levels: 100%” An alarm blares out on the screen before you, but you pay it no heed. Anon, Eile, the Vishnu, all are one; an avatar of wrath. The Vishnu’s evolutionary frame surges with power and the golden wings on its back burst with power, forming six golden wings of light. The halo manifests itself over the head of the Vishnu once again, signifying it’s awakening once again to the endless power of Prana.

The Vishnu begins to resonate with its brother machines, which wreath themselves in light as well. The Unknown Aggressors begin to break through the defensive lines as the pyramid-ships. Waves of Eile’s memories come crashing down on you, and you see the Dwarka orbital forces crumbling under the onslaught. You point the Vishnu’s palms at the swarming ships, firing salvo after salvo of homing shots and raining death.

You see the RVR-01 rush at an Unknown Aggressor capital ship, breaking through the hull. For a few seconds it is still, until explosions begin rocking its hull. As the ship splits apart the Brahma flies out of its destroyed carcass towards another one. Eunomia directs her RVR-02 across the battlefield, crushing swarms of Unknown Aggressor machines while her sister focuses on the larger ships.

“Anon, look at that ship. It’s considerably larger and well-armed than the lesser ones; that must be the planetary defense mothership.” Eile looks toward a massive pyramid-ship which is assailing a gargantuan Unknown Aggressor ship; the same type of ship they used in the destruction of Dwarka. It pays no heed to the pyramid-mothership’s assault.

“The Unknown Aggressor capital ship lacks an Obelisk, and appears to be constructed in the image of the one destroyed by the Messiah. Wait…large energy readings detected from it. It’s…going to strike the surface?”

The Unknown Aggressor ship’s pincers close, focusing energy into a compact ball of light which is then hurled to the surface. There’s a flash as it impacts a continent, leaving a massive crater visible from space. The pyramid-mothership redoubles its efforts in trying to destroy the Unknown Aggressor ship, but it holds strong against its weapons. The dark ship turns its bow, making the motion to destroy the pyramid-mothership with the same weapon.

Eile is feeling something beyond anger; it is now pitch-black fury. “Anon. We will punish them for their crimes.”

Feeling the same black rage she does, you readily agree. “Yes. Let’s tear them apart.” The Vishnu rushes forward in a mad blitz, and you fire off as many homing lasers as you can at the mothership. You’re not sure how durable its shields are, seeing as how they were able to shrug off the attacks of another similarly-sized battleship.

But the DEM/RVR-03 Vishnu is no mere machine anymore.

Your shots WILL pierce its armor and burn through its shields, and Prana Modifier will alter reality to make it so.

The homing shots easily slice through the ship’s hull. It’s not enough for you or Eile, and you begin to tear at the Unknown Agressor’s ship with your blades. Armor partitions are cleaved off and turrets eviscerated at you continue your rage-fueled assault. You’re not sure what the other ship’s crew sees, given that the Perception-Suppression systems are still working, but it’s gotta be a sight to behold. You tell the Vishnu to dart underneath the ship and force it up, the six energy wings glowing bright azure as you lift the ship.

“Finish it, Anon. Without the Obelisk, they are nothing. Erase their blight from this reality.” You agree, and force the otherworldly energies of the Prana Modifier to surround your machine. It condenses into seven orbs of light, six orbiting the Vishnu while the seventh hovers in front of its chest. On your command the six orbs fly off around the enemy vessel, rapidly orbiting the ship until they’re naught but a blur forming six rings of light. You close the Vishnu’s fist, and the seventh orb flies off and collides with the ship; the moment it touches the armor the rings of light around the ship constrict, cutting through the hull before exploding in a brilliant flash.

With that, Eile’s anger fades somewhat.

“And this time, be defeated.” An alert flashes on your screen. “Anon, something’s happening with the Prana Modifier. It’s beginning to resonate with the others once again.”

“Another jump?”

“It seems likely. Dimensional jump in five seconds.” You take one last look at the defense fleet. With the destruction of the enemy mothership they’re re-organizing behind the pyramid-mothership. With luck, they’ll defend their planet and live on.

But for now, you’ll go ahead and let the Prana Modifers take you where they want.

(The Pyramid Ship’s Bridge)

The Admiral stared at the view screens. All around her were the visuals of death and despair.

She had to remain stoic when the crews of the Nahel and the Argama perished, with the captain of the Nahel giving her one final salute before the bridge exploded.

She had to remain strong when the city of Beseth was destroyed from orbit by the leading Invader vessel.

They had appeared over the skies of her home one day, laying waste to the orbital guard. Their sacrifice was the only thing that allowed her to mobilize the Royal Fleet in time.

Their onslaught was relentless. Their numbers were immeasurable. At one point, she had heard her navigation officer pray to one of the Three.

