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The Controller

By Laz Briar

_ _

Controller, online.

“Kilimanjaro-Four reads psycho-clean."

“Sierra-Nine reads psycho-clean."

“We are clear for deployment. Authorization clear. Protocol clear: clamp, coagulate, and cleanse."

“Well good, get on with it. Got enough clots crawling down the artery. How's the newbie?"

“Sierra-Nine reads psy-"

“I know what they fucking read, how are they?"

“. . .uh. Nervous. Green and nervous."

“Tell em' to suck it up. It's rush hour. I want the dispatch in three. Establish cauterization zones around perimeter veins sixty-two and forty-eight.

“Yes ma'am."

“Lucky kid. No virals today. Just clots."

“. . . yes ma'am."

-*-

They told him it was easy to get used to – only needed to breathe. Inhale, count to three, exhale, count to three. Control this, control your thoughts, everything fell into place, right? It clicks. Except. . . no. No, this was far more complex than a mind-over-matter exercise. Because futzing it up didn't mean you could walk it off and take a hot shower – no, your psychosis was actively disrupted, your ability to process information permanently damaged. Shit. Was he ready? He didn't feel ready.

Why him? Why this? Your thoughts are young, pure, and focused. That, apparently. That and some kind of embedded “link" he wasn't aware of to home grown Hybrid weapons. Like, how? How's that even work? You're born and somehow it means, somewhere, you're mentally symbiotic with a living war machine? This was insane – this world was insane.

Too bad he wasn't, otherwise, Jenn wouldn't need to do this.

The nerve connectors buzzed, clicking in response to his apprehension. He was surrounded by wires, entombed in some kind of mechanical egg. Mental and physical responders everywhere. All collecting his thoughts, feelings, senses, feeding them into. . . well. Her.

S-9, coded Sierra-Nine for the brass upstairs (or was it downstairs?). Sequence code TANU or some shit – Terrain Assault Neutralizer Unit. Born from some ungodly place Jenn never heard of. Facility 19? He guessed. That's what they told him. The people at CORE. The people who approached him one day and “offered" him a position he was perfect for, and he'd be a fool to refuse. Because they'd force him if he didn't.

His head swam for a moment. It was hard to take in, like his lungs were lead. He was a Controller now, a sort of second instinct for his Hybrid counterpart. She was, basically, a weapon. A living, breathing, doomsday machine, er at least for the machines. Sorry, the “infection." Yeah, girls like her, they were whipped up specifically to pacify said Infection, this amorphous, vague, endless body of smart machines engineered from the old days, the pre-climate disaster days, the days before the Red Zone. Most of the world was inhospitable save for a few Zones, but where there was darkness and death and wasteland, the Infection thrived. And they were very, very keen on the whole “extinguishing humanity" idea.

So much they were routine, expected, a cancer. How did humanity combat this threat, you might wonder? With brilliant tech or clever subterfuge? Nope. Beating them into mechanical pulp with beasts. But what's better than a biological super killer? Why, one you can scarcely guide with a human mediator. Genius!

“Hey! Cut that shit out, greenhorn! Keep the board clean and fucking focus!"

Agh! A harsh, feminine voice cut into his built-in transmitter, snapping him to attention. By “board clean," she meant focus only on the mission. Extra thoughts caused problems, interfered with his connection, filtered into his “partner."

“Sure, sorry," he muttered.

Breath, exhale. He blinked, focusing on the screen. Inside the egg, he was seating in a sort of monitor cell. What he saw was what S-9 saw. She fed him visuals, instincts, feelings, he fed her thoughts, direction, and proximity information. Kept her from doing something rash, kept her from going Feral. Well, that was the idea anyway.

You'd think sending a newbie like him out on a field mission wasn't a good idea, but, here he was. CORE was desperate. He was lucky they could spare another Controller.

Speak of the devil, or maybe angel, in this case.

“Ready Jenn? We gotta' deploy in one."

The voice, like him, was young, though had about a year or so over Jenn. Far more mature though, kept the tone of someone who had seen and experienced a lot. He – Anda – and K4 were practically legends around CORE. Guess he could see why. Through Sabby's vision, he saw the other Hybrid, a terrifying wolf. He sensed Sab's intimidation and, even, a little jealousy. Sort of a primal dominance thing, Jenn guessed.

“No," he answered, honest. “But I'm with you."

Don't fuck this up, he told himself. If she dies, your brain dies. If she gets hurt, you feel that. Wee.

A small laugh.

“That's the spirit. Take care of your girl, now."

His girl? What an odd thing to say. Hmm.

Well, he did nickname her Sabby. . .

-*-

The Entrails were the ruinous outskirts of the city, where the roads were crackled and splintered with various buildings jutting out like fragmented skeletons. Used to be a populated place with a generous labor market – lots of industry and shipping jobs. Now? Just a place of echoes and ghosts. Ideal to deploy biological weapons since collateral damage wasn't a factor.

Sabby sniffed the air. She didn't like it. There was no meat, no blood, only rust and oil and plastic, the toys of humans. Worse, couldn't sense the enemy coming – needed help. Hear them? Yes, they were whiny, grinding, clicking things. But bleed they did not. Their heartbeats were electric pulses, strange and alien, like her “home" at the Facility.

“Swarms."

Sabby glanced to her right. There in vicious splendor was her guide. The small men called her “kay four," but Sab preferred Wolf. That was what she was, immense and black as pitch with a scarred frame bearing the wounds of a thousand battles. Yet she moved with all the grace and fluidity of a huntress. Helped that she could break steel like bones.

But Sabby was strong too! Strong because her blood pulsed with raw, ancient, primal history. Her ancestors were apex killers in the time before humans and their silly cities. Her feline features were accented by a powerful frame, the sinew of fibrous muscle pushing through her soft, golden fur. Her long, knife-like fangs protruded from her muzzle with enough force to cut through the hardest metals, and she was no slouch when it came to speed or strength, either! She would make Wolf proud. Make her sabertooth heritage proud!

And, of course, the Controller.

Sabby had a moment to reflect as she and Wolf peered down at the shattered streets below, balanced on the corpse of an old building. Controller was strange. Innocent, too innocent. Like a pup. But he was needed. The told her, the tiny humans in their tiny suits, that she might go feral without direction, lose herself in the Red. The rage, the overwhelming, exciting rage. Everything was scarlet, and she wanted to make MORE things crimson! Red, Red, so Red. But this was bad? Yes, bad.

