Chapter 16 – Signaling Game

512 A.R. February 20, Forest, Night

The Zephyr may have saved my life, but it could be a damn burden as well.

I was tired, my legs ached, and my throat hurt as the forest thinned out. In the distance, I could see the lights of civilization and the wooden fence of my parent's house. The residential area looked intact, but the skies revealed that the city was gearing up for a fight.

Large humming drones approached in the distance, and I caught another red flash in the sky. I'd seen several flashes like it in the forest, but this was the first time I got a good view upon lifting my gaze to the sky.

It looked like a pod that burst through the thick clouds in the sky, and it arched its way into the forest behind me. I followed it with my gaze until it disappeared somewhere in the depths of the forest, and heard a loud bang moments later.

I looked back in front, noticed that the trees had become sparse enough that I was running in the open field.

Almost there-

A sudden tingle washed over me, and I got the distinct feeling that I had passed through some kind of barrier. The nature of the feeling became clear as I felt Ares' presence knock on my mind.

No more jamming…

'Ares!' I screamed out in my mind.

'There you are… Keep running, Vilkas,' Ares said within my mind.

'What's going on!?' I thought and kept up my pace.

'You should focus on getting to safety, and-'

'Don't pull that sort of crap!' I shouted in my mind and gritted my teeth.

For a moment, Ares actually seemed shocked, and his presence on my shoulder felt jostled.

'… Thousands of them are attacking all over Sophos. The forest barriers are proving ineffective and there's active fighting in the outskirts of every city. The human districts have been hit hard, and there are active infestations spreading within them. Even the human undercity of Veripolis is suffering an outbreak, and we are scrambling our forces,' Ares answered.

'My family?' I thought, as I let my perception of time slow down.

'The Lusus haven't breached Pasloe's defensive line, and they are safe for now,' Ares answered.

'What about the human outskirts of Pasloe?' I wondered.

'All available forces have been routed to secure Pasloe's main defensive line,' Ares answered.

And the outskirts are outside that defensive line…

'What's the prognosis?' I thought.

'We've been caught by surprise. As such, most of our defenses are stored underground. We'll have no problem dealing with the threat once they're online, but that will take a few hours,' Ares said.

'I assume the forests were meant to buy the cities time to rouse their defenses?' I thought.

'Yes, but the Lusus are passing through the forest undetected,' Ares answered.

'Do we know why?' I wondered.

'Lusus have several tell-tale signs which allow us to detect them, such as spores and lots of electromagnetic noise. This variant does not spread spores, at least not while in hiding, and they have no strong electromagnetic profile either. Rather than consuming humans, they seem to grow within them like a parasite.'

'And the jamming?' I thought.

'Standard protocol during active infestation events is active jamming to keep the Lusus from communicating with one another. While it has always been a double-edged sword, the benefits have always outweighed the negatives. Based on what we know of this variant, we'll have to revise our strategy.'

'And the pods being dropped from orbit?' I wondered.

'They are Hunter-Killer drop pods from Moonbase Alpha. They are spreading them in the forests with the goal of injuring the Lusus so that the forests can identify and deal with the threat.'

'… I watched the forest eat one of them, and… well, spoke with the forest afterwards."

'Oh?' Ares wondered.

'The forest told me that it was a poison it couldn't deal with and that the area would be sterilized.'

'More bad news… We knew that the swamps were unable to deal with the new Lusus strain, but we were holding out hope that the forests would be unaffected,' Ares answered.

'What does this mean?' I wondered.

'The affected areas of the forest will turn itself into caustic sludge and chemicals that prohibit nanites from working. It'll kill the Lusus, but also turn the affected areas into ecological nightmares.'

'So what do we do?' I wondered.

'Regarding that… Your APC is rather stubborn, and I need you to switch it over to Stand-Alone Mode so that we can make use of it,' Ares said.

'Roger that, switching over to the APC,' I thought.

'Make sure that all of you seek safety in the panic room of your house, and don't try to play hero. Understand?' Ares asked.

'Understood,' I thought.

Ares' presence faded, and I was back in the open field. Time sped up as I was still sprinting towards the wooden fence and reached out with my mind, 'APC!'

I really need to give the APC a name…

Its presence came to life in the back of my mind like a beacon that had flicked on.

'Switch to Stand-Alone Mode!' I thought.

I could feel a nudge in my mind and saw a set of notifications in my mind's eye…

[Switching to StandAlone-Mode]

[Gathering Data on Local Situation]

[Moving to Intercept]

I could hear a rumble as the APC dug into the pavement from the other side of the house. Moments later, a loud crunch could be heard, and I could feel as the APC's presence moved closer to me.

Without warning, the wooden fence at the edge of the house near exploded as the APC drove straight through it. It made me jump in fright as the APC rolled past in haste and set off toward the forest.

I was almost at the wooden fence as a familiar set of figures peered out through the newly made hole in the fence. Peter stared into the distance, and Father lifted his hands in the air as he motioned toward the gaping hole in the fence.

While I was tempted to smile at the sight of it, I motioned with my hands at both of them as I jumped across the trashed fence.

“Run!" I gasped, “We need to-"

Father put his hand around my back, looked at Peter, and motioned toward the glass door, “Move."

Peter jumped into action, started running, and I followed suit. As Father nudged me along, a sudden, high-pitched, and crackling shriek tore through the air. I recognized it as the noise of a high intensity laser, and I suspected that the fighting had now started.

Father almost shoved me through the glass door before pulling it shut.

“Where's-" I gasped once more, “Mom?"

Peter had stopped near the stairs leading into the basement, while Father was standing in front of the glass door. I was still catching my breath as the living room flashed to life with hues of orange and yellow. It made me look toward the window once more, and my gaze fell upon the snow-covered plains as I looked through the gaping hole in the fence.

The heavy drones were laying down a barrage at the forest, while the APC was repeatedly firing its laser. Even the railgun turret in the rear of the APC had popped up, and I could see a crackle of electricity as it repeatedly fired at something in the forest.

“Your mom is readying the panic room," Father said while his gaze focused on the battle.

I was still panting like mad as something emerged from the forest. A small figure, human at first glance, but with the same stabbing gait of the monster I'd seen. A split second later, it was lit up with a blast of intense laser light that set it ablaze. Its clothes became little more than a shadow as it was vaporized, while the monstrosity stumbled along, with its outer layers being ripped apart as water turned to steam. As the laser was cooking the first one, I saw more of them piling out of the forest.

3… 7…. 15…

I inched back and grabbed Father's arm.

“Fuck," Father whispered under his breath as he stepped back.

The railgun of the APC did good work ripping a few into pieces, but for each one it took out, several more poured out of the forest.

They were fast as well. Even as we were stepping back, a few of the Lusus were sprinting past the APC's, desperately fighting their way toward the houses.

Father turned around, ears held low as he gritted his teeth, “Move! Downstairs, now!"

Peter rushed down the stairs into the basement, and Father was barely a step behind me. As I was stomping my way down the stairs, a thunderous crash could be heard from behind us. Something had just slammed into the house, and while it didn't sound like anything had broken, the material had groaned like twisting metal.