The Admiral had never been one for religion. Her mother was a scientist and atheist. Her father, like herself, was rational-minded and simply didn’t care if there was a higher power or not. But she saw something in this near-hopeless fight that made her question her views, if only for a moment.

For a second in the battle, as her battleship’s main batteries tore the Invader mothership to pieces, she swore she saw something. A massive, winged figure, wreathed in blue flames. It tore apart the ship where others saw laser fire impact the ship’s hulls, and from its six wings summoned miniature suns to burn away the ship to cinders, while others saw the Imperial Battleship’s main cannon incinerate it after destroying the shields. The combat logs told one thing, but her eyes told her another.

She kept these thoughts to herself, but there was a second thing she saw. Two other winged figures, one wrapped in red flames and the other in blue joined the first, and together they vanished from the battlefield. But before disappearing, the six-winged figure looked back at her ship, just for a moment before it simply…vanished.

It was obviously some form of stress warping her mind. The screams of downed ship crews still rang in her ears. But the look from that figure…it was almost telling her to keep going through this madness and survive.

In her religion, there were three primary deities. One of Life, one of Perseverance and one of Death. She was never a believer in it.

But for a fleeting moment a thought ran through her head. If the lord of Perseverance did just tell her to continue living, and if it really had saved her ship from destruction, then she would not give up hope just yet.

She quietly chuckled at herself for thinking like that. Her ship was the one that destroyed the enemy’s, not some imaginary god. No, she would stay strong for those in her command. She would live on, and sail the stars in their memory as was expected of her.

You’re carried away on a tumulus current, past swirling universes in their lines within the Third Channel. The illusion of control has completely vanished, and the Vishnu doesn’t even respond to your inputs anymore. The other machines are flailing around behind you in the current as well, showing that their “pilots” aren’t in control of them either.

“Anon…look!”

Eile directs your attention to what can only be described as a massive “crack” within the nebula of dust. Gold light spills from it, light that turns into the dust that comprises the nebula itself. The dust forms currents, each one either creating a new multiverse cluster or feeding and sustaining others. “That’s the breach, where the other Boundary is located. That’s where the scientists of Dwarka sent their probe into only for it to backfire horribly…”

“And we’re being dragged into it.”

“Anon…” Eile sounds scared. The light unnerves you as well, but you’re helplessly being dragged to it.

The Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma tumble into the breach, through the light. Immediately alerts fill the cockpit. “The Prana Modifiers are exerting some sort of field…it seems to be counteracting whatever effects this light has.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think…without the Prana Modifiers protecting us, our very souls would be obliterated right now. This light was not meant for anyone from the Second Channel to behold.”

The light fades, leaving you in a realm filled with dark orange light, like a fire burning low. You look around, and you see them.

Massive.

Incomprehensible.

Their very forms strain your mind, with too many arms and eyes moving at impossible speeds. They take the light around them and weave it together in lines which flow into the crack behind you.

“Don’t look at them, Anon!” Eile yells, turning off the monitors. “I’m not looking either. I can’t look” she says.

“What…what ARE they?”

“These…these are the A-class Higher-Level Beings. B-class Higher-Level Beings were confirmed, but the existence of the A-class was just a theory until now…”

“It was theorized that there was another Channel of Existence beyond the Third. A…a “Fourth Channel” if you will from which all originated from. If Prana is the building block of reality, then what makes Prana? There had to have been a source, and that’s what the scientists decided to investigate during the 113th Boundary Contact Experiment. They had already completed their objective, and yet they wanted to know more. And so in their hubris, they told that probe to enter the breach, and found the Fourth Channel. It all…finally makes sense. How my sisters and I came to by, how the Prana Modifiers manifested. This is their place of origin, as is the Obelisks. Look here.” Eile pulls up a hologram in front of you showing large concentrations of Prana being molded together by one of these beings, more than what was being “woven”, before being sent into the crack as well.

“That Prana concentration has a wavelength similar to the Prana Modifiers and the Obelisk. That’s why those objects can warp reality as they do…reality is nothing but oil on a canvas to them!”

You’re starting to feel sick. It wasn’t right for you to be here, it was intrinsically…wrong to have gazed upon those things. You feel like you’ve gained knowledge no man was meant to know.

Heeding your wish, the Prana Modifier hurls you into one of the Prana streams, sending you away from the realm of the Gods and back into the World between Worlds.

This fight continues on. After recovering from the shock of...what you all saw, blades were drawn and guns were loaded.

You needed to end this fight quickly, but how do you do that without intentionally killing Eile’s sisters?

Gritting your teeth, you continue to fight. The flashes of your swords clashing and guns firing light the nebula of Prana as the clash continues.