So Controller was there to make sure things were not bad. Or, not there, but there. Confusing. In her thoughts, but not. Sensing for her, like eyes, but not her eyes. She didn't think on it much – she decided it was instinct from another.

“Look."

Her thoughts were broken by something. Well, many somethings. Strange how beautiful the day was, a serene blue sky shimmering with warm sunlight and lazy clouds. The Entrails were overgrown with old nature, thick roots and trees mingling with wires, grass sprouting from the veins. But. . .

Death was coming.

Sabby swung her eyes to the horizon. Out in the distance a small blur of black shapes coalesced into view. Deformed things, strange silhouettes. Machines thrown together, forced into forms new, limbs and arms and tendrils scraping the ground as they dragged themselves forward. They were mutants despite their origin, automatons affixed into new roles, ripped from every part of the world. Some were part of labor divisions, or engineering groups, or deep Nord science expeditions. Some were military, some rescue. They were different, but the same. They only held one thing in common – single, wide, red orbs, eyes of deep red that peered endlessly in shrines of black, metallic bodies. Red. So Red.

Wolf grumbled, flexing her fingers. Both the Hybrids' ears flicked at the cantankerous chorus approaching them. The grinding, terrible noise of electronic beeps intermixed with the whirr and groan of robotic joints as their stubs and claws tore into the already fragmented landscape.

Sabby crouched. She was eager to dive into the fray, but needed to wait for Wolf. Her Controller had to direct her as well – since he could sense more than her.

“We divert them," Wolf grunted. “Pull in two chunks, pick apart."

Sab looked at her counterpart. “We split them up?"

Wolf nodded.

Simple, but effective. Together, the clots were a mass, a scab of metal. Pulled apart? A fresh, leaking wound.

“Controller?"

This was the strange part. Sabby could speak to the Controller by thinking, though it did not mean he could read her thoughts. It was like a special part of her brain was capable of a hidden, coded speech.

A strange, familiar warmth tingled in her mind.

Hi, Sabb- er, Sierra-Nine.

She could feel his meekish hand wave.

“Did you hear?"

A pause. Then:

Splitting them up? Yes, I got the order. Anda told me. Looks like we're playing a game of chicken.

Hmm, a chicken would be nice right now. . .

Agh! Distracting thoughts!

“Focus!"

Er, right, right. Okay. Let's see uh. . .

She sensed his eyes scan for something, perhaps fiddle with the devices in his “egg." She had never seen it, but was told it was like a second brain.

According to my uh. Thing. It's a standard Infection intrusion. Class-C clot level, or something.

Sabby growled.

“Something!?"

Okay, okay! Class-C, Class-C. They're slow. Just mind the numbers.

Slow and numerous? Like herds of lazy gazelle. Easy pickings. Sabby relished the opportunity to maim her foe, though was a bit remiss she couldn't face down a true challenge. She heard some of the machines towered like giants, as big as human skyscrapers! What a foe to face!

She huffed. Her body tensed and fibrous muscle flexed beneath soft fur and womanly shape. The first thing to do was take them by surprise. She glanced to her counterpart, who rolled her shoulder and sniffed the air. They were ready. At once, Wolf pounced from the ruinous building in one mighty leap. Flecks of green electricity shuddered from her legs and she bounded into the air like a missile, heading straight for the mass of distant machines. When she landed, a massive geyser of rocks and earth belched from the impact, sending debris everywhere. Showoff!

Sab wouldn't be outdone, but had a different path. Her feline body leapt from the railings, focused on another structure ahead. Her chimera heritage allowed her to pounce from surface to surface with refined reflexes, and despite her beastly nature, she was agile. Each pump of her powerful thighs sent her flinging into the clear midday air. Were it not for the machines, such a horizon was perfect for a nice outing.

She focused, getting closer to her targets. In the distance, to her far right, she could hear K4 rend the ground with a ferocious charge, her body pulsing with unstable power. That was her strength: a momentum based rage. The longer she remained in combat the more her body worked like an overcharged engine.

Sabby, though, had more elegant tricks in her arsenal. She took one more great leap and landed on the ground, amidst the wreckage of old roads and buildings. The hum of approaching clots buzzed the air, so she needed to prepare. She flexed, and her fur shifted. The complex weaving of her muscular structure transitioned, copier cells adapting to the environment around her. As it did, her typical gold coat warped into the shades of her surroundings – the dark and murky hues of asphalt and metal.

Now, she was the predator, a replicant of her environment. Her claws hissed to life, so sharp they cut the air around her. She growled with satisfaction – it was time.

Great idea, the Controller interjected. A surprise attack!

Hmph. Her guide was inexperienced. These were fundamentals of combat. Cover and surprise – the first strike was important. He had much to learn.

Focusing, her eyes narrowed, honing in on the targets. A shambling mass of machines lurched in great, sweeping steps. Some were small and some were large. None, though, were as big as she and K4. All they possessed were numbers. Easy prey!

She dashed toward them, quiet as death, eyeing a small crowd of Infection machines and three larger ones. The smaller automatons were like little heads with skeletal limbs poking from their broken frames, wires leaking from cracks and damage like intestines. Nothing too concerning. The bigger ones stalked like vultures, groaning in songs of screaming steel as they continued marching on. Long limbs retrofitted with sharp objects and torches swung in front of them, cutting tools. Given enough time they would likely try to force an entrance into the outer CORE city walls.

Not on her watch!

Blended with her surroundings, Sab could make her approach unmolested.

Hang on, should we wait for Kili-

“I don't need her help for this!"

Distracting! This was an easy attack! Ignoring the mental 'caution' of her Controller, Sab tore forward until her body impacted the first of the clots. The small machined screamed as she separated it with a single strike, her claws tearing it apart like soft flesh. The pieces scattered in little metal bits, bursting with geysers of fuel. At once, the other smaller machines halted and spun, their red orbs glaring at Sab. More lambs to the slaughter!

Sab threw the remains of her first kill into one of them, forcing a small explosion. As crowds of them leapt at her, she continued her charge, aiming for the first large machine. She bounded into its “head," which was a rectangular frame of disorganized pieces, jamming her claws into its frame. With a defiant yank, her muscles flexed and rippled as she ripped out its eye along with all the clinging veins and wires. Its limbs flailed and attempted to catch her with a swipe, but Sabby was already onto her next target, falling back to the ground.

Things were getting. . . Red.