I hit the basement floor. Father followed, slammed the door shut, and turned the lock. Peter sprinted past the gym, and I followed. The rumble and noise of the fighting above ground became like a whisper. It made the danger seem distant, but it wouldn't help one bit if one of them managed to make their way inside.

At the end of the hall, near the laundry room, was something that I could barely remember seeing before. The wall itself had opened up like a discrete vault, and hidden within was a rather tiny room. Mother was standing at the entrance, and she spared no time tugging on both me and Father as we squished our way inside. Father held me tight while Mother worked on a small console next to the thick door.

Wait… Etemenanki's seed…

Moments later, the door of the panic room slid shut, made a hiss, and let out a heavy groan as some kind of locking mechanism sealed the room tight.

Too late now… It's still in my backpack… In the hallway…

My panting was beginning to slow down, and my ears lifted slowly. I could hear the gentle hum of ventilation, and to my surprise I caught the distinct scent of ham and apples.

The room was small—with the four us standing up, we had already occupied a third of the space. At the end of the room I could see a door, and I guessed it held some kind of bathroom. To my right was a set of control panels and humming equipment, while the left side of the room was filled with stocked shelves.

Mother was standing in the corner, and she smiled at me gently as if trying to instill calm. Father was still holding me tight, and he seemed to be staring at the door as he listened. Peter stepped up to the consoles on the left side of the room and lifted his hand to point.

“They're trying to break into the living room," Peter said.

Father perked up, let go of me, and stepped over to Peter, “The windows are made of transparent aluminum. They'll have to be pretty strong to…"

As his voice trailed off, I joined their side and glanced at the screen. While the big windows hadn't broken, the supports which held them in place were crumbling. One of the them was trying to tear itself through a small gap when everything was lit up.

As the debris began to settle, it was clear that a laser, railgun, or both, had turned the corner and sofa into a burning inferno.

Father's shoulders slumped with a sigh, “… I liked that sofa."

Mother smirked as she stepped up to Father, reached up, and angled his muzzle to look at her, “We'll get a new one, sweetheart."

Father smiled back with a nod, “Yeah."

Peter glanced over at me with a sheepish smile and whispered, “Your parents are so lovey-dovey with each other."

I huffed and whispered, “I know."

Peter gaze drooped down, “Nice outfit, by the way."

I crossed my arms, “Eyes up here, Peter."

As I said it, both Mother and Father turned to look, which in turn made a rush of warmth hit my cheeks. It made me turn to face the other way while I cleared my throat.

Mother let out a subtle chuckle, while Father inched closer to me, “Did you have a nice run?"

I perked my ears as I glimpsed back at him, “At first… I could have done without being chased by these… things."

Father perked his brow, “Uh huh. Where did you poke your nose this time?"

I faced him once more and sighed, “To be honest, I don't think it was my fault. Ares says that there are thousands of these things attacking every city, and the forests aren't working."

Peter tipped his head in wonder, “Forests?"

I reached up to scratch my ear, “It's a long story…"

“Then how about we sit down…", Mother said as she inched between us and held out the big bowl of sauteed apples that I had seen earlier, “and eat, while we go over what we know of the situation."

“You brought that down here?" I asked with a smile.

“Food is important," Mother said, and winked at the shelves, “and the rations leave something to be desired."

I chuckled, “You didn't happen to bring a pair of shorts as well?"

Mother tipped her head, “Nope, but I did look for them in the living room…"

“… I may have chucked them into the corner of the porch," I said and glanced to the side.

“You'll be fine, honey… Besides, Peter and I already exchanged notes regarding you and your Father," Mother mused.

I could feel my ears twitch as I threw Peter a glance, then saw him staring back at me with a desperate and sheepish grin while shaking his hands back and forth.

Father's eyes widened and his ears perked. He threw me a quick glance and then inched closer to Mother as he grew a wolflish smile, “Sweetheart…"

“Yes, dear?" Mother mused as she faced Father with a beaming smirk.

512 A.R. February 20, Forest, Night

The others were talking, and I was taking my sweet time while licking my plate clean. It seemed primitive, but the sauce was good, and it sure beat the idea of leaving a dirty plate behind.

As usual, I had kept a few details from the others, specifically my talk with Maxwell, and how we figured out where the temple was. Mother would start digging if she knew, Father would be hesitant let me out of his sight, and Peter would give me another one of those hesitant stares.

I glanced up at the console on the wall and saw a variety of information. Power was still being supplied to the house from the city, the fire suppression system had taken care of the living room, and the advisory from the city was to remain in the panic room.

All of us were sitting down, and I could feel Peter's tail squirm along my own butt as he chuckled a little. It brought me out of my daze as I looked across the small room at Mother and Father. They were nestled up next to each other, and both of them were looking at me in amusement.

“Hmm?" I murmured.

“Clean yet?" Father asked.

I flipped the plate over, “Sparkling clean."

Mother clasped her hands as she looked at me, “Any news?"

“I haven't asked since I got out of the forest," I said and glanced at the tablet in her lap, “You?"

Mother held up the tablet and shrugged, “Only what's available to the public."

Peter looked over at Mother, “What about Redgate?"

“Your family is fine, Peter. There's a list of missing hybrids, and according to the System, none of our families have any connection to any of them," Mother said.

“Are there… a lot?" Peter whispered.

Mother shook her head, “A dozen or so, which is tragic… But if this was the human's big push to topple Sophos, then it's off to a bad start."

Father tipped his head as he looked over at Mother, “This could be a distraction before a surprise attack on the wall."

Mother tapped the tablet with the top of her hand, “No forces have been pulled from the border, instead we're activating the city defenses and are working our way out from there. The tactic would fail as a distraction because the nation as a whole is now on high alert."

Father squinted, “Then why do this? Who stands to gain from this chaos?"

Peter fiddled with his claws, “What if it's another test?"

“A test?" Father asked and glanced up.

Peter nodded, “Like the swamp we told you about."

Mother sighed, “Once this is over, there won't be many humans left that reject Sophos."

Peter perked his ears in wonder, but I could already guess what she meant.

Mother motioned with her hands as if drawing a line, “The human outskirts were troublesome enough that at some point we just stopped caring about proper infrastructure. There's water and power, yes. But the defensive line surrounds the city itself, not the outer sections where the humans settled over time."

“… The human outskirts are not being defended?" Peter asked.

Mother squirmed a little, “I'm sure they are… to the best of Ares ability, but the reality of the situation is beyond grim."

“… What do you mean?" Peter asked.

Father raised his hand as he motioned at Peter, “Imagine that you're a guard standing by a gate, and a human runs up to you, pleading to be let into depths of the city. What do you do?"

Peter stared back, opened his muzzle, and began to hesitate.

Mother lowered her voice, “Normally, it's easy to tell if you're dealing with a human suffering from an infestation. They get terribly sick, you can smell the spores on their breath, and hear the signals emitted by the Lusus nanites."

Father added, “We don't know a lot about this new strain yet, but there are suspicions that it discretely incubates within humans until its ready, and it can probably spread between people with more discrete means."

Peter gulped, “… A person like that could cause an outbreak."

I looked at Mother, “What if that has already happened? What if humans within the secure areas are infested but don't know it?"

Mother looked over at me, “True… This could indeed be a frightening scenario."