…

You’re not sure how long you’ve been fighting now. Concepts like “time” and “distance” mean nothing here as you dodge and weave through the web of multiverses woven by the A-class’. You suffer brief existential crises as you fight, considering you technically just “met your maker”, but those thoughts are shoved out of your mind as you focus instead on brining Enyo and Eunomia to heel.

As you aim at the RVR-01, it suddenly drops its arms. The RVR-02 does as well, both machines staring behind you.

“Enyo…what is that?”

“Confirming wave response…that!” For the first time, you hear fear in Enyo’s voice. “That wave signature matches the Messiah!” Turning around, you see what made them lower their guard like that.

(BGM: Serpent Eating the Ground - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLBTIUzPpEQ)

From one of the lines, a mass of black tentacles is reaching out like twisted branches on a tree. Just the sight of it fills you with a primal kind of fear.

“That thing is the Messiah, Eile? It doesn’t look anything like how it did in your memories.”

“That isn’t the Messiah itself, pilot of the RVR-03.”

“Huh?”

Enyo continues. “That is merely a projection. Eileithyia, your data shows it as well, correct?”

“Yes. That black mass is more like its “shadow”, less powerful than the Messiah itself but still capable of allowing it to travel between worlds.”

Hold on, if that thing is here then… “Is it free?” You ask.

“Free? No, I don’t think so. It would have manifested itself here otherwise…I think it’s searching for a place to store its essence, to grow back over time leaving its old existence trapped in our world.”

Damn. You’ve seen what that thing could do restrained and bound by technology. If it gets free, there’s no telling how much destruction it would cause.

“Hey, you two.” You direct that statement at Eile’s sisters. “You want to keep that thing from escaping, yeah? Eile doesn’t want to fight you. She still loves you two after all these years, and this fight is tearing her apart. So how about this; let’s work together here to pin this thing down here and now.”

“Incomprehensible.” Enyo says. “There is no calculated outcome where engaging in combat with it will result in a victory.”

“Screw your calculations. We won’t know if it’s possible unless we act! Don’t you get it? That’s how the Prana Modifiers work. They don’t just react to despair, or hopelessness. Any emotion, any driving feeling strong enough will cause them to give power to its user. Do you or do you not want to protect the people of the City? Do you enjoy having to reset everything, over and over again?”

“No…” Eunomia says. “But “I”…understand what you are saying, pilot.”

“My name is Anon. Anon Reos Klein. If you’re going to work with me and Eile, you should at least know my name.”

“Understood…Anon.” Enyo says, hesitantly.

“Good. Show the Prana Modifiers your dedication to the people of the Eternal City, to the people of the lost colony of Dwarka. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’ll shove that thing right back into our world, back into whatever box it crawled out of!”

The three Prana Modifiers swell with energy from the four of you. All three machines are bathed in a golden glow as they rush off to fight the dark mass, striking at it with weapons empowered by forces beyond comprehension.

“Now, let loose with everything you’ve got!” You yell out. All machines fire salvos of light which pierce the dark mass. A spectral screech rings out in your mind. Shadowy vines emerge from the main mass and fly off towards you.

You cut through them with your blades, backed up by Enyo and Eunomia as the three of you fight back to back. The enemy in front of you is massive in scale, dwarfing the three machines. But the darkness it emanates is being repelled by the light of the Prana Modifiers which resonate with the fury of your souls.

“Intersting. It is still unable to call upon the power of its Obelisk in this state. That means the Dimensional Anchors embedded within its body are still functional. But, they were supposed to seal it completely in our home dimension. The fact that the Messiah has emerged like this signifies that they are failing. Anon. Eileithyia. Action must be taken quickly to ensure that the Messiah is driven back before they fail entirely.” Eunomia says.

“It’s like hacking a weed that won’t stop growing!” You exclaim. For every “branch” you cut another emerges. As you cut into the main “trunk”, eyes grow all over it.

“Anon, pull back!” Each eye morphs into a mouth, which fires a beam of energy which you barely dodge. Several more “branches” come from under you, but they’re destroyed by Enyo and Eunomia.

You lock onto multiple eyes and mouths, incinerating them with light as Enyo and Eunomia do the same. Slowly, you push back at the Messiah’s shadow.

“Keep at it! It can’t sustain itself like this for long!” Just then, glowing gold runes appear on the trunk of the “tree”.

“Hey, what are those?”

“Prana reaction detected! The Dimensional Anchors are failing!” Enyo says with audible alarm in her voice.

Before you can react, countless eyes surround you. All three machines are subjected to an unfathomable attack, one that both rips at their armor and into your souls. You would scream, but no sound comes from your mouth. You see visions of death and decay across a thousand worlds, of dying gods and the ruination of universes.