The clots whirred in alarmed agitation, throwing themselves at her. Sab was ready, clawing at the attacking machines. Again, the smaller ones were cut apart, Sabs claws enough to rend them with ease.

Wait! Hang on! There's a problem, you need to-

“Grragh!"

Interruptions! Distracting! Sab didn't need advice, she only needed her focus. This Infection was nothing and she was going to make short work of it. She snared one of the incoming machines, holding it in a single palm like a squirming babe, only to lob into a cloud of surrounding clots. Then, she did the same, grabbing another, prep-

It exploded.

Greasy fire erupted in Sab's grasp, shards of debris bursting in a cloud of destruction, assaulting the sabertooth with tiny cuts. She roared in defiance, shuffling back, immediately glancing at her palm. The asphalt-hued fur was singed and raw, thin rivers of blood leaking from the impact. Her muscular tension did enough to protect her against any deeper injury, but more of those and she could get seriously hurt.

So, naturally, there were more of those. Sab's eyes widened as a flurry of the clots started to swarm around her. She threw herself backward, pouncing away from the attackers. Each one landing in her proximity burst into another geyser of flame, like tiny spherical missiles.

Shit! Get away from that!

Sab could smack her Controller. Of course! She wasn't just going to sit there!

But then again. . . Wolf would. Wolf didn't care. Wolf would charge right through them. Cut them and tear them and slice them.

Sab stood her ground, muscles flexing. Her coat shifted again, the dark hues transitioning into something different. Something Red.

Hey! Hey, what are you doing!? Get some distance, S9! That's an order!

“Quiet!"

No! She was no mewling kitten! She was a hellcat, a killing beast! She slammed the ground, going to fours like a primal fiend, her flesh heating the air. Steam hissed from her body and all she could see was Red. Inhibition collapsed she drove herself forward.

Like a bestial projectile, she tore a wave of cuts and slashes through the cloud of machines. Her talons shredded apart the metal fiends, but in response, they burst in retaliation, a mist of metal fragments engulfing the sabertooth. Blood. More crimson and blood. The fangs of steel cut into her resilient flesh, but this did not stop her, only maddened her.

“GRAAGH!"

Through the fog of exploding clots she bound into the second vulture-like automaton. This time, though, the thing spotted her. With a sweep of its skeletal arm it bat her aside, sending the hybrid careening into the ground. The impact shattered the earth and she bounced about like a timid pebble, while the clots were quick to respond to her lapse.

Sabby!

At once the cloud of little machines swarmed her, attempting to overwhelm her with numbers. Little wires and tendrils with sharp extensions cut into her resilient frame, clinging and whirring with beeps. They were going to explode all at once!

The two larger machines stomped forward, their limbs igniting with torch pillars. Even Sab's muscular framework wouldn't resist that kind of damage for long. She let out a roar, ripping the smaller clots from her, but each time another took its place, drowning her in a tomb of living metal. Her vision blurred, her concentration fractured, and she could only writhe like a cornered animal.

She felt the pings of her Controller, trying to help her, aid her, but her thoughts were consumed by the Red. No! Was this it then? Was she going to die this way? It was hopeless. Even as she cut and fought and bit, the clots were too many. Once they engulfed her they'd consume her while the larger automatons cut her apart.

The weight of them weighed her down. She couldn't even run away! This was the end then, was it?

. . .

A streak of green and black shook the air. Some ravenous thing appeared in Sab's vision – a silhouette of jade electricity and black claws. The shape collided with the larger machine, rending in, separating its massive rectangular torso with one mighty strike. The machine flailed and collapsed, collapsing to the ground. The smaller clots vibrated, loosened, their grip weakening. Sabby took this drop in attention, violently shaking herself of the attackers, flinging them away. She cut her way through the cloud of steel, blinking.

It was Wolf, her eyes a burning emerald fire, the scars on her body pulsing with energy, her frame flexing as she turned her attention towards the final towering foe. With a deafening howl she charged and clawed at one of its legs, tearing it off and swinging it into the crowd of machines, knocking them about. Sab watched as K4 made quick work of the mechanical fiends, laying waste to them in a matter of moments.

The final automaton waivered and fell, sending plumes of debris in the air. Without their guide, the smaller machines blinked and whined, retreating into the horizon. The Red faded from S9's mind, realization returning.

The Controller's thoughts blared into her conscious.

Sabby! Sab! Are you okay?

As the brief chaos settled, Wolf swung her gaze past the machines and towards Sab. Eyes of judgment. Eyes of disappointment.

Wolf huffed. “Let's go."

Sab felt something else. Not anger or rage or even a sense of relief. Hot shame. A sensation of weakness.

“No."

-*-

“You let her take the reigns, Controller."

The worst part about CORE? The debrief sessions. After the all clear was given for K4 and S9 to return to base, there was a lengthy analyzation process about the mission's events. Specifically, the happenings of the 'psycho-link' between Controller and Hybrid. Ideally it was supposed to read psycho-clean throughout, meaning all thoughts between the duo were focused and synced.

Jenn and Sab's looked like a Picasso painting of mental debris.

“She locked me out," he tried to say. “I couldn't. . ."

“Do what? Your goddamn job?"

Chief Mission Officer Katlyn Qiss leered at him like he was a particularly repugnant piece of meat. She was the last lady you wanted to piss off around here. A white vixen with pale eyes, her lean stature was only offset by her sharp, skewering tongue.

“You were so off the goddamn mark it's a wonder you kept sync at all. You know what I can't wait to do? Tell brass how one of our newbies nearly lost a $44 billion dollar investment. Think this shit's a game, kiddo?"

Her office was strange, blank, and designed to focus on the person sitting in the chair. Behind her was a scrolling map of one of the CORE cities, flicking between Infection zones. Hardly a moment she wasn't thinking about their next move.

Jenn didn't answer.

“Look at me."

Jenn really didn't want to. But he did. She gave him a death stare.

“I don't know what's worse. Your lack of focus or your inability to appreciate just how lucky you were."

She tapped a paper on her desk.

“No permanent psyche scarring. No injury. Not even a fight with a fucking viral. You know how many people died just so you could cock around on a simple cauterization job?"

Jenn figured he better answer. “No."

“And you don't want to. You were both standing on graveyards."

He winced. “I'm. . . sorry."

The vixen snarled. “Sorry? Shove it up your ass, Controller. Apologies mean shit all. What matters is results. And let me tell you, CORE will get their results. The only reason they haven't put you in an icebox and prepped your goddamn spine for extraction is because of me."

