# Victernus - Chapter 11

Author: Nazca
Tags: Cybernetics, Mind uploading, Science, Transformation, War, Werewolf, Wolf, apocalypse, corruption, dystopia, implants, tf


            A lone, beaten-up drone limped
through the air alone. Its innards had degraded from a life of use and abandonment,
causing its power to flicker now and then. A blue, holographic light floated
just beneath the machine, giving it the illusion of burning fuel. Two miniature
fusion cannons were attached to the sides - only one still functioning
properly. It hovered quickly and slightly lopsided, but it did not waver from
the ancient base code that kept it searching for intruders to capture.
            The once-great treasures of a highly
advanced race lay in heaps of rubble, slowly being retaken by plant life.
Animals roamed the lands unafraid of the drone, having encountered neither it
nor its creators. Sometimes they would look up, unsure of what was passing over
them, but they never ran. They hadn't been hunted by such things for many
generations.
A small glitch ran through it, causing it to fall
several feet. The system was degrading slowly. Errors skittered through its
propulsion system and the surrounding areas, shutting them off temporarily.
But, as it fell, an anomaly appeared under the hard metallic shell. FALLING... FALLING...! REVERSE! STOP THIS! Before
it hit the ground, it stabilized and the anomaly disappeared. 
            Regaining normality, the drone
hummed along the roads of its former masters, scanning for life. Wherever it
traveled, the only things it could find were miles of crumbling asphalt and houses
that were worn down or destroyed. Scanning them was an unfruitful act, but
required nonetheless. It could not go against its programming and slack off or
give up. It was a machine.
            As it made its way into the dense
remains of a city, it kept its lenses open and it heat sensors on. Trees had
already taken over some of the buildings, which had severe cracks running
through them. At this rate, if nothing was found in this new place, the chances
of ever finding humans would be almost zero. However, while it looked on,
something new caught its lens.
---
            Namara ran hurriedly from building
to building, trying to find traces of life. He stepped through another door to
see the same imagery from most of the buildings he had visited before. Thick
layers of dust covered the furniture. The table in the dining room had plates
set out and pots in the center, as if a family was about to sit down to eat.
The chairs were still pushed in. The area was mostly clean, aside from the
dust. Whoever lived there must have left in a hurry.
            Disturbed, Namara turned to leave
and then heard an electric humming nearby. He walked out into the street and
saw a small drone approaching him from the sky. Relieved, he waited for it to
arrive. It was the only sign of human life he had seen since waking.
            The drone hovered in front of Namara
and proceeded to circle around him, attempting to analyze what it was seeing.
It stopped in front of him and a cold, robotic voice emerged, "Identify!"
            He did not hesitate, speaking in his
deep, rough werewolf voice that was tinged with a Spanish accent, "Namara
Galvarros."
            The drone searched its database
briefly and then continued, "Only one instance of 'Namara Galvarros': deceased
June fifth, 2038 in a lab raid. He was a utopian extremist and the leader of a
terrorist organization known as 'Victernus.'"
            Namara shook his head, "I didn't
die. I got away." He smiled, "I became a wolf," but then raised an eyebrow,
"Utopian extremist? What's that supposed to mean? And... it was Affictus, not
Victernus."
            "Updating database: Namara Galvarros
missing-in-action until June sixth..."
            He frowned, "June sixth?"
            "...2203."
            His eyes widened in disbelief,
"What?!"
            It remained unmoved, "Orders resume:
Escort the prisoner to New Selania for rehabilitation. Address this unit as
Hex-AI from here on."
            Namara growled, "Wait! What happened
to Af...uh...Victernus?"
            Hex replied, "Members of Victernus
were presumed dead after the Great Collapse of 2047. Casualties: approximately
sixteen billion. Survivors: 12,385. Now, follow." Still facing him, the drone
moved along the street towards the train station.
Namara stepped forward in astonishment and trailed
behind it. Wow... Twelve thousand! I guess
they finally got what was coming to them... or, some of them at least... His
thoughts ventured back to his friends. There's
no way that they could have allowed themselves to be captured.
While he followed, he tried to avoid places where
the pavement had split. Tall grasses sprouted out of the holes, reminding him
of how finite everything that was human could be. When he was younger, a
struggle raged in him over whether anything should be built up at all. Because
he was born with a few neurological impairments, the human tendency to want to
achieve anything in life wasn't
hammered into him from the start. Whenever he had too many things in his life,
he couldn't handle it well. If it became too much, he would revert back to
"zero." However, when he found what he came to call the Koanthanatus, it never
went away. Finding something that he truly wanted was colossal for him.
Everything else stemmed out of it. He was still quite simple - there wasn't
much else that he actually did want -
but what he found cast him so far away from what was considered natural that
some said he was misguided and naïve. But, he felt likewise about them.
When Namara came to the foot of the station, he
stopped and examined the steps. I came
down these just the other day... While he thought to himself, one of the
drone's internal timers went off and caused it to fire a warning shot past him.
He jumped, startled from the noise, and then gazed up the steps to see the
drone hovering in the terminal. "What was that for?!" he exclaimed.
Hex voiced, "No time for breaks. Keep following. A
storm is coming."
Namara sighed and climbed up the stairs, navigating
around a massive crack in the middle. Reaching the top, he saw that the drone
was already waiting for him inside the giant transparent tube. He shook his
head and entered the dark terminal, "I guess the train doesn't work?"
Hex agreed, "Selanians have no use for it. It was
never repaired. The tube remains mostly intact."
He stopped at the edge of the tube and peered in.
Unlike last time, there was very little wind passing through the entrance.  He would have to run beside the air vents on
the bottom. Sitting and preparing to slide down, he grimaced, "That's too bad.
How far do we have to go?"
The drone replied unemotionally, "1489.06 miles from
Denver Ruins to New Selania."
Namara lowered his eyes, "I thought as much..."
Shaking his head, he slid down to the air vents, "I guess we'd better get
started then!" Things just get better
every moment...
When the drone began to traverse the long tube,
Namara looked down at his feet. I've
never actually run in this form before. Who would have thought that the first
time would be like this? He bent down, pressing his hands to the cold,
metallic floor. I guess it doesn't matter.
If Mahalia's still waiting on the other end, that's good enough for me.
After taking a few deep breaths, he charged forward on all fours and raced
after the drone.

Source: https://sofurry.com/view/886992

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