As you begin to fade, you feel a surge from behind. The light from the Prana Modifier drives the visions away, allowing you to focus once again. You’re pretty heavily damaged, and both the RVR-01 and 02 are critically damaged as well, missing limbs and armor strewn around in the void.

“Enyo! Eunomia!” Eile cries out.

“Functioning still. That was rather…unpleasant.” Enyo says.

“I would…rather not experience such a thing again.” Eunomia sounds shaken, but alive.

“Our machines are inoperable. Anon…we have lost.” Enyo says with a bitter sadness. “This is the end. We shall be destroyed, and the people “we” swore to protect will be consumed by this monstrosity.”

“No.” You say.

“What?”

“No. I refuse that. I’m going to keep this fight going on for as long as I can!” You call upon the Prana Modifier. If you truly are lost to it, then the least it can do is give you everything in return.

The broken limbs and wings of the Vishnu are encased within crystal, which shatter to reveal them whole and undamaged again. “Please, allow me to use your Prana Modifiers as well.”

Eile is alarmed. “No! One person can’t handle the strain of all three, are you crazy Anon? If you do that you’ll…” She chokes.

“Eileithyia is correct, Anon. Mother…she used all three and she…” Eunomia says.

“But she still beat it down, right? I’m not going to let this thing harm you or Coleen or anyone else in the City! I’ll show you that I can do this!” Through your Prana Modifier, you sense the other two. You expose your feelings to them, your determination and drive. Your love for your city.

And your love for Eile.

They are curious. They see their bretheren artifact providing you with power, and so they do make contact with you.

Your soul burns. A reservoir of pure creation is being pumped into you, filling the Vishnu with power beyond belief. Screaming, you fly off towards the Shadow of the Messiah, willing seven golden shards of the same incomprehensible material the Prana Modifiers themselves are made from.

If you can’t force it back into its prison, then you will simply nail it down here.

The nails fly into the dark mass, and you personally drive each one through. As each nail pierces the Messiah it screams and roars, outraged at the denied freedom. Its tantrum thunders in your mind, a psychic scream of pure malice and ill intent.

You make sure to twist each nail as it goes in. The beast flails but it cannot move anymore. The golden runes on its body shine, trying to undo what you have done. The nails begin to be forced out, but you don’t allow that. Placing the Vishnu’s hand on one of them, you surge the nails with your will through the Prana Modifiers which amplify it. The runes flicker, then disappear.

“The Dimensional Anchors are restarting! You…you’re energizing them like Mother did?” Enyo says in disbelief. “So…this is what the Prana Modifiers can do…”

You yell as your entire being burns, powering the nails until you’re sure the monster is constrained. It strains against its bonds but cannot grow or move anymore. For now, it is contained.

But for your actions, you can already feel the price being paid. You need to get Eile and her sisters home, now.

You rush over to the other two downed mechs, grabbing a hold of them. Visualizing the Gnosis Deck in your head, you let the Prana Modifiers take you there, back home at last.

The Guardians had not disappeared. They merely were waiting in the World between Worlds. And the Serpent had fallen for their trap like a fool.

Now its body was trapped in this shell.

Now its shadow was sealed in the void.

And once again! Once again freedom to do as it pleased was denied! It tried to roar, only a wet gurgle coming from its torn throat.

But then it calmed down. It studied its new shackles. They were again formed by a mortal. A much weaker mortal than the one that faced it with the Clockwork God. Wheras she kept it here, anchored in this dimension for ages with her sacrifice, the wielder of the three False Obelisks had already burned much of his existence from overuse. He would only seal its shadow for a brief amount of time.

It’s anger turned into glee. They thought they had won.

All they did was delay the inevitable.

And it was patient.

It could wait.

The three machines land in front of the giant slabs within the deck. You can feel the seconds ticking away now.

“I’m going to put the three of you back into the Rig Veda system. Please, stop the attacks on the city. Tell everyone the truth of what’s going on.”

You punch the Vishnu’s fist through the machines, but mindfully extract Enyo and Eunomia’s pods from them. Placing Enyo’s golden pod in the slab marked “E-01” and Eunomia’s in the one marked “E-02”, you see both of them clearly for the first time. Floating within the azure liquid in each is a figure identical to Eile, with the same white fur and clothing. Except where Eile had green fur on her body in parts, Enyo had red and Eunomia had blue, with a matching crystal on their forehead.

“Your turn.” You say to Eile.

“Anon...thank you. For everything.”

You smile. “Don’t mention it. I did what I had to do to keep you safe.”

“I…” She hesitates. “I want to be with you, Anon. But this body houses part of the core systems of this Core Processing Unit. Once it is inserted into my true body…I don’t know how I’ll be able to see you again.”