She glanced at the paper. “This? Unacceptable. It's your job to keep S9 from making poor decisions. It's your job to keep that goddamn war machine in line. You don't? You die. People die. She dies, or worse, she goes Feral."

Jenn fidgeted. What did she want? He didn't know! He barely had time to understand what CORE was even about!

Katlyn sighed, leaning back in her chair. “You get one more shot at this, kid. One more. You know what CORE does when its Controllers can't cut it?"

Jenn had heard things. “. . .no."

“They put your fucking brain in an Egg. And they love doing it. Unquestioned loyalty? Obedient killing bio-weapons? Gets those old dicks rock hard. And I'm the one who doesn't let that happen."

He didn't know if he was horrified or thankful.

She paused, picking up a pen and flicking it through digits.

“I'm reassigning you both to a resync op. You're both clearly not on the same page. You don't know each other, you don't understand each other."

Jenn blinked. A resync op?

Katlyn sensed his confusion, forcing a smirk.

“Settle down, kiddo. We're not sending you out on patrol, not after that disaster. You're going to take the time to understand each other, fucking understand? Down to the wire. Autonomy is not acceptable as a Controller - god knows they didn't teach you enough in basic."

Basic? There was a basic? Jenn barely remembered his training, if at all. A lot of simulations and quick rundowns on the pyscho-link, but anything else?

Still, this sounded. . . better than a situation involving live combat.

“What do I need to do?" he said. He worded things carefully, Officer Qiss abided by no fools and he'd rather not end up on scrubbing duty for the next month.

She snorted. “You? Pah. Continue as the annoying kid you are. It's a sweet fucking ticket, if you ask me. You get to prance around with a fancy biological weapon for a few days. How nice. All so they don't pick your brain apart."

From a drawer, she pulled out a box of cigs and pearl lighter, promptly lighting it.

“You'll be as you are, and so will Sierra-Nine. Nice learning experience. Get it? I don't care what it takes, but I want you both on the same page, up and down. Fuck each other if need be, but get your head straight, or the brass will take it."

The words punched Jenn like a cinderblock. A lot to process there – what did she mean by 'take his head?' Oh, shit, they weren't kidding about that, were they? He heard rumors, stories, some of the veterans would joke about it but. . .

Wait, fuck each other?

“Can I ask a question?"

The vixen's frown already answered.

Katlyn took a long drag of her cig.

“Dismissed."

-*-

Transitioning from a debrief session to 'normal life' was hard, to put it mildly. Despite his occupation, despite his tasks and responsibilities, CORE imposed upon Jenn the importance of “balanced living." Apparently, it kept him in a 'pyscho-clean' state. Less mental debris and stress during and operation, or something like that. It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but it was either this or, well, nothing. He could live the rest of his days as a brain on ice.

So, the routine set in. It was a strange one. CORE City 3 codenamed Frontier had all the fixings of a usual urban paradise, save it was downscaled for a smaller populous. Schools, jobs, markets, that all existed, though government autonomy was handled by CORE itself, which was what, a military organization? A shadow enterprise? Jenn didn't know, not that he wanted to.

He did his best to forget and concentrate on something productive. Being a Controller was. . . unsettling. How did Anda do it? How did he adapt to his lifestyle, much less guide something so terrifying as “Kilimanjaro-Four?"

When Sab started Red shifting, Jenn felt sick. And frightened. And angry. Her thoughts and feelings surged into his conscious state like a hungry beast, and it was a wonder he didn't drown in her. The way she fought, the way she nearly lost control. . . and then there were guys like Anda who treated it as casually as a morning coffee.

Fuck. How did everything come to this?

Even education was different. Schools tried to adopt normal routines – you know, primary subjects, lunch, homework. Instructors acted like the Infection wasn't a thing. Jenn heard that was on purpose, they were specifically instructed to keep the concept of danger out of everyone's mind. Probably because somebody believed one day this was all going to end. But in the same vein, it was almost comical. The real funny thing was History, which was cut apart to redact anything to do with the automatons. Only problem? Those automated machines were a central part of human modernization for almost a century. They were the reason the Moon colonies were impassable and why satellites were completely unusable in some of the world's regions. Ignoring them was a laughable effort, but damn if CORE education standards didn't try.

Still, it meant the world suffered serious population disasters. As a result, schools were. . . sort of empty. There were maybe eight or nine students for each class, and homeroom had fifteen total. Some people moved off to different CORE cities, even overseas on the eastern borders. But it really did no good. The Red Zone took up a huge portion of Earth and northern arctic areas were rumored to be haunted by some terrifying virals. Refuge was hard to find. Guess people did whatever they could to feel safer.

What was stranger though? There were still areas sanctioned off for normal habitation. Safe zones, recreation zones, that sort of thing.

And Jenn was headed to one.

He didn't have much time to get ready after school hours concluded. Some packing was done, but, the spooks were at his door before five. Suited men, tall and pale, not much for words but plenty on action.

“We're here to escort you to Node Thirteen," one of them said when he greeted them at the door.

“Compliance is mandatory," the other added. Yeah, no shit, thought Jenn.

Jenn was on his own in a provided apartment. His parents – like a lot of kids – were called to deeper work related to CORE's well, whatever they did. Sometimes they sent him letters or videos, but it was too far for him to care anymore. He was on his own, but so were a lot of teens his age too. Was it strange then he found a modicum of comfort with the suited goons? Probably.

They drove him to an isolated train station where only CORE personnel were permitted. After that, he was granted a ticket for the White Line, which would take him to Node 13 – one of the recreational zones suited for Hybrids and Controllers, or something. God, just how much shit was out there? It was like the land shifted and morphed when it CORE needed it to.

Sometimes, he even wondered if the sky was real, or if that was some strange projection by his military overlords.

What even was today? Wednesday might've been. Or Thursday? That too was losing its meaning – tracking time. The sky was pristine and inhabited by puffy clouds and rolling green hills were visible outside the train's windows. But the date? Did it matter much? When tomorrow was uncertain, when the world was in the state it was, keeping a calendar didn't maintain much value.

Probably for the best. The train made a series of stops, allowing other CORE personnel to enter and leave as it made its journey. By the time he was at Node 3, Jenn was alone.

For a while, at least.

Exiting the train was a surreal experience. Not because he was entering some new, labyrinthian CORE structure fit with its own horrors and strange things, but because it was so. . . normal.