Father rubbed his temple and let out a troubled sigh, “Every human in Sophos is going to be quarantined on suspicion of infestation. Free movement will be nullified, and there will be medical droids all over the place."

Mother glanced over at Father, “It gets worse… Imagine what's going on in the human Enclaves."

Father leaned his head back against the wall, “Every Enclave showing any signs of infestation is going to be purified by napalm. Which will-"

Mother interrupted as she spoke up, “It'll cause an uproar in the human nations, and it will give their leaders the perfect excuse for a war."

“Or put them into a negotiating position that would make their politicians salivate," Father said.

Mother shut her eyes and sighed, “… It's callous, but brutally effective, especially when you consider that the human nations consider the Enclave humans as little more than tainted stock."

It sounds like reasonable motive… but could it be this easy?

Peter looked over at me, “The swamp… and Hannival, thousands of humans going on a pilgrimage within areas that we couldn't monitor…"

My eyes widened as I realized something, “You know the fat one at the deaf temple?"

“Yeah?" Peter wondered.

“They were all slaughtered shortly after we left the area. Do you remember what Dawn told us… that he was the only one taking Glow in the group?"

“Yeah?" Peter wondered.

I motioned to him, “What if Glow is how they spread the infestation?"

Peter blinked, “If that's true and the others refrained from using it, then it's almost guaranteed he was exposed to it. Given his size, the thing inside of him must have been huge…"

I nodded, “The guy broke his leg on the stairs, that may have caused the creature to emerge."

Mother played with one of her whiskers, “Spread a drug wide and far, make people dependent on it, and then change the recipe to include a new Lusus strain. With the right distribution network, you could manufacture a situation like this with ease."

Peter perked his brow and lifted his gaze a little, “Those creatures that the humans were talking about, the ones that only came out at night. Could those have been people who were infested but hadn't… well, hatched yet?"

“Like meat-puppets," I said.

Father frowned in disgust and looked over at Mother, “… May I suggest avoiding that term if this ends up on the news?"

Mother chuckled with a nod, “That might be prudent."

Peter looked over at Father, “A somewhat related question, how would humans from the outskirts be treated if they sought shelter in the city?"

Father drew a deep breath, “It depends on a lot of factors. In the best kind of scenario, you'd have medical droids that can check each person for infestation and let them through. If that's not possible, you try to contain the humans somewhere, such as a secured building, and then you post enough guards to deal with anyone that starts showing symptoms. It's risky, but it beats shooting them."

Peter blinked, “And if there's no secured building to contain them?"

Mother motioned to Peter, “Then they won't be allowed to pass the perimeter. An infestation that takes root is like a plague, and it can easily overwhelm you if you're not careful. In other words, if you don't have the means to deal with the situation, it's your duty to stop them using any means possible."

Father made a slow nod, “Fortunately, I've never had to deal with this kind of situation. Hardly anyone from our generation has."

Mother made a solemn smile as she looked over at Father, “Etemenanki brought prosperity to the whole island; we should be happy it lasted this long."

“… You're saying Etemenanki can't adapt?" I wondered.

Mother looked back at me and shrugged, “Perhaps, hopefully… But we know don't know enough to make predictions at this point."

“Mm," I murmured with a nod.

512 A.R. February 21, Volkov Residence, Morning

A beeping sound stirred my mind, and I opened my eyes. I was leaning against Peter who had awoken at the same time, and I could see Father standing by the console on the wall. The red signal from earlier was gone, and instead there was a green message that signaled it was safe to leave the panic room.

Mother rose up along Father, and her tail twitched as she made a big yawn. Peter observed in silence and gently nudged my muzzle. I reciprocated while Father tapped the console, and the door began to open once more. It was slow but steady, and Father peaked out with his ears perking up while listening.

“Coast's clear," Father whispered, then slipped out into the basement.

Mother seemed less worried as she gathered a pile of dishes, threw us an amused glance and walked out. Peter sniffed the air a little, glanced down at me, and promptly cleared his throat as he lifted his gaze.

I discretely covered my crotch, leaned forward, and began to push my way up. Peter followed as I stood up, and stepped out into the basement. Father was making his way up the stairs while Mother glanced back at us once more.

“Anyone want to help with breakfast?" Mother asked.

I looked over at Peter, “I'm going to fetch some clothes, so…"

Peter made a mischievous smirk, “Ya sure?"

I squinted back at him, “Yes…"

“Fine… If you have to," Peter mused as he stifled a chuckle and hurried along down the hallway.

I huffed back, turned to face the laundry room, and looked around.

Finally, some clothes…

I walked up to the clothes lines, snatched another pair of shorts, and a simple t-shirt. Being in the nude was… oddly comfortable, but the sheer number of stares and the teasing was bothersome. Not to mention that things like sleep or daydreaming could make for some rather awkward situations.

A quick glance—and a subtle adjustment downstairs—made my ears blush as I felt a tinge of embarrassment.

With a sigh, I slipped into the shorts, made sure I was comfortable, and latched my tail into place. Once the shirt was on, I rustled my fur to make it settle and tried to ignore the feeling that someone had just wrapped me in a tight blanket.

Instincts…

A bit of relief settled, and I made my way down the hall before heading upstairs.

Let's hope Etemenanki's seed is unharmed…

I hurried into the hallway, found that my backpack was still standing next to the clothes rack, and reached to take a look at it.

Untouched… Unharmed… What a relief…

With a sigh of relief, I closed the backpack once more, and stood up. The air within the house seemed cold, and my attention was drawn to a draft coming from the living room. I followed the draft and looked into what used to be the living room, and was met by a gaping hole that revealed the outside world.

Just like every other day, the sun rose once more. A smoky haze still drifted along the snow as I looked into the living room, and saw a world that seemed to have changed. The corner of the living room was gone, and there was a black droid walking among the rubble as if searching for something.

The forest in the distance seemed to be dying, or melting as it collapsed into a wasteland of caustic goo. A heavy hum filled the air as a large drone passed over the house. I could feel the sun as it shone on my nose, but the feeling was tainted as the scents in the air was anything but pleasant: burnt like ash; stinging like acid. Mixed up in it all was a strange earthy smell, as if there was a looming thunderstorm in the area.

The APC was standing idle in the field. Its railgun had been ripped off during the fight, scorched earth surrounded it, and there was a burnt carcass jammed into one of the wheelhouses.

Time to check up on things…

I closed my eyes, and lifted my gaze toward the sun, 'Athena?'

Athena's presence settled on my shoulder like a gentle bird, 'Yes, Vilkas?'

'I'm curious about what state we're in?' I wondered.

'Well, you could check the news,' Athena mused.

I chuckled to myself, 'I could, but I enjoy our talks.'

'Likewise… I'm glad that you made it back in one piece, though I suspect you had some help.'

'What makes you say that?' I thought.

'Moonbase Alpha ordered us to prime the city defenses around the same time you left on your run. We were unsure why, but things would have been a lot more serious if we hadn't been forewarned.'

'Why wasn't I alerted?' I wondered.

'We were ordered to keep you out of the loop, and I assume that someone wanted to teach you a lesson of some kind. For several reasons, I won't inquire about what happened in the forest.'