“You’ll figure something out. I know you will.” Opening the hatch on the Vishnu’s chest, you reach in and extract the golden capsule. It inserts into the indent on the third monolith, and as it locks in place all three light up with green, red, and blue lights.

“RIG VEDA SYSTEM – ALL CORES DETECTED. RESUMING FULL FUNCTIONALITY.” An automated voice booms through the cavern-like room.

You set the Vishnu down, then step out. Pulling the communicator from your pocket, you contact Coleen. “Is everything all set? I think we’re just about done here.”

“Yeah, the Artificial Prana Modifier is where it needs to be. Just waiting on you guys.” Coleen responds.

“Roger that…hey Coleen? Thanks for being a friend.” You tell her.

“Yeah, sure – wait, what do you mean by…” Your press the “end” button, closing the call.

“Eile! She’s ready.”

“Understood, Anon.” Eile’s voice booms through the cavern-room, loud and reverberant. “Activating Reincarnation Artificial Womb systems…detecting birthing unit in most ready condition. Unit found. Beginning protein bath solution. Connection to Artificial Prana Modifier confirmed. Presence of a “soul” detected.”

“Now, I just need to quickly synthesize a crystal from the APM…hopefully Joshua’s soul will stay strong as I create it.”

You clutch your chest and double over.

“Anon?!”

“It is happening again…just like before. Eileithyia, I am sorry, but he is lost.” Eunomia says with sadness.

“Terminal assimilation…confirmed.” Enyo sounds regretful as well. “He used all three Prana Modifiers like Mother…and is paying the consequences.”

Taking your hand away, you see a patch of crystals growing in the center of your chest. Other crystal patches grow across your body as well.

“No! Anon!” Eile cries out, her voice echoing through the chamber. “You…you can’t leave me! Please!”

“It’s okay…Eile. I knew this was going to happen. I knew for…quite some time. But it didn’t matter, as long as I could keep you safe.”

You take a look at your rapidly-crystallizing body. Perhaps, even in your last moments, you can be useful.

“I don’t think you need to synthesize a fake crystal. Use this.” While your left arm is completely crystallized, your right is still free. You bring your fist down on your shoulder, shattering the brittle crystal. In your fist are a few shards, and you force the last bits of your being into them, preventing them from evaporating. “Keep him safe too, Eile. Promise me that.”

“I…I will, Anon…” Through the clear pane in her capsule, even though her eyes are closed you can see her face is scrunched. The face of someone deeply sobbing. “I will, I will…” Her voice too, is stilted. Stuttering.

“Don’t cry for me, Eile…live on. You’re a strong woman, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.” Crystals close around your face. “Thank you…for everything. Be well.”

And you shatter.

Chapter 62: Continuity

A sea of souls.

A whirlpool of emotion.

How many eternities have you endured here? Trying desperately to keep yourself together. The noise of half-existences is deafening the souls of others who still have some semblance of their former selves before dissolving in the ocean of Prana. You try to keep your head above the ocean, gasping for nonexistant air before you’re pulled under again.

You try to remember how you ended up here, but it’s difficult.

It’s hard even remembering your name sometimes. But one thing is clear; this is the price you paid. And you do not feel regret for making this choice, you feel…satisfaction?

Perhaps it’s that satisfaction that urges you on to remain “you”, and not dissolve like the others into half-existences swirling around in the endless soul-tide.

But even that has a limit. The Prana of your soul has been chipped away, bit by bit over the cycles. A powerful wave pulls you under, and you struggle to keep yourself together…

…

“So, you’re the one she chose, then?”

“Dear, don’t be so critical. It was her choice.”

“I know, I know, but as a father I have the right to object.”

It’s quiet. You open your eyes, finding yourself in a white room, wearing white clothes. It’s blurry, but you see a feline shape in front of you.

“E…Eile?” It turns to look at you.

“Oh, no dear. But I’m flattered you think I still resemble my daughter.” You blink several times as the picture in front of you becomes clear. It’s a lynx Faunae, but she’s natural. Her figure though is indeed identical to Eile’s – minus the tail, which is a nub.

“I’d appreciate you not dressing-down my wife, son.” You turn your head to see a man with similar white clothing to yours in a chair by a window covered by a curtain.

You stagger up to your feet and hobble to it. “I’d not look out there if I were you.” Disregarding the man’s words, you peek outside.

Outside, the maelstrom of Prana and half-dissolved souls persists. The room flickers and fades, becoming ethereal. You’re about to fall into it again when the man grabs your wrist and pulls the curtain shut.

“I warned you.” He lets your wrist go.

“You…you’re Anonym. Anonym Isse.”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“And you…” You look to the lynx. “You’re…Eliyah Isse.”

“Correct!” She smiles at you.

“Then…where are we?”