As normal as a secret military run facility could be, anyway.

Like clockwork, the moment Jenn stepped off the train, another pair of spooks were there to meet him. Both thin, both tall, both wearing the same, grim expression. He looked at them, offering an anxious smile.

“I guess I come with you guys?"

They said nothing.

Once more, Jenn was taken to a car and driven somewhere more secluded. It was getting close to evening now, the sun nearing the horizon. But, instead of a dull, empty city, Jenn was surrounded by. . . nature. The goons took him down a long road, and to Jenn's left and right were stretching green fields and hills. Among them were distant lodges, all colored differently. This was eerie.

No, not eerie because there was some malignant horror hiding in the clouds or a sprawl of Infection machines lurching towards him, but because it was so normal. You could live out here and be none the wiser of the world's plight. Untouched and protected, but for what purpose?

Well, Jenn soon had his answer. They navigated to a small town, populated by god only knew. There was another turn, and the young Controller was driven to a lodge house – this one colored a faded yellow. Beyond the house more hills and eventually a forest, or so far as Jenn could see.

“What is this?" he asked. Not that he expected an answer, and of course, the CORE spooks were stoic.

The pulled into the lodging, stepping out, opening the door for Jenn – though to force him out, not for manners. When he did, the sun was fading, orange overcast rolling through the sky.

“Jericho-Echo-Nevada," one of the men said. “This is your assigned lodging for resync with Sierra-Nine."

Jenn glanced to him. “Wait, what? What does that mean!?"

The other one spoke up. “You will be expected to be psycho-clean by week's end. Unit S9 is waiting."

Jenn dawn a perplexed, frightened expression. He swore he saw one of the men smirk.

“Good luck, soldier."

They “escorted" him to the door, watching him, waiting for him to enter the lodge. What was he going to do, run? Obviously not. Fuck, he didn't even know where this town was – if it was even marked on a map!

Damn. Jenn sighed, obliging the silent command. The door chimed a happy tune when he entered.

-*-

“Surprise!"

Jenn fell over.

Of the things he expected, seeing Anda was not one of them.

It was bad enough he had to explore his new home. Er, vacation spot? Prison? The lodge was nice, certainly. A quaint two-story building fit for a human and, apparently, a biological weapon. S9 was retrieved and deployed here long before him, but that didn't make it any less strange. And the living space was again, normal. Everything you'd need to live like half the world wasn't some nightmarish machine-infested hellscape. Food, bed, shower, entertainment (if you counted CORE puff pieces 'approved' movies as entertainment), a wide-open outdoor area for exercise.

“You like it?"

Anda helped him up. He was a young man too, a few years older than Jenn – but still wore the wealthy of maturity on his person. His shock of hair was strange, almost white now, as were his eyes. Either the strain of his partnership with K4 caused this or the general stress of being a Controller.

Jenn took a breath, collecting himself. “Uh, hmm. Yeah! I think so."

Anda laughed. “You think so? Interesting observation, Jericho-Echo-Nevada."

Jenn made a face. “What does that even mean?"

“Hah! Codenames, of course. CORE loves its terminology. I'm Alpha-Nevada, heheh."

Jenn scratched his head, but then understood. “Oh! They're letters."

“Yup! Guess you can see how funny it looks if I walked around as AND."

Huh. This guy was strangely bright and amiable considering his occupation. Wasn't he plagued by all the stress of their lifestyle? Not to mention the oppressive authority of CORE.

“I see you packed light," continued Anda, pointing at Jenn's casual attire. “That's good. Oh, hey, wanna' see the girls?"

Whoa, what? Today was going all sorts of fast. Also, fucking what!?

It dawned on Jenn he hadn't physically seen the Hybrid in months, maybe longer. Said meeting wasn't a warm back-and-forth either, it was through a glass. She and him looked at the other, understanding, and then went into training. He wasn't even sure if Sabby liked him! Oh god, what if she decided he was unworthy and cleaved him into pieces, right here?

Anda noted Jenn's anxious expression. “Hey! No worries. She's been winding down with Kay. S9's fast! It's amazing!"

Jenn gulped. “Uh. Um. Sure."

Anda clapped him on the back. “Great!"

Following along, the two proceed to the lodge backyard. Well, “backyard" here meaning a giant field with a skirt of trees on the horizon. It was big, so much so it sported an obstacle course of things no human man could scale in a practical time frame. Killing machines though? No big deal.

Anda pointed. “Check it out!"

Jenn glanced to see the silhouettes of two massive figures. The girls. One was bounding about, taking great leaps and strides as she tore the ground apart with quick dashes, her muscular flame flexing as she dashed from one part of the field to the other.

It was Sab.

“Holy shit."

Jenn gawked. He knew S9 was supposed to be quick on her feet, but this? Her great, bounding jumps cleared enormous distances, and despite her intimidating frame, she held an agile grace.

“Right?" agreed Anda. “Heeeeeeey!"

The other Controller waved his hands, calling for K4. She was out there too, standing still, dimensions of dark black consuming the light around her. Even from here, though, Jenn could see her head move. Then, her form shifted, sparks of green electricity pulsing around her. With a sudden jump, she launched from her position and came flying over towards the lodge balcony. Jenn promptly fell over and yelped as she landed before them in an explosion of earth, rock, and power.

A cloud of debris hung in the air as the sparks faded from her. Jenn looked up, awestruck. This was the first time he was so close to a Hybrid in physical proximity, much less K4. She was terrifying, enormous. Anda walked right up to her.

“That a was a little dramatic, don't you think?"

K4's ears flicked. “Dramatic?"

Anda pointed to Jenn. “Trying to impress, eh?"

Her eyes wandered over to the sputtering Jenn, head tilting. “Hmm."

Again, Anda laughed, helping Jenn to his feet. “Oh, don't mind her, she's all bark and no bite."

A nervous laugh escaped Jenn. Yeah. Sure.

Meanwhile, Sab wasn't about to be outdone. Alarmed by the approach of new voices and K4's sudden leap, she sped towards the lodge patio in a blur of quick motions. Purple sparks trailed from her feet, her biological engineering pulsing with power like her Hybrid counterpart.

Jenn blinked, then blinked again. In those short moments, S9 went from a distant dot to a massive shape, until she was next to K4, her sabertooth features caught in the sunlight. Jenn was nothing short of speechless.

“Holy heck!" applauded Anda. “S9 you can move!"

