Location: Unknown, A-class planet, Cave system
Date: April 2 2728 — Standard Earth Calendar (SEC)
Wrapped in a thermal blanket over my naked body, I sat on the safe side of the tunnel's floor, with a bag thrown under my butt.
The morning chill was trying to get under my blanket, digging its fingers under my skin to steal any warmth I had, only forcing me to wrap it tighter.
Why so cold?
Lola hadn't been satisfied with just a fluid test, no. I had to get a physical and be scanned by DOC from head to toe, before she got off my back, if only for a moment.
She was right to be cautious, of course. If not for my newfound sense of my body, I would be too.
But I was fine, if not for the morning chill.
"As miraculous as it sounds, you are almost fine. A bit underweight, but that was expected," said Lola through the scaf that was sitting before me.
One of the Esdies was doing something behind its back, producing occasional sparks. I hadn't noticed it before, but the back and the left side of the scaf were quite damaged, and with the left arm missing, it was becoming clear that it was not long until it would be unusable at all.
"Great, I am in the shower then," I replied, eagerly standing up and wrapping the blanket tighter around myself.
So cold.
The warm—no, hot—shower was all I wanted.
"You also developed a core under your solar plexus," she continued, stopping me mid-turn, "a formation around the hypothalamus and another one next to the thalamus—"
"Could it wait until after the shower?" I asked, interrupting her, even though I was itching to discuss my findings as well.
And perhaps run some ideas by Lola, but that would take forever, and I wanted my shower now.
"Fine. Here," replied Lola, extending the only arm towards me with Sixer held by the barrel.
Without giving it any thought, I grabbed it by the handle, but she didn't let it go.
"Lola?" I asked, shifting uncomfortably.
"Sixer contains aetherium. You left The Anomaly fifteen minutes and ten seconds ago. By now, you should have experienced either the negative effects of the absence of The Anomaly or the aetherium effect on your new organs. You sure, you feel nothing?" she asked, finally letting it go.
"Just cold, but I am sure it is because my butt is naked," I replied, shrugging and eyeing Sixer suspiciously.
I felt nothing special from holding it, but her question made me think about it myself.
She was right, I had to feel something, anything, and I had a way to test it.
Closing my eyes, I mentally focused on my new organ—the core—located under my ribs, immediately noticing what was different. It was barely pulsing and no longer matched my heartbeat, as it had before.
The energy, I realised, was barely moving, as if it had been turned into syrup. If before I had felt it as one with me, now it was like looking at it through a muddy window, barely able to reach it again.
Aetherium.
I hadn't even noticed when it started, when aetherium began to affect me.
Except for the cold.
The cold, right. I felt it almost as soon as I crossed the line, but I rationalised it, blaming it on my naked form and chilly morning. Stupid.
"What is it?" Lola asked.
Opening my eyes, I looked at the scaf, chewing on my lip.
She was right to worry.
"Aetherium is suppressing my core," I said, "it might not be safe for me to stay in the cave anymore."
"Step back into The Anomaly then," she replied, gesturing towards it with the only arm the scaf had.
Feeling uneasy, I checked on Sixer and, pulling the blanket tighter around myself, walked back towards The Anomaly.
Perhaps out of habit, or still worrying about what it all meant to me, I paused before crossing over.
If the cave became dangerous to me…
One step at a time.
Shaking the rising dread off, I stepped over the line, and as soon as I did, I felt warmth in my core, with the invisible weight leaving my shoulders.
The warmth began to spread from it in waves, bringing a tickling feeling all over my body.
"It feels hot here," I said to Lola, slightly losing grip on the blanket.
It was like walking back into a warm building after staying in the cold for too long. I felt tingling in my limbs, warmth all over my body, and a desire to undress.
But I was already naked.
Closing my eyes, I looked within myself, trying to see what was going on inside me.
Tuh-Dum. Tuh-Dum.
Focusing on the heartbeat, breathing in sync...
Feeling, sensing the flow of energy through me, touching every bit, every corner of my—and only mine—body.
"The core is pulsing faster than the heartbeat, and energy flow has increased," I added to my report.
Looking through each corner of my body, I was searching for anything else, but there was nothing more to note. No new damage, no issues with the healed bones or spine, but with each moment, I felt like I was waking up from the slumber I didn't notice falling into.
"Not sure if it was more or the same as before, when I left The Anomaly for the first time," I said and, opening my eyes, turned back to my scaf, to Lola.
"Let's wait until it settles. We need to do it a few more times before deciding how long you could stay in the cave safely," replied Lola.
Nodding, I silently agreed with her, looking up the tunnel to the exit into the valley.
Perhaps, it wasn't that bad.
Perhaps I had some wiggle room to adjust, to feel safe, before going there again.
"And while we are waiting, describe everything you went through since you left for the hunt three days ago," Lola added, and it became clear that I might not see the shower until lunch, if even then.
—
Standing under the shower—back in the lake cave—I enjoyed the warmth of the hot water on my skin.
I had already scrubbed myself raw until my skin burned, trying to get rid of the smell I surely must have had after days spent unconscious on that mat.
Or, perhaps, I was just imagining it.
The tests Lola had subjected me to—after I told her everything—showed that I was slowly adapting to the aetherium field, if only slightly.
That I figured out how to speed up the pulsing of my core only helped me gain some semblance of control—and surely made my presence in the cave somewhat bearable.
I wasn't freezing anymore. Just hungry.
Apparently, the clocked-up core, in the absence of The Anomaly's energy, was draining the body's resources, and fast. It was bad—so bad that my knees were shaking, failing to hold me—until I ate leftovers prepared by Lola.