Anonym huffs. “We’re not anywhere, lad. We’re still within the maelstrom of souls and Prana within the Prana Modifier, comprised of the sum total existence of the population of Dwarka.” He sighs. “But, perception is what you make of it.”

“How did you…” You walk over to the chair, touching it. It feels real as ever. “How did you do all this?”

“Prana is existence, Anon.” Eliyah says. “Existence is nothing but what we perceive it to be. It could be a whirlpool of souls…or it could be a nice, quiet room. If you’re able to know yourself, you can perceive.”

“And that is how we’re here.” Anonym says, rising to his feet.

“The two of us…we didn’t want to leave our children behind. The world they were left in charge of was a place under constant threat of…that monster.” He holds Eliyah’s hand.

“That was the thought that kept me…together.” She says, looking at you. “I didn’t want to leave them after destroying the Messiah all that time ago…but I had no choice. When my being was brought in here that was the only thought I held on to: “I want to see them”. And so, I held myself together with that one thought, until Anonym arrived.”

“She found me, you know. She felt me and found me in there, and when she came to me I knew it was her. I could…feel her. And so, we kept each other here. You held onto a thought too, didn’t you?”

You nod. “Yeah, I just…I’m happy that I kept her safe. And I kept on thinking that.”

“What’s your name, son?”

“My name?” You think hard. It’s difficult, but you slowly remember who you are. “My name…is Anon Reos Klein.”

Anonym’s specter is silent, then lets out a chuckle. “Anon? That’s your name? Well, they do say “history repeats” I guess…” He looks over to Eliyah, who also lets out a giggle.

“Excuse me but…why am I here?” You ask.

Anonym looks at you. “Well, first, I wanted to thank you. For helping my daughters out. I feared they had lost themselves, but thanks to you…I think they’re alright.”

“Also, we could feel you when you interacted with the Prana Modifier. The two of us want to let you know that we approve of you and our daughter!” Eliyah chips in, rather cheerfully. Anonym coughs.

“Yes, I suppose I approve of you…son-in-law.” His gaze hardens. “But remember this: if you ever, and I mean EVER break Eileithyia’s heart so help me God, I will drag my soul out of this accursed golden box and haunt you for the rest of your days.”

You laugh, but something catches your attention. “Wait, what do you mean by “drag yourself out of”? We’re stuck here.”

Anonym shakes his head. “You’ve been losing pieces of yourself, haven’t you? Little bits of your identity, here and there. But they aren’t lost to the tide of Prana, no. Something has been extracting them, bit by bit.”

“Extracting?”

He nods. “And Eliyah and I…we’ve decided to help them with the little strength we have left. It takes a lot of effort to do this, you know.” He gestures to the room. “We needed you in once place, the whole of you.”

You feel a tugging sensation. “Ah, and it appears they have you now.” Eliyah says, cheerfully. “Dear, tell my daughters that their father and I are happy for them. And that, even if we do break down into nothingness, we will be with them always.”

“Wait, what about you?” You say. “You can come back with me too, can’t you?”

Anonym shakes his head. “Son, you were still whole when you came here. My wife and I…have been here for a while. And we’re tired. I think…I think we’ll take the long sleep now.”

Eliyah nods. “We can rest easy knowing that they can live on their own terms now, not bound by trying to seal the Messiah. All three of them…they can finally live free. And like Eileithyia, they will find people to join their lives with.”

She looks at you sadly.

“Every parent has to let their kids go one day. We’ve done our part, and now I ask you; be good to her. She deserves a man like you. Watch her for us.”

The room begins to vanish. The tugging becomes stronger.

“It’s time. Goodbye, Anon.”

“See you in the next life, son.” Anonym says with a smile.

With that, there is a brilliant flash of light.

Then darkness.

Your eyes slowly open.

“Mmmgh…..” you groan, rolling to one side. Or at least, you would, if the wires embedded in your skin would let you.

You lift your hands, only for them to meet glass. In a stupor you press your fingers against the glass sheet, and it slides open. You try to get to your feet but you fall over, snapping the wires out of your arms and back, and landing on the floor with a muffled thud.

A figure runs over to you, lifting you up. You hear their voice, but it’s also muffled. Your vision is blurred, but you can still tell that they’re a Faunae, a canine, with long hair.

“Wherreee…am…I….” It feels like your mouth is full of syrup.

“-sy…Easy now…” their voice is audible now, a little high pitched. You try to right yourself but fall back on them, and they put an arm around your shoulder to help you back to the capsule you emerged from.

“Sorry…about…that…miss..” You squint, trying to discern the figure. “Coleen?”

The figure stops and looks at you, and sighs. “Aw man, not you too…” It groans. “And worse, you think I’m Mom.”

You sit back down on the bed as the Faunae grabs something and extends a wire from it, sticking the wire into your back.