He grinned at K4. “Kay, you better step it up. She's gonna lap you!"

'Kay' rolled her eyes. As for Jenn, the banter completely went over him – he was staring. Really how could he not? Forget the fact he was close to the veteran K4, but for the first real time, he was getting a close look at Sabby. She, too, was staring down at him once she realized who it was.

She was uh. Big. Jenn knew she and the Hybrid-class were designed to be field weapons, but it never really solidified itself until now. She was double his height, easily, wearing a coat of faded blonde fur. Two long, sharp fangs protruded from her shapely muzzle, polished like steel blades, married to a pair of hunter's eyes. The delicate crease of muscle pushed through parts of her frame, sinew of definition demonstrating how powerful she was. This was a mask, too – the muscular structure she possessed was different – synthetic, designed for resilience and lengthy combat scenarios.

Sab started to lean. Jenn was frozen.

That wasn't the only thing big about her though. Jenn was pretty sure the people behind the Hybrid development programs were a bunch of horny nerds. He concluded this, because though Sab was built like a mobile tank, she was still shaped like a woman. Wide of hips, heavy of breast, slim of waist (or as slim as one could be considering her physique). If he was going to be blunt, her tits were about the size of his head, maybe larger, and she could probably crush him with those just as she could with her legs.

“Er. Um. Hi."

Oh, and the other thing. The girls were both naked – by standards of human prudence, anyway.

Getting a read on Sab was hard, and Jenn started to panic. Oh god, what was she thinking? Wasn't he supposed to know!? He was the Controller! Oh, this was bad, he could feel himself looking and acting his age! What was gonna' happen!?

Sab leaned, shoving her nose in his hair, pulling in his scent. Again, Jenn was motionless. Didn't help that by leaning her uh, breasts were shoved into his view. He could hide his flushing cheeks.

Anda, of course, was tickled. “Oh!" he exclaimed, snapping fingers. “That's right. You two haven't really met, have you?"

Kay snorted with a laugh. Jenn and Sab were still silent, watching the other.

“Well!" continued Anda. “We oughta' let them get acquainted."

He pointed to the wolf hybrid. “Blagh! Come on. You're filthy now. Let's clean you up."

Jenn gawked as Anda offered a wink, patting him on the shoulder before returning inside the lodge. Kay wasn't even dirty!

The Controller wanted to protest, but, what could he say? Helpless, he watched his comrade return indoors, leaving him with the massive creature. He fidgeted. It was quiet out here – strangely so. Peaceful. Hell, Jenn thought he could hear birds and the indignant squeak of squirrels. Gentle wind swept past him and tickled the grass, catching Sabby's fur. She was rather pretty.

Wait, what?

“You're small."

Huh!?

What did she mean small? His anxiety dropped like a stone. “Well, hey, I wasn't made for killing you know."

Sab poked at his chest, and the force almost put Jenn on his ass again.

“Strange."

Jenn narrowed his eyes. “You're strange!"

An arm came to the collar of his shirt and pulled. Sab yanked Jenn up by the scruff and, well, demonstrated how unbelievably strong she was. Oh god.

“And light."

She dropped him.

Jenn plopped to his haunches. “Hey, knock it off!"

How the hell did Anda do it? Kay was older, sturdier, and even scarier than Sab, but she followed the fellow like a bird to a branch. Dammit.

Learning, that's what it was. Learning about the other. Katlyn made a big hullabaloo about that, after all. Maybe it wasn't that Anda was commanding K4, maybe it was they were on the same mental page, like a shared conscious or similar. Was it that Kay was dirty, or was it they both 'sensed' they should leave Jenn and Sab to get to know each other?

So, Jenn tried something else. He focused on thoughts, his thoughts, like he was forming a ball and tossing it to Sab.

You're being rude.

At once, Sabby's eyes widened and ears perked. She even blushed a little too.

“I'm not rude!" she shot back.

Oh. So, it worked.

Jenn tried again. This time, though, a little too much of himself went along with the thoughts.

Yes you are! You don't just pick people up like that and by the way you're really fast wow that's cool and you have pretty huge tits and Isortofwanttotou-

WHOA.

The feline Hybrid gazed at him, processing. She squinted.

“Hmmm."

She said nothing else and turned to sprint off again.

Dammit.

-*-

The rest of the evening was spent growing accustomed to this bizarre new lifestyle. Anda wasn't going to stick around for long either, he explained, but he wanted to get Jenn up to speed before he and Kay went to their own lodge.

They talked out front as the night sky rolled over them. Amazing, all those stars. Could almost forget the predicament of Earth were it not for the shattered moon hanging in the dark.

“We're glorified babysitters, if I'm honest," said Anda, kicking a rock. “They say we're here for some debrief, but bah. They just want us to keep an eye on you two."

Jenn shrugged. “I guess I don't blame them. If Sabby was running around all uh, what was it called, Feral?"

“Yep."

Anda blinked. “Wait, Sabby? Your nickname? Hah! That's terrific."

Sure. Too bad Jenn didn't feel the same way.

“How the hell am I supposed to get to know her?"

It wasn't like there was a book on “how to talk to a biological super predator 101."

Anda chuckled, explaining things. There wasn't a secret, as it turned out. A lot of proximity company, that was about it, and then trying to do things where each party shared mutual conscious thinking. Easier said than done, obviously. Jenn hung off every word, of course. Once Anda and Kay left, was going to have to figure things out for himself. Great.

As they talked, Anda had two final suggestions:

“I tell you, there are a couple of easy things to get you on the same page. Food. You can cook?"

Jenn wiggled his hand. “Eh. A little."

“No big deal. They aren't picky – a little salt on some ribs and they're good."

“Thank goodness. What about the other thing?"

Anda started to laugh. “Pretty simple. I'm sure you noticed too. The girls are big."

Jenn gave a slow nod. “. . .yeah."

Now, the other Controller swerved to Jenn and offered a dumb grin.

“Well. . ."

He leaned and whispered something. Jenn felt his face go red.

-*-

Dinner was interesting. And by interesting, one of the strangest experiences Jenn had. He'd seen a lot of things “working" for his dystopian masters, and through observation of Sab's actions, terrible nightmares made real. But nothing, no amount of training or advice or wisdom could prepare him for sitting down at a table with S9 and trying to eat a meal like it was a typical night at home.