I also tried NB rations—at Lola's prompting—but even eating double the rations did almost nothing to sate me.
It was also challenging to keep part of my mind on the core, but the creeping chill I felt each time I lost it was enough of a reminder.
Enough delaying.
Turning off the water and shaking myself to dry off, I took the thermal blanket off the rope.
I didn't have a spare suit to wear—or any other clothing for that matter—and my underlayer was not good for whatever we planned next.
The hunting suit, or whatever was left of it, was a thing of the past as well, and I had to replace it with something suitable soon, but not yet.
Putting my head through the hole in the middle of the blanket, I secured it around my waist with a cut of the rope—a belt, I needed a belt.
Picking up two pieces of leather, cut in a strange shape by Lola, I put the first one on the ground and set my left foot in the middle.
How did she explain it? Right.
Putting the long tongue that was dangling before my toes over the top of my foot, I tied together the left and right sides above it with a cord—no, lace, as Lola said.
The survival database was weird. I refused to believe that our ancestors were wearing anything like that before.
It wasn't practical, like at all.
Picking up the part that was left behind my heel—and why it was so long—I wrapped it around the calf, and secured it with another lace on the front.
Shit.
Feeling a creeping chill, I closed my eyes and restored my lost focus on the core.
Hurry up.
Lola had been able to measure it with the new anomaly detector, rating it at F-rank. It sounded like nothing special—and it wasn't—if I compared it to whatever the badger had.
I had small reserves that were fast depleting, and my regeneration was not that strong, which explained why it took me so long to heal, while the badger was recovering before my eyes from the bucket-sized hole in its torso.
At least I knew what to strive for.
Opening my eyes again, I focused on the second foot.
Perhaps when my core developed, I would be able to stay in the cave for longer. But until then, it seemed like I would be spending more time in The Anomaly than in the cave itself.
Especially with what we planned next.
The Anomaly was not a park to casually stroll through, and the recent events just once more proved the point—one mistake, one unfortunate event, and you were as good as dead.
I needed any advantage I could seize, and I was already deep into this shit. So what if I push a bit further?
It felt somewhat rushed, of course, and I wasn't so sure about it myself, but I had no other choice left, and only a small window of safety to proceed forward.
Scaf was failing, even with aetherium inside it. Not much longer, and Lola wouldn't be able to protect me during mutation, and I had to reach a point of self-sufficiency fast.
At least, she was sure that it would be less dangerous now, with the core already present, and my ability to regenerate. Perhaps it would even help to cope with the negative effects.
Done with the second foot, I stood up, and after testing my new shoes, moved aside the shower cover and stepped out.
No time like the present.
—
Pulling myself over the edge of the cornice next to the boulder, I breathed out heavily and dropped a weighty bag next to me.
It was much easier to climb here before, in a proper suit and with proper shoes.
Critically examining my feet, I adjusted the laces here and there, tightening them up. At least, it was easier than going barefoot.
Picking up the bag, I squeezed into the tunnel, finding my scaf waiting for me there, watching up the tunnel's slope.
"I am back," I said, coming closer and dropping the bag next to the containers brought by Lola previously.
She silently gestured with Sixer toward The Anomaly, not saying anything, and I was only glad for that.
We had already discussed all the details before, and if we went over it again, I might just start doubting the decision.
Opening the bag, I took out another one with a feeding tube attached, and silently crossed over.
The usual rush hit me, somewhat soothing my nerves and, ignoring the mat, I sat on the side of the tunnel, back to the wall.
My heart was beating somewhere up in my throat, and I gulped nervously.
That was it.
That would be a moment I would recall in the future, thinking that it was a mistake, a failure… or not.
No time like the present.
Putting the tube in my mouth, I began to drink a chunky mix of raw meat—the core and knots from the bobcat.
Invisibility and the energy shield.
Lola wasn't sure about the last one, and I had to include a few other possible candidates, relying solely on the knots' locations.
Hopefully, I would not get a tail or fangs.
The taste was not pleasant, as expected, but I gulped it all, to the last chunk.
Putting aside the empty bag, I wiped my mouth and closed my eyes, focusing inward, on the processes inside my body.
Nothing unusual was happening there, except for the increased flow, but that was due to The Anomaly itself.
The energy was flowing, the core pulsing—all the same as before.
Right. Same as with night vision, then.
Imagining shimmering air around myself, the same as I saw around the bobcat and wolves, I began willing it to appear.
Time ticked moment by moment, but nothing was changing.
Was the core spoiled, being so long in the Aetherium field, or was I missing something?
Grimacing, I pushed any doubts aside and started to breathe in sync with my heartbeat.
Tuh-Dum. Tuh-Dum.
Soon, the core matched the heart rhythm, slightly slowing down, and I lost myself in the inner glow, in the energy flow, and the pulsing core.
The thought—the image of the shimmering air around me—was spinning somewhere in the background, reminding me what it was all for.
Until suddenly, the core froze mid-pulse, only to continue a second later with a heavier beat.
And then.
And then, with an indescribable zip through me, a new star was born at the base of my skull. It pulsed heavily a few times and, with another zip through the pathways, multiplied, forming a constellation scattered throughout it.
Circulatory system.
It was like an insight that I had on the tip of my tongue, but had failed to form before.
The pathways—they were like a blood circulatory system, with knots—stars—spread throughout it, and the core was at its centre, like the heart.
Finding the biggest star in my head, and focusing on it, I saw another constellation lighting up across my body, connecting it all together—a regeneration constellation.
And