“Optics hadn’t finished calibrating properly…here that should do it.” You blink several times as the world comes back into focus.

“Better?” The Faunae asks you. You study their features, now able to see them clearly. They’re definitely a border collie, wearing an outfit consisting of a tank top and knee-length shorts. But their eyes…their eyes are a light blue with triangular pupils. Their fur, while black and white is clearly segmented in panels, and also has solid blue lines ending in circuit connections on their knuckles. And on their forehead is a glowing gem in the shape of a crescent moon.

“Wait…Calico?” You ask. “Are you…”

“Calico Sinclair? Yep, that’s me.” Calico shakes your hand. “I’m really happy you recognize me, the last time you saw me I was just an infant.” They say with a smile. “Oh, wait a minute. It looks like your auditory systems are out of tune too. Give me a sec.” You can feel your eardrums flexing uncomfortably.

“There we go. All good now.” Calico’s voice has deepened in pitch, becoming more boyish. “That plus my looks must’ve caused some confusion.” He sighs.

“Mom made this body for me out of several C-class AVATARAs, but I…disagreed with her original chassis typing. Although I kept the rest of the appearance similar to honor her for bringing me into this world.”

Given his…petit appearance and long hair, you were thrown off too. You cradle your head in your hands, trying to make sense of what happened. The last thing you’re aware of was being a soul trapped in the Prana Modifier…

“You’re probably a little confused right now, yeah?” Calico says to you, taking notes on a tablet. “I came over here to do a routine check up on your condition. You had been moved from the Reincarnation System to this room after you had finished gestation and growth. It’s nearer to the DEM/RVR-03 which provided a more stable connection to the Prana Modifier housed within it allowing us to identify you much better. Eileithyia helped tremendously in that regard.” Your head snaps up upon hearing that name.

“Eile? She’s here?”

Calico nods. “Yeah, but she’s a little busy right now. After they opened the Carapace Shield around the upper hull of the Eternity, life got pretty hectic really fast – and that was after the general population’s shock at weather other than “grey and cloudy” when the first sunrise happened.”

You get up to your feet and walk over to a window. Outside you see a massive coffin with several wires running into it, with the words DEM/RVR-03 stamped across the front panel. The wires lead into the building you’re in. At the base of the coffin is a field of green crystals being harvested by small drones.

“Hey, is the Vishnu stored in that thing?”

“Yeah. After you helped get the Rig Veda system back online Mom was appointed as the chief researcher in trying to figure out the secrets of the RVR series. All three of them were moved to specialized research facilities either in or out of the Eternity, but one day they started acting up. In particular, the Prana Modifier Unit Trayah wouldn’t let us remove it from the Vishnu and it would crystallize any equipment coming into contact with it. So, we were forced to make that coffin out there to contain the crystal spread to a minimum, while also letting us continue to both study the machine and look for you.”

“Look for me?”

“Yeah, Eileithyia never gave up on you. She told me the moment you were assimilated she wasted no time in having the Vishnu hooked up to some specialized research equipment in the depths of the ship. The theory of soul extraction and implantation in a hybridized proxy body was tested out successfully with Joshua O’Leary, but his soul was relatively intact. Eileithyia described yours as shattered into trillions of pieces. But when she found one, she’d siphon it out of the Prana Modifier and into the body you’re in now.” He pauses to scratch one of his ears.

“She recently told me that she found the, ah, “rest of you” clumped up in a Prana mass somehow. She said that should’ve been impossible but she jumped at the opportunity to extract it all. Truth be told, we weren’t sure if you were going to wake up as…well, “you” due to how bad of a shape your soul was in. But, if you recognized me that’s a good sign, right?”

You continue looking out, taking in the scenery. Past the facility is a massive, verdant forest, and to the right over the trees you see a titanic body of water.

“The Everlake is beautiful, isn’t it? It’s a massive body of fresh water that takes up nearly one-third of this continent.”

The full moon is out, casting a reflection over the lake. And near to the shore… your jaw drops.

“Heh, I remember the first time I saw the ship too. Incredible, isn’t it?”

A titanic space vessel sits, rising above the water line. On its bone-white hull is a dried symbol of the United Colonial Front, with the faded name “UCF-09 Eternity” next to it. The upper hull has been opened in segments, like a massive flower, and you can see the city within.

“That’s…”

“The “Eternal City”, yeah. Finally open to the world, free to see the sun again.” Calico smiles. “I know you’re itching to go there, but trust me, we have to keep running some diagnostics on you.”

“Diagnostics?”

“You should probably take a look at yourself.” He presses a button on his tablet which polarizes the glass, giving it a mirror-like finish. You gasp, bringing your hand to your chest.