Anda and Kay were long gone, probably doing this exact thing, just better. Damn! How did Anda pull this off so smoothly? Jenn never really talked to girls – primarily because there weren't many. Dinner with a creature twice his size? Yeah, sure, no problem.

She wasn't mean, at least. Actually, far from it – quiet and studious. Hmm. Maybe she was as nervous as him?

They were sitting on the floor, opposite of the other. Jenn made himself a real easy meal – a minced mix of potatoes, onions, and sausage. Sab settled on a large chunk of cut steaks with water. Considering her uh, occupation, she needed a lot to power the engine that was her body.

“Not bad, eh?" Jenn said, offering a weak smile. Sab blinked, staring.

“Hmmm."

Aw, come on!

“I hope that's a good 'hmm.'"

Sab tilted her head. “Humans are strange. Controllers are strange."

Jenn blinked. “Huh?"

“You are not honest."

What? Now, hang on one darn second! Jenn was a lot of things – a typical kid, a bit quiet, aimless, but a liar? No. So, what was she talking about?

“Your thought from before."

Wait, what? How did she. . .

Sab tapped her head. “You forgot our link already?"

Oh. Right. “Er. What do you mean, Sab?"

The sabertooth took a precise cut of her food, gulping it down. Jeeze. Even her smallest motions caused her impressive frame to flex and pulse. Her bust too, it wasn't so keen on sitting idle.

“Grr. Why all the games? We can't work well if we don't think alike."

Now Jenn was getting confused for real.

“We don't?" Aside from some “mishaps" he thought they were doing okay.

Sab sighed. “You want to touch me."

Jenn dropped his fork, the words hitting him like a brick. A hot rush overtook his cheeks and he stared at his mostly-eaten plate of food, unable to meet Sab's gaze. Oh, come on! This wasn't fair! How was he supposed to even respond to that?

Sab wasn't merciful about it either. “I know it. I felt it. Like you want to feel me."

Jenn scratched his head. Say something, idiot!

“Um."

Very nice.

So. Anda wasn't kidding. Food was one way to get to know your weaponized counterpart. The other thing? What was more animalistic and raw than fucking? Food and fucking. For the Hybrids, it was the three F's: Food, fighting, fucking. Since Jenn wasn't so great at the combat part, bonding over the other two were his only options. But honestly, he thought Anda was joking! Or, at least, something like “communing" with his other was farther down the road. Not this abrupt!

“You are strange," Sab repeated. “You want it, but you dance around it. Why? We're after the same thing."

It took a moment for the words to fully process. Uh, what? After the same thing?

Jenn glanced up now, looking at the great beast.

He felt the Red. Though he wasn't mechanically linked to her, Sab's subconscious desires flooded into him too. The Red wasn't only rage and aggression, it was the gooey pool of lust, and holy hell she was filled to the brim with it. She appeared collected, but beneath her frame of muscle and copier cells, a wanting woman was waiting.

“So much time wasted," she continued. “We should know each other better."

Somehow, Jenn figured her definition of 'know' was different than his.

Jenn was still too much the boy to take charge, even though that was supposed to be his entire schtick as a controller. His silence, then, answered for him.

Sab huffed. “Very well."

She stood, and in one smooth motion, grabbed Jenn and lifted him by the waist. Uh, WHOA! If ever he felt like a leaf in the wind, now was the moment. Her arm and grip was harder than iron and she shuffled him about so effortlessly it was a wonder she hadn't cracked him in half already. Hell, she probably wasn't even using a drop of her strength!

Jenn wasn't sure how to feel. Worried? A little. Excited? Yes, actually. Aroused? Well, to say that something was awakening inside of him was an understatement.

Sab took him along to her room. He said 'her' because it was spacious and mostly empty, save for some essentials – one of said essentials being the bed. It was large and strong enough to support a creature of her magnitude. Anything less and she'd probably crack the floor in half!

A moment later, Jenn was on the bed, to his back. Gah! This was moving fast! But, then again, that was okay. He wasn't really protesting anymore (if he was at all). The Red was seeping into him too, washing away his boyish insecurities and replacing it with want. And what did he want? Er, well. Tits. Tits and other stuff.

The advantage of their link was soon apparent. Normally, Jenn figured you had to ask about this kind of thing, but Sab 'sensed' it. She crawled over him, licking his forehead with her warm, wet tongue in loving laps, mussing his hair. A thick, rumbling purr drifted from her, a coaxing motor. Jenn flushed again, watching the massive thing take a single claw and pull away his trousers. Er, not so much pull as cut it off, but whatever, he had other clothes.

Exposed to the world, his flank popped free, the cool air tickling his flesh. He wondered if he was “large" enough for the Hybrid but, she didn't seem to care. No, in fact, she assaulted his appearing pole with sudden licks, the warm tongue caressing and massaging his inches with delicate focus.

“H-holy fuck!"

At once a million things were hitting Jenn. The proximity first, like someone set fire to his blood. Then the knowledge that something like S9 was giving him fellatio, or at least a sloppy version of it! It was exciting, but scary too. Her long, stroking tongue polished him from base to crown, practically curled around his inches, even massaging his stones with her skilled maw. But, she could only service the flesh with the wet rug, because those teeth were dangerously close to his fleshy blade.

“Yes, I know," she muttered, flicking her eyes at him. Oh, right. She could sense his concern and thoughts. Lucky him then, he wouldn't suffer the wrath of her elongated fangs!

Jenn clenched the sheets as she toyed about with him. This was great, he couldn't lie. No prudence with this Hybrid, just diving into the Red, the want. With regular girls there was the obvious dating philosophy, but considering how sparse opportunities were, the chances of having a nice time with someone from his class was unlikely. Now it was falling on him like an avalanche. A sexual avalanche!

“Hmm, you think strange."

Dammit! Jenn wasn't use to having something like Sabby prowl through his mind. But, he could do it too, right? Maybe. For now, if she was so intent on 'sensing' his desire, he let his imagination wander and contemplate the idea of the hybrid choking him with her heaving breasts, smothering his pole with those fat things. They could sync on that, couldn't they?

Now came a dark chuckle.

“Much better."

Indeed, Sabby shifted herself, lowering her frame, allowing her plump front to fall on Jenn's loins, landing with an audible 'thump.' Jenn had to grunt – they were pretty heavy, but in the best ways. He watched as his flank disappeared in her slopes, the soft fur radiating silky warmth as it embraced him in a tight hold. Jenn groaned, body beginning to glisten with sweat as the sabertooth slowly tossed her front upon him.