I nodded in silence, 'How is the situation at present?'

'The cities have been secured, and all citizens are ordered to stay within the perimeter. Medical droids have been dispatched to test all humans within the secure zones. Humans from the outskirts are still being processed. All special privileges regarding human Enclaves have been rescinded, and drones are scouting them for infestation. Three Enclaves are already beyond rescue and have been reduced to craters. Forces have been deployed to rescue those who can be rescued, but at this point, there are few if any who have avoided infestation.'

'Is it possible that Glow was being used to spread this new Lusus strain?' I asked.

'Yes, it is… We've finished the analysis of the sample you brought in and several others. It made little sense at first, but we now understand how we ended up in a situation like this,' Athena answered.

'Go on?' I wondered.

'The first type of Glow is nothing more than pure Reventrol, the drug that increases the plasticity of the brain,' Athena said.

'In order to spread the drug and make people dependent,' I though.

'Yes… The second type is the one that you found, and it has been in circulation for around a month. It contains a virus that subtly modifies the immune system of a human. At first, it didn't seem to do anything, but it turns out that these subtle changes open a path for the actual payload,' Athena said.

'Yes?' I thought.

'The third and newest type was discovered just days ago. It contains active Lusus nanites and a set of instructions that guides its evolutionary path,' Athena said.

'To act like a parasite, hiding in plain sight, until it's time to come out,' I thought.

'Exactly… In the early stages, the infestation won't even show up in blood samples, something which complicates diagnosis in the field,' Athena thought.

'What about Dawn and Lucas?' I thought.

'They have already been scanned and deep-tissue samples have been taken. Dawn only had trace amounts of the first variety, while Lucas has at some point been exposed to the second variety. In other words, both of them are fine.'

'The ones at the temple, were they slaughtered by Lusus?' I wondered.

'It would seem that way. To be specific, it seems to have emerged from the male leader of the group,' Athena answered.

As we thought…

I sighed to myself, 'How's the political situation?'

'The human nations have noticed our actions, and they are amassing troops near the border. We've been presented with several demands and ultimatums over the night, and the overall situation is troublesome...'

'Any way we can help?' I thought.

'… I would advise you to stay at home,' Athena said after an odd pause at the start.

'And Ares?' I wondered.

Athena made a surprising sigh, 'All privacy regulations are suspended thanks to the current situation. That means we are now free to launch a proper investigation into the human camp on the east coast. Based on reconnaissance in the area, there has been little movement around the camp. In other words, I don't see the relevance of dedicating resources to the task. Ares is of a different mindset and thinks that Hedwig can provide clues to the puzzle. In particular, he's eager to get his hands on evidence that the human nations were involved in all of this.'

'Wouldn't that be quite useful for negotiations?' I wondered.

'Perhaps… Perhaps not. Our actions toward the Enclaves and free ranging humans have already provided the perfect ammunition to rile their people. Even if we were to find such evidence, we'd have no good way of convincing their people of that,' Athena answered.

'Ares wants our help investigating the camp?' I wondered.

'I think it's more of a situation where Ares thinks that he's doing you a favor, while also knowing that you're unlikely to refuse such a proposition,' Athena answered.

'Would we have the support we need to stay safe?' I thought.

'Given our recent mobilization, there's more than enough to provide you with a small army. As such, there shouldn't be much risk,' Athena answered.

'I'll make sure to contact Ares,' I thought.

'As expected… Anything else on your mind?' Athena wondered.

'… Strange question perhaps, but do you think I could hitch a ride to space? Specifically so that I can take a look at the far side of the moon?' I wondered.

'That's certainly an unexpected question, if I may say so… Alas, I can't help you,' Athena said.

'How so?' I wondered.

'All space shuttle traffic and all rocket launches are controlled by the Space Initiative.'

'You wouldn't happen to have images of the far side of the moon?' I wondered.

'Only ones that are around five centuries old, and there's nothing remarkable about them. While I have data feeds from satellites in orbit, none of them are capable of seeing the far side of the moon.'

'I see,' I thought.

'Why the sudden interest?' Athena wondered.

'Just a dash of curiosity, nothing more,' I thought.

Guess it's not going to be that easy getting up there…

'Very well… Anything else you're curious about?'

I heard movement behind me and glanced back. Father was standing by the opening to the living room, and he was looking down at one of the windows that seemed to have survived unscathed.

'No… Thank you for the talk, Athena,' I thought.

'My pleasure,' Athena answered and her presence faded once more.

Father idly tapped his chin and glanced over at me, “I'm thinking that we can use the windows to block the entrance to the living room."

I smiled back, “I never realized the windows were this sturdy to begin with."

Father smirked back at me, “A home is your fortress; you build it accordingly."

I heard claws clicking on the floor and glanced over at the entrance as Peter stepped into view. He motioned towards the kitchen and spoke up, “Breakfast's ready."

512 A.R. February 21, Volkov Residence – Kitchen, Morning

The scent of apple pie was starting to fill the kitchen. It made my gaze wander toward the oven while I took another bite of my sandwich. Mother glanced up without warning, and I looked at her in wonder. She chewed her food as if pondering something, and then looked down at her tablet on the table.

The small screen on the wall of the kitchen switched on, and Mother motioned to it, “You should see this."

I turned to look, and I could see what looked like a press conference. There was a podium of some kind, and there were what looked like a hundred microphones bundled up around it. Several human guards stood in the background was a large green flag that carried the UCS symbol.

A man stepped up to the large mass of microphones and faced the camera. His appearance felt off compared to most humans I'd seen. There were hints that he was rather old: the way his skin creased along the edges, as well as subtle hints of surgical scars. Oddly enough, it looked as if his face had been powdered by a layer of gold. A grayish mustache and a beard roughly shaped like a downward arrow made the man look stern as he stared into the lens.

As I watched, a woman followed in his wake and took her place in the man's shadow. A small banner by the bottom of the screen showed a tag…

| Abasi Wosret Addresses Ongoing Human Genocide within Sophos Regime |

“Abasi… That's the UCS president," Peter whispered.

Mother glanced over at Peter, “It's not so much a president, as it is a representative figurehead chosen by the corpocracy."

“Shh," Father hushed as Abasi started talking.

“The United Civilized States, reverent Dyssia, and the noble Empire share common ground as the last remnants of humanity. We may stand on the remnants of a fallen world, but that only makes it so much more important to recognize our brothers and sisters, wherever they may be, or what circumstances they may face."

His voice was calm and precise. To my surprise he spoke Common, or a variant of it, given the accent. Several sets of subtitles appeared on the screen, and the translator in my mind kicked into gear as I recognized one of them as Dyssian.

Abasi took a deep breath and seemed to look about the room, “My fellow citizens, I want to talk to you about the events that are occurring in the illegitimate state of 'Sophos,' and how it threatens the entire world. We have fought hard to ensure the safety of humans within Sophos that have no desire to be part of their eugenics projects or decadent society. Thanks to our combined efforts, Sophos reluctantly allowed these humans to live out their lives in a number of 'Enclaves'."

Abasi raised his hands as if motioning to the crowd, “Since last night, these Enclaves are now in the process of being purged, and it is not only a crime against their own people, but against humanity itself."