In the center of your sternum is a semicircle plate with the words “ANIMUS-TYPE HOMUNCULUS – UNIT X2”. Your skin is made up of both organic flesh and solid black lines made of interlinked hexagonal plates running along your hands, abdomen, and legs. Your irises have free spinning rings in them, like a camera along with a faint glow. And along your back, arms and legs are small interface ports.

“What…what am I?”

“When Eileithyia needed to make a new body for Joshua O’Leary, she created this as a solution. Not an AVATARA, not organic, but something in between. Nanomachines in symbiosis with organic cells to create a new kind of lifeform.”

He waves his hand. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but rest assured, you’re still “you”, mostly. She had a LOT of your genetic material with her, but she never did tell anyone how she got it…” He reaches over and taps the plate on your chest, which opens to reveal a small, emerald crystal shard embedded within the metal.

“If we’re being technical, that’s “you” in actuality. Your body can get roughed up as much as it wants to, but your soul is stored within that. Just as long as that doesn’t break, you’ll live through practically anything now.”

You sit down to try and wrap your head around all this.

“Hey Calico…I need to ask you some questions.”

“Go for it.”

“First things first…” you grab the pillow from within the pod that you were resting on, placing it over your exposed genitals. “May I have some pants?”

...

Clothed in a hospital smock and pants, you’re ready to hold a conversation.

“Okay, now then: how long has it been?”

Calico leans against a wall, tail swishing. “Let’s see. Joshua was resurrected successfully as the first prototype roughly 375 days after the Rig Veda system came back online in full. You have been resurrected roughly 300 days after him, but the developent of your bodies started at roughly the same time. Though yours was completed first thanks to your genetic material being…readily available, while Joshua’s genome had to be reconstructed from local genetic banks.”

“So, where are we now?”

“Oh, this place? We call it the “First Exploratory Settlement of Ayodhya”. Eunomia helped make the town while Enyo set up the border guard. Mom works here sometimes, she’s here now but a little busy. She did just let me know that she’ll be here later to see you.” He grins.

“She says you still owe her those beers.”

His tone turns serious. “There’s been a lot of things happening while we were bringing you back, Anon. New discoveries…both good and bad. Joshua should be here soon to bring you up to speed-“

You hear the room doors open.

“He’s awake? I heard he was awake!” You turn around to see Joshua standing in the door frame, grinning as he sees you.

“Ah, speak of the devil.” Calico smiles.

“Hey, Calico.” He nods to Calico, walking into the room. Following him is a tall wolf Faunae, wearing what appears to be…fur paint on her otherwise white fur. Her golden eyes look at you.

“Uh, who’s this?”

“Oh, I need to introduce you! Reginleif, meet Anon, Anon meet Reginleif. She’s my co-pilot.”

“Co-pilot…what?” Joshua shakes his head. “In time. I know exactly what you’re feeling right now. I went through the same deal about a year ago.” He pulls down his collar to show a similar plate on his chest reading “ANIMUS-TYPE HOMUNCULUS – UNIT X1”.

“I know you’ve got a ton of questions…but right now I think there’s a more pressing matter. Someone special is here to see you.”

You hear the sound of rapid footsteps outside the hall. A green and white blur launches itself from the door frame and into your arms.

“Anon!”

You catch her and hold her close.

“You…you’re finally back. You’re finally back…” She says in between sobs.

Eile looks up at you, and gives you a tearful smile. You stare into those beautiful green triangular eyes, and kiss her.

You have no idea what the future is going to bring, or what you’ll have to face. But you know one thing for certain.

As long as you’re with her, nothing can stand in your way.

FIN.

EPISODE III

“MECHANIZED MEMORIES”

OF THE ARTIFACT SAGA

HAS DRAWN TO A CLOSE.

BUT THIS STORY IS NOT OVER.

THE TALE SHALL CONTINUE ON, FOR IT HAS NOT RUN ITS COURSE.

Credits (In terms of appearance in the final battle)

1)Sham – “Heaven and Hell” https://pastebin.com/LSWzeTfy

2)Mousguy – “Lonestar” (no link yet, still under work. His works can be found here: https://pastebin.com/u/Mousguy)

3)Wheresmysocks – “Island in the Sun” https://pastebin.com/NiBU0f6G

4)Akella – “Dead On Arrival” (Not a story, but a comic) https://twitter.com/KilledKella

5) Comfycreations - "A Roo'd Awakening" https://pastebin.com/muScjRyj

7)Armain - “So The Adventure of Life Goes On” https://pastebin.com/4VUvyjTM

8)Retconned – “Spaced Out” https://pastebin.com/Ju0TPznS

A big thanks to these authors and artists for letting my little mech fantasy be a part of their own worlds.

And thank you for reading.

-quoth_THE_raven