Her dark, brownish nips prodded through the gold fur, accenting her plentiful orbs. Meanwhile, her tongue toyed with his tip when it pushed through her heavy chest. Jenn was helpless, meat for her, but that was fine. In a strange way, their arousal fed into the other, the Red creating a 'wavelength' of sexual congress. The more hot and bothered Jenn was, the sentiment was shared by Sabby too.

Her powerful arms pressed together, throttling his flank, a dew of presex escaping the crown. Now, his mast was a sloppy mess of saliva and arousal, glistening in the warm room light.

“Ghh, Saaab. . ." Jenn grumbled. Damn this was good. He didn't realize it would be so straightforward!

He 'felt' her too. A desire surging from her chest, a goal to 'claim,' to 'mark.' It was primordial, an instinct based from her sabertooth engineering. Flattering.

They had a lot to learn, but least the two had a mutual interest in sex.

Sabby continued to toy with the flank, grasping it and rubbing it against her teats, letting the crown slide against her nips, leaving behind a trail of sticky liquid. That alone almost sent Jenn over the edge, but something told him to 'hold out' for a bit longer.

Good instinct. When Sabby released him with an audible 'pop,' she licked her chips, interested in more. He didn't need the Red to tell him that either, it was as plain as it could be in her eyes. Sab grabbed him, swung him around (gently) until he was atop her now, face buried in her fluff and cleavage. He pushed himself up, looking down at her.

His palms were met with her soft, generous fur, squished into her generous tits. Regardless of her structure and size, well, you'd never have guessed by looking at her chest.

“Time to earn your mane, Controller."

Jenn shivered. His flank was harder than it'd ever been in his whole life, to the point it hurt! But, a good kind of hurt. He was helpless in the body of himself, just a wellspring of desire and lust. Damn, he could feel her there too, below, at her cleft, her snatch. Never before had he considered fucking one of these Hybrid girls but, now? Well, be damned prudence! If CORE wanted him to “re-sync" then fine! The best part? He felt like this was right, that this union belonged to them and them alone. Controller and Hybrid, linked in both mind and flesh. Maybe even soul, if you believed that sort of thing.

Sab spread herself, grinning. That was the first time Jenn saw her do that – an inviting, toothy smile urging him on. Well, he obliged. The Red filled him with instinct, ancient knowledge. He nuzzled her cleft with his crown, rolling tip against her awaiting lips. She growled, eager, hooking an arm around his shoulder, though with careful pressure. It was clear if she did anything too rash, she might snap him in half!

Jenn panted, steadying himself. She was large enough he could prop his frame on knees, slowly shoving his loins into her warm tunnel. Instantly, it clenched him with moist heat, a wet, hot silky suckling his inches as he pushed into the massive Hybrid. She purred with approval, even moaning, and that got Jenn all bothered even more. The very notion – the idea – he could please a specimen like Sab was thrilling.

Jenn panted, steadying himself. She was large enough he could prop his frame on knees, slowly shoving his loins into her warm tunnel. Instantly, it clenched him with moist heat, a wet, hot silky suckling his inches as he pushed into the massive Hybrid. She purred with approval, even moaning, and that got Jenn all bothered even more. The very notion – the idea – he could please a specimen like Sab was thrilling.

“Fffuuuck. . ."

Jenn had lost his ability for words, save for the guttural, animal noises escaping him. He gripped Sab's thighs, or anything he could, slowly tossing his hips into her sodden, inviting tunnel. Every motion filled him with heat – a wildfire. It was like his blood boiled and adrenaline drowned his every thought and desire! He wanted more and he could tell she wanted more!

Slowly his motions hastened, and the force of each thrust incurred a wobbling bounce from Sab. Her thick, hefty tits crashed together, mainly because she moved with him (or as best as a prone sabertooth like her could), holding him tight.

But, Jenn was a meek kid of young flesh. He wasn't experienced, both as Controller and well, as a lover. It was a miracle he held out this long in the first place! Soon, he crumpled, buckling over, lunging his shaft into her awaiting snatch, the hot electricity of orgasm exploding through him. The intensity shook him, wobbled him. He never experienced a peak this strong – all the adrenalin, knowledge, and teasing finally overcame like a tidal wave until he surged into Sab. His Sabby.

He let out a cry, calling her name, his frame doused with sweat, flesh red and hot. His head fell into her warm fluffy stomach, arms gripping her sides while he pumped streams of himself into the sabertooth for as long as he could.

“Gughgh. . ."

Sab moaned with him, holding his neck while the boy flooded her, intrigued. He was still young as a guide, still growing into his “claws and fangs." But he'd learn in time.

Jenn panted, looking up from his position at the large sabertooth gal. She was still wearing a hungry grin, and flashes of the Red pulsed back into him. Oh no. She wasn't even remotely done!

Didn't take long before the sabertooth was back at it, though this time she took the lead. . .

-*-

What time was it?

. . .

Did it even matter? It normally didn't – not like Jenn had to go anywhere. His eyelids fluttered open, staring at a wall. He was tired, but the good kind, consumed by a satisfied exhaustion. Peaceful, warm, happy. Happy? That was new, he hadn't felt that way for a long, long time. Maybe it was the peace and tranquility of Node 13.

Hmm. Or maybe it was the beautiful creature with her arms wrapped over his shoulder. His back was buried in her fluff and fur, the rest of her frame curled around him as though protective. Probably was. A swell of pride formed in his chest, among things.

Then, something else. It was hard to describe, an intangible sense of knowing, like there was a solid idea he had that wasn't before. An idea of what? He didn't quite know. But it felt right, this concept, like his next decision was correct. And then, he realized, it was instinct, the driver behind Sab's actions. It was their connection, or the foundation to one.

Of course, there was still so much more to the Hybrid holding him. Where she came from, what she could do. Hell, her relationship with other Hybrids like K4! He had only scratched the surface, really. But that was okay, because now he had so much time to learn about her, learn about what it meant to be a Controller. For the first time, he felt like he was unified, rather than someone looking in on the outside.

She purred, licking the back of his neck. She spoke, voice low, rough, yet gentle.

“Now you understand," she mumbled, sleepy.

Jenn smiled. Yeah, he did. The link. It wasn't perfect, nor the strongest, but he felt the 'sync,' the unity of Controller and Hybrid.

He closed his eyes again. When he dreamed, Sabby was with him, and they stared not at a sky red, but blue.