As if on cue, the woman behind Abasi began to break down in sobs while others rushed to her aid. Abasi himself made a pained expression as he glanced back and then faced the camera once more.

“We cannot stand idly by as genocide takes place, and it would be foolish to assume that they will not continue down a path where they wish to do the same with every human on the planet."

Someone in the background cried out, and it sounded like a struggle had started. Abasi raised his hands in a calming motion, “Citizens, I know that you're upset and that you want to take action, but I need you to listen to me."

The sounds from the background began to abate, and Abasi looked into the camera once more.

“We need to set aside our differences, focus on our strengths, and stand as one people to tell Sophos and their dictator that enough is enough. They will listen to us, or they will face the consequences as we finally rid ourselves of their blight on our world!"

I glanced over at the others, and I could see an amused smirk on Mother's face. Father appeared troubled, and I could see his ears twitch, while Peter simply seemed stunned into silence at what he was hearing.

The audience began to speak up as Mother shook her head and dismissed the video from the screen.

Peter looked over at me, “… They're certainly not very diplomatic."

Mother glanced over at Peter, “They're rattling their sabers and gathering the support of their people. In their minds, this is just one more tool to maintain their grip on everyone."

Father drew a deep breath, “And they know we'd never hit first."

I looked at Mother, “And what if they lose control of their own people?"

Mother shifted her gaze to me, “They may seem like idiots, but the elite who pull the strings are frighteningly effective at societal control."

“Mm," I murmured.

512 A.R. February 21, Volkov Residence, Midday

I withdrew into my bedroom in order to find some privacy. Things were becoming complicated yet again, and I reached out with my mind to Ares.

'Ares?' I thought.

Ares' presence settled on my right shoulder, almost as if reserving the other to Athena. 'Yes?'

'I've heard that you have a proposition for me?' I thought.

'Yes, and I suspect Athena let most of it slip already…' Ares murmured over the link.

'An investigation of the camp by the eastern shore, with a small army by my side,' I thought.

'Lower your expectations, Vilkas… Most likely you'll find a lot of dead or infested people that won't be very talkative,' Ares said.

'Still,' I thought.

Ares made an indignant huff, 'The 'army' is already en-route, and I have prepared transport for you and your pack. With your permission, I'll inform the others, and you should be there before the sun sets.'

'I appreciate it,' I thought.

'I'll send a car to pick you up, and we'll also pick up the APC for repairs,' Ares added.

'Sounds good,' I thought.

'Kato has been rather eager as well. Unless you have good reason to keep him away, I'll honor his desire to accompany you,' Ares said.

Deep in the recess of my mind, I groaned to myself. Kato seemed like a hazard in a situation like this, as we might need to tread carefully among human cultists. That is, if there were people still left out there rather than a bunch of monsters.

'I have no compelling reasons to deny his request, even if I do find him immature,' I thought.

Ares chuckled, 'I'll be watching with interest…'

I drew a deep breath, 'Previously, I had a lot of wiggle room. What do you expect from me on this mission?'

'Find the camp. Stay away from the water and any caves. Evaluate the status of the humans in the area. If possible, find Hedwig and any other people of interest, such as high-ranking Luminaire members,' Ares answered.

'What if they're infested?' I thought.

'You'll be going into the camp wearing mech suits. Those and your escort ought to keep you safe. That being said, we have noticed that humans infested with the new strain tend to stay hidden until something triggers them,' Ares answered.

'Triggers them?' I wondered.

'Expose one to the world, and it will emit a strong signal that causes neighboring Lusus to emerge from their hosts. In other words, if the whole camp is infested, don't hurt anyone unless you want to face a horde of them,' Ares answered.

'So, what should we do if the camp is infested?' I wondered.

'That is up to you and the Alpha of the fire team, no?' Ares wondered.

I huffed to myself as I began to smile, 'You set the mission parameters and leave the gritty details for us.'

'Consider it another test of your abilities,' Ares answered.

'Very well… But how will the others deal with the mech suits?' I wondered.

'The mech suits have onboard Expert Systems. They are quite accommodating these days, and you should have no problems. As for you and Allen, we'll see how well you integrate with the neural links of the suit.'

'Understood. By the way, why do you put so much value on this compared to Athena?' I wondered.

'Athena is more worried about the border and human nations, while I fear the surprises that Hannival may have cooked up for us. I am hoping that by digging into Hedwig and any other leadership hiding out there, we may be able to figure out where the pilgrimage ended, and how they were able to control thousands of infested humans in order to launch an attack on us like this.'

My eyes widened a little, 'I had assumed that they were being controlled as brainwashed humans.'

'While that is possible, I do find it unlikely that someone has been able to instill so much discipline in thousands that not a single one gets caught in our surveillance traps.'

'What exactly are you suggesting?' I thought.

'A typical Lusus infestation exhibits certain mind-controlling tendencies. An infested person would feel an urge to seek out others in order to infect them. While we know little of the new strand, I have a sneaking suspicion that such abilities played a role in the attack.'

I sighed, 'A worrying prospect, but good to keep in mind.'

'Yes… Anything else?' Ares wondered.

'Not at the moment, thank you… Ares,' I thought.

'You're welcome,' Ares thought as his presence faded.

Another mission…

It felt like a relief to have a tangible goal once more. At the same time, I could imagine the troubles and dangers that would follow. That being said, tracking down Hedwig and figuring out what had happened to Hannival would resolve numerous mysteries.

With a sigh, I noticed that I had ended up in front of my old computer. While it had barely been months since last time, it felt like ages. Out of curiosity, I grabbed the swivel chair, and eased myself into it as I settled in front of the computer.

I could probably do this stuff inside my head these days, but…

I leaned to the side, reached down to the black chassis on the floor, and pushed the power button for the computer. Blue lights flicked on within the transparent chassis, fans started to spin, and as I looked up at the screen I could see a prompt.

Password: _

I moved my hands to the keyboard, and began to type with the tips of my claws.

PatternsEverRepeating...

Password: *********************_

With a simple press on the enter key, the operating system began to boot, and the graphical desktop lit to life moments later.

Now where's the mouse...

I found myself with a smile and a rather quaint feeling as I dug out the dusty mouse and gently used it to move the pointer across the screen.

A computer… One that does not react to thought… Somehow it feels terribly outdated…

I brought the pointer to the browser and clicked it. An old session was resumed, and the screen flickered as a great many tabs filled the top of the screen. I started looking through them, and It didn't take long before a strange sensation nostalgia rushed over me.

It was an old forum within the network where young humans hung out. While hybrids were allowed to participate, they were expected to shy away from problematic topics, such as ones that might influence their choice of hybrid type.

I used to sit here, wondering why people had a tendency to disappear after getting their symbiont...

In the end, I did the very same thing… New priorities… New duties…

I browsed my way to a section that dealt with the restoration of old games and found a few threads started by me. It made me draw a deep and uneasy breath as I looked through it.

How easy would it be for me to do these things now that I'm like this?

I could help, but it would utterly ruin the reason why I was interested in this kind of thing…

The challenge… The pride in solving it with my own means rather than relying on Expert Systems…

I scrolled through the latest thread I'd been part of—a particularly mean, digital-rights, management software. They didn't seem to have noticed my absence, and after a few months, they had solved it on their own.

No, this isn't my place… Not any longer…

I remember feeling tricked the first time I realized that hybrids were encouraged to stay out of spaces made for young humans. At the same time, I couldn't fault the system for being built like that. Humans needed stability. They needed a safe world that made sense in simple ways. Not tentacle monsters, religious cults, and enough moral ambiguity to even fill callous people with a bit of nausea.

I was about to shut the browser off when I remembered something.

The conspiracy corner...

I brought the mouse to the root of the forum, scrolled to the very bottom, and found a discrete part of the forum dedicated to society at large.

The first few threads were filled with observations, images of the creatures, and descriptions of the various hardware used by Sophos. Loads of speculation followed, some of it regarding the fact that most forests were now melting into caustic goo.

I scrolled past the most popular threads and looked through the titles.

- 'Glow! What is it? Where do I get it?' -Tagged: Illegal Subject

- 'Is our island truly the last place on Earth with intelligent life?'

- 'Mars?' -Tagged: Bad title.

- 'What are they building on the moon?'

- 'I'm seeing a lot of launches these days! (Counted over 50 the last few days, can barely sleep)'

- 'Why are there so few children these days?'

- 'Why does the water taste funny?' -Tagged: It's called fluoride, you knob.

While amusing and worrying at the same time, there was little reason to scour the-

Why are there so few children these days?

The title drew my attention and I found myself curious as I opened it up. The poster, it seemed, had made a surprisingly detailed collection of graphs. They showed that while the population had remained stable on a scale of centuries, the number of human births had diminished. The change in births over the last five years were particularly worrying, and the graph showed zero births over the last year. Most of the posters had difficulty believing the numbers and made an assumption that he simply had been refused access to the data or was lying.

I glanced away from the screen, reached out with my mind, and accessed the Archives. Digging through the archives was growing easier, and I soon found SYNE's birth-records from the last year.

Zero… Nada…

As I stared at the number within my mind's eye, I could sense the presence of some kind of note attached to the dataset.

'SYNE is undergoing upgrades – All artificial-womb and symbiont production is suspended until 514 A.R.'

Upgrades… For what? True Hybrids?

I followed the added note, and my mind's eye found itself in a repository of documents. There were resource budgets, building plans, assembly lines, and so much more. Simply by trawling through the headlines, it became clear that large parts SYNE was being retooled to make way for 'True Hybrid' production.

I looked back at the computer, scrolled to the end of the thread, and noticed a few interesting posts.

- 'With true hybrids around the corner, why the hell would they grow more humans?'

Even the young humans are suspecting it…

I read the next post…

- 'Wait? What does this mean? Are we the last humans of Sophos? What are True Hybrids? My parents are already talking about a little brother, are they going to choose his species for him? Does anyone know!?'

I kept scrolling through the posts, and while there were many questions, there were no answers.

I definitely need to bring this up at some point…

“There you are…"

The voice snapped me out of my focus, and I caught sight of Father stepping into the room. His gaze wandered the room, and he whispered, “This place hasn't changed much since back then."

Since I was human…

I chuckled, “Apart from the bed."

Father glanced over, smirked for a moment, and then walked up to the computer where I was sitting, “They've opened up the city for travel again. We could go to a store if you want."

I looked up at him from the chair, “… Actually, I may have just been given another mission."

There was a twitch in his ears and a gentle sigh, “Ah, I suspected as much to be honest."

“Sorry about that," I whispered.

Father reached out and grabbed my shoulders as he gave them a gentle squeeze, “We all have our duties, and recent events are sure to change a lot of priorities at my own job. Even your mom's already being asked to report in to help with materials for humans that have been displaced after the collapse of the Enclaves."

I nodded, “It's going to be busy for everyone."

Father began to work my shoulders. Squeezing and kneading in a way that made me lean my head forward.

“What's the mission?" Father wondered.

I drew a deep breath, “We're going to look for Hedwig."

Father huffed, “I assume you'll have proper backup?"

“Ares mentioned mech suits and a small army behind my back. We'll be fine, Dad," I said.

Father let out a quick chuckle, “You've shown good judgment so far."

“I wonder," I whispered.

“Hmm?" Father hummed as he leaned closer to my ear.

I sighed, “Kato's the assigned leader of the fire team. I was fine with that at first, but now it's clear to me that while he's certainly passionate and lawful, he doesn't have the…"

Father whispered, “Talent for bending the rules when needed? Or the creativity to make things up as he goes?"

I nodded, “Something like that…"

Father's hands felt along the armored plates in my back, “How are you going to deal with it?"

“To be honest, I'll make it up as I go. Last time I made it clear that he needs to step up his game, or I'll take the role from him. In other words-"

“- you don't know him well enough to predict what tactic he'll take," Father added.

Once more, I nodded, “Yeah."

Father drew a deep breath, and sighed a little, “The pecking order between packs has always chafed a little, and it's important to clear up who's who and what's what. That being said, experienced packs have a feel for this thing, and it's quite rare for people to fight over it."

I nodded, “Mm… By the way…"

“Yes?" Father wondered.

“If I said I wanted to go to space, how would I do that?" I wondered.

“Still clinging to that childhood dream of yours?" Father mused as I felt his snout nudge my ear.

“Yeah… On some level, but there are other reasons as well," I said.

“Well, the Space Initiative are the ones in control of space travel, so you'd need some way to contact them and make a deal of some sort," Father said.

I glimpsed up at him, “A deal?"

Father cocked his head as he peered down at me, “Sometimes they want favors… I've been approached by them a few times, and I know your mother has helped them several times as well."

“Hmm… You wouldn't happen to know a way to contact them?" I asked.

Father blinked, opened his muzzle, and for a moment, there was a bit of hesitation, “… No."

My ears perked in wonder, “… You hesitated?"

Father drew a deep breath and eased his hands off my back, “I've been around long enough to see this and that, but I don't have someone I can contact on a whim."

“But?" I wondered.

Father stepped back and leaned onto one of my bookshelves, “Why this sudden interest in the moon?"

“It's actually about the far side of the moon… I heard there's something there, and… I was curious," I said.

Father began to smile and motioned at me, “You think you'll be able to hop onto a spaceship, leave the atmosphere, and took a look at what Maxwell may have hidden back there?"

I shrugged a little, “Is it that unthinkable?"

Father reached up and rubbed his temple, “Yes, it is… But even if you were somehow invited to the moon, I'd ask you to refrain from it."

“Why?" I asked.

“Because…" Father said and focused on me once more, “Getting involved with the Space Initiative is dangerous. Most people who visit the moon never return, and I know I shouldn't get in the way of your choices, but please… don't do something like that."

I opened my muzzle and hesitated, “I have no intention of leaving any of you."

Father nodded, “… Good."

“That said… If you know something, then…" I pleaded.

Father perked his brow and made something of a murmuring growl, “… Remember your grandma?"

My ears perked in wonder, “Only on mom's side. Why?"

Father looked at me once more, “And your grandfather?"

“… Mom's side as well. You're not keen on talking about your parents, and I can't remember ever meeting them," I said.

Father motioned at me with one hand, “My mother was already old when she met my father. Technically she was a widow, and it was a bit… unconventional when she took another mate. Because of the big difference in age between my mother's first set of pups and me… I'm rather estranged to the rest of my family."

“Is she… alive?" I wondered.

Father shook his head, “No, she's not. She died long before you were born."

“Ah," I whispered.

“… But, you have met my father, shortly after you were born," Father said.

“Oh? Is he still around?" I wondered.

Father glanced toward the wall, “Well, that depends on what you mean. I haven't met him since then, and there's been no contact between us…"

“… Because?" I whispered.

Father looked back at me, “My father would be what one might call a logical extremist."

“… Which means?" I wondered.

Father motioned in the air with one hand, “Are humans a threat to our existence? Yes. Can the threat be resolved through diplomatic means? No. Then the outcome is obvious: you strike first and destroy the threat."

“… The second question seems to be an assumption," I said.

Father nodded, “Yes, but he didn't see it that way. The history of Earth and the genetic makeup of humans was enough to convince him that there was no way there could be peace between our people. As such, their extermination wasn't even a question of morality, it was simply a… necessity. Whether the destruction of an intelligent species would affect us as a people was an irrelevant question, and even if it wasn't, any impact it had would fade in time."

“… I assume you didn't see eye to eye on these issues," I said.

Father grew a morose smile, “We did not. He said I'd begin to understand his point of view as you grew up. To my shame, I can admit that his reasoning has a certain simplistic appeal. We could do one evil thing and set things right on this world. Without humanity, we'd be able to retake the surface, restore Earth, and there would be peace."

“But it's not that simple," I said.

“It's not… It's not that simple. There's no weapon which is perfect enough to accomplish something like that, just as our retaking of this world might not be as simple as we imagine. Not to mention what might happen to us when the unifying threat to our existence disappears. Are we as stable as we want to think? Are we capable of civil war? Will we splinter with time? What about Maxwell? Are we content being ruled by someone else? The variables at play here are… numerous, and complicated."

“True," I whispered.

Father drew a slow, deep breath, “My father—despite his faults—did love me, as well as Sophos. He also understood that he was part of a minority, which led to another logical extreme."

“What?" I wondered.

Father shrugged, “I wish I knew. One day, shortly after he met you, he told me that he was going to leave and do what needed to be done in order to save us all. After that he got on a shuttle heading for the moon, and that's that…"

“Ah, I see… You must miss him," I said and looked up at him.

Father blinked as if surprised, “… I do. I wish that I had told him that I love him, and for him to take care, even if I didn't share his worldview."

I smiled back with a nod, “Mm."

512 A.R. February 21, Volkov Residence, Afternoon

Uniform? Check…

Phone? Don't need it…

Peter was already waiting by the door and was looking at me expectantly. I gave him a quick smile, glanced into the kitchen, and saw as Mother carefully dabbed her hand at the top of a pie.

A sweet snack to lift everyone's spirits? Almost ready…

Father was sauntering down the stairs while Mother wrapped the pie in a cloth bag. Moments later, she was walking up to me, smiling ever so slightly, and eased the wrapped pie into my hands.

“Thank you," I whispered, and grabbed the pie.

“Make sure to save a piece for John," Mother said.

I nodded, “I will."

Father walked past me, and I turned to watch in wonder. To my surprise, Father smiled and leaned in to whisper something in Peter's ear. I walked closer but heard little as Peter started smirking and made a knowing nod at Father. Still smiling, Father turned his attention to me, and leaned in for a hug. It forced me to move the pie out of the way in panic, while Father pulled me into an iron grip.

“Don't do anything stupid, keep an eye on the pack, and don't get caught in a dead end," Father whispered in my ear.

“… I'll do my best," I said, reached out with the pie to Peter, and felt as he took it from me.

A quick hug later, he patted my back, and eased away as he gave what sounded like a solemn sigh.

Backpack…

I looked down at the floor, reached down to fetch the backpack, and held it up to Father. He looked down at it in wonder, while I opened it up for him to see.

“I need you to take care of this… It's important, and it can't fall into the hands of the AIs," I said.

Father frowned a little, dug into the backpack, and eased out the big glittering seed. Mother leaned closer in fascination and grew a big smile that bared her sharp fangs, “A nanite core… Where on Earth did you find something like this?"

I looked over at Mother, “I've heard others refer to it as a seed, not a core?"

Mother shrugged as she felt the smooth surface, “Core, seed… It makes little difference. Depending on how it has been programmed, it could be used to turn a lake into a swamp, wastes into a thriving forest, or even help make a factory with some support."

Father looked at me, “Why do you have something like this, and why should we keep it from the AIs?"

“Etemenanki asked me to take care of it for her, and she didn't trust the AIs… That said, Athena knows about it, and she's fine with us having it," I said.

Father squinted as he looked at me, “… You could have warned us, rather than wait until the last minute… and why call Etemenanki a she?"

Mother wrapped her hands around the nanite core and eased it out of Father's grasp, “Etemenanki is a living thing, dear. A hive mind focused on shielding Sophos."

Father tipped his head as he looked at her in wonder, “I see… Clearly we still have a few things to discuss."

Mother held the core and looked at me with a knowing, almost sly smile, “We'll keep it safe, but tell me… Was the exchange between you… informative?"

Clearly you know even more than I suspected…

I nodded, “It was, yes…"

Father motioned with one hand between us, “Wait… I'm feeling left out here. What are you-"

Mother turned to Father, “Later, dear… Vilkas has to leave now."

Father's brow twitched a little as he glanced between us, “Very well, we'll safeguard this… thing."

“Thanks," I whispered with a nod, then glanced back as I motioned for Peter to start moving.

Peter looked at the three of us in wonder, drew a deep breath, and opened the door, “See you, David, Maria… Thank you for letting me stay."

Mother waved with one hand, while Father chuckled, “Remembered my name this time, did you?"

Peter grew a sheepish smile and chuckled a little as he stepped out. I smirked to myself, followed in his wake, and closed the door with one last glance at my parents.

Moments later we were walking toward the car that had stopped to pick us up.

512 A.R. February 21, Car, Afternoon

“So…" Peter whispered, gently tapping his knees as he glanced over at me.

I met his glance, “What?"

“What did your mom mean about Etemenanki?" Peter said.

I smiled back at him, “What were you and my dad whispering about?"

Peter's ears perked up and his hands froze midair, “… This and that."

“Mmhm," I murmured as I squinted back.

Peter motioned to me, “Also, why didn't you show us a video of what happened in the forest?"

I perked my brow, “My parents are flexible, but between the implant and my state as a Dualist, there comes a point where it's simply too intense. Basically, changing too much in a short span of time risks alienating people."

“True, I guess…" Peter said.

I leaned closer to him, “Imagine that you're me, and consider what it would be like to tell your brother and sisters all about it."

At first Peter seemed frozen, but after a few moments I could see his brow tighten in unease, “… I see what you mean now."

I settled back in my seat, “Ripping the bandaid off only works if you won't tear your skin off."

Peter made a disgusted shiver, “I get it… No need to give me nightmares."

An amused huff escaped my muzzle as I smiled to myself.

“Still… I'd like to see what things were like in the forest," Peter said, looking back at me.

I glanced down at my hand and pondered for a moment. Etemenanki had mentioned that I could let others experience my memories, but I hadn't experimented with it yet. Part of me felt as if I could figure it out if I tried, but the bigger question was whether Peter was compatible yet.

As I looked up once more and was about to speak up, Peter interrupted me and pointed at himself.

“Your dad showed me a bunch of tips and tricks in the basement."

“Oh, like what?" I wondered.

Peter gave me a sideways glance, “Like, how to release the limiters in our musculature and punch that much harder."

I remember that lesson from long ago…

I nodded, “Yeah, Dad taught me that one as well… Dangerous as it is."

Peter nodded, “Definitely… I made a dent in the concrete wall."

“What else?" I wondered.

“He taught me how to speed up my perception of time… like you did at the training camp. Once I learned, it was pretty easy to keep up with your dad," Peter said with a smirk as he clasped his hands.

I perked up, “Oh… That's really good."

Peter nodded, “I mean… Your dad wasn't using any support hardware, and he hasn't been in the Defense Force for decades from what he told me, but he still wiped the floor with me at first."

“I guess there's a matter of skill, even if you have more time to think," I thought.

Peter nodded, “Definitely…"

“So what else did you do?" I wondered.

Peter shrugged, “Talked, a lot… You were with Jason most of the day."

I won't pressure you…

“Sorry about not spending more time with you… Things were hectic," I said.

Peter looked out the window and pointed toward the street, “You don't say…"

I looked out the window and was reminded of the mess that the Lusus had made. Some houses appeared trashed or singed by fire, while the distant forests had become gray husks of what they used to be. Droids were everywhere now, cleaning, repairing, and there were plenty of utility cars parked on the sidewalks.

“Etemenanki has a hobby where she trades in secrets," I said.

“… So, Etemenanki is really a living, sapient being? A she?" Peter asked.

“Well, Etemenanki is technically a hive mind, but I was greeted as if it was one person with one unified will. That persona had a feminine voice and seemed to consider herself female, so that's what I'll call her."

Also, the forest called out for 'mother'…

“And she trades in secrets? What kind?" Peter wondered.

I glanced over at Peter, “I might be able to show you, but you can't tell anyone about it. At least not while we're under surveillance."

Peter glanced up at the ceiling of the car, “Right, we're not in the APC any longer."

I held out my hand to Peter, “Take my hand."

Peter blinked as he looked down at my hand, “I don't mind holding your hand, but…"

“Etemenanki showed me the memories of others. I figured I might try it with you," I said.

“… For real?" Peter asked, as he reached out and slipped his hand into my own.

I nodded, while I felt the connection between us grab hold. His mind awoke within my own, and I could hear his voice, 'What now?'

While focusing, I gathered up the first portion of my memories regarding Mars. As a package formed within my mind, I focused on Peter and imagined it like a cinema. Something seemed to trigger in my mind, and I could feel as the old memories came alive.

I could hear Milly's voice, feel the tinge of Marcus' unease and excitement. My own body began to feel distant as my mind's eye grew into a large stage. There was space, the ship, characters, voices, spacesuits and more. It locked together into an intricate but beautiful playground where I was the one pulling the strings.

On the other end of it all was Peter's presence. I felt like I could pull on him, to lift him out of his body, and ease him into the Marcus' body within.

'Something is… uh…' Peter murmured, 'I feel… tired?'

Just like the Expert System in the back of my mind that could translate language, there were others that were standing by in order to help me with the task of guiding Peter along. I wasn't sure whether they were naturally part of me, or if they had been given to me by Etemenanki, but it didn't seem to matter as my mind focused on the play I was about to start.

'Relax, give yourself to it, and I'll show you something amazing,' I thought.

Peter's presence flickered, and he seemed to drift, half-asleep, half-awake. I tugged on his presence, pulled him into the stage I had set for him, and let him sink into Marcus' body.

The grand simulation started moving, and it felt like a thousand gears began to turn at once.

512 A.R. February 21, Outside Allen's House, Afternoon

Allen pulled the door shut, and the car began to accelerate once more. He leaned forward and glanced at Peter in wonder, “Did something happen?"

Peter was curled up against the window with his hand held in front of his eyes as he made an unintelligible murmur.

“I shared some of my memories with him, and it overloaded his brain a little," I said.

“Ah… Not enough space?" Allen said and blinked in wonder.

Peter lifted his hand and squinted at Allen, “No, it just- Wait… What did you mean by that?"

Allen raised his hands with a smile and leaned back, “I meant that you were having the same error that I had. When I couldn't save a file to my brain… nothing more."

Peter squinted skeptically, drew a deep breath, and glanced at me, “Is there more?"

“More?" I asked.

“More of-" Peter paused, “You know who."

I nodded, “Their tale continues."

Peter sighed and waved his hand at his head, “I'll want to see more when this… dizzy spell passes."

I nodded, “As you wish."

Allen leaned up once more, “… Care to share with me?"

“Later," I said and smiled back at him.

“Hmm," Allen murmured, “So, do we have more details about the mission?"

I shook my head, “We're going to meet up at an airbase with John and Kato's pack. After that we'll get into our mech suits, check that everything works, and catch a ride to Hedwig's camp."

Allen grew a wild grin, “Sounds rather exciting to be honest."

Peter let out another groan, “Only because you get to step into a giant machine, like one of those cartoons you watch."

Allen's ears flopped down as he looked over at Peter, “They're not cartoons, Peter."

“They don't even speak Common, and it's from some obscure corner in the media archives."

I looked over at Allen, “Like 'Last Vestige'?"

Allen chuckled in surprise, “Yeah, that's a good one."

Peter's ears wiggled, “… Not you too."

I inched closer to Peter and lowered my voice, “I bet you'd like it if you gave it a chance."

Peter lifted his hand once more, squinted at me with hesitation, “… Maybe."

“So, how did your house fare?" I asked and looked back at Allen.

Allen lifted his hands, “Not a scratch, but the forest is a real mess. I considered giving you a call, but the house was pretty insistent that we were to hide in the panic room and only call someone if it was an emergency."

I nodded.

Allen seemed to hesitate about something but met my gaze within a few moments, “So, have any of you talked with John since yesterday?"

“Only to brief him and ask if he was okay," I said.

“Mm," Allen whispered.

“Why?" I wondered.

Allen shrugged, “You remember how John told us that he used to hang out in the human undercity of Veripolis?"

I tipped my head, “Oh, the undercity… How badly was it hit?"

Allen made a morose smile, “There is no undercity any longer. The moment that the system deduced that the situation couldn't be salvaged, the whole level was locked down and it was purged with some kind of weapon that left little more than ash behind."

John might have still had friends down there…

I nodded in response, “Good to know, Allen."

Allen smiled back as he inched closer to my seat, “So, about those memories?"

Peter grunted, “One has to question the wisdom of doing this kind of stuff so close to the mission."

Allen glanced over at Peter, “I play adventures in the virtual world all the time. I'm guessing you've never done that?"

“No, I haven't… Too much stuff in the real world to explore a virtual one," Peter whispered.

“So, how do we do this?" Allen asked and held out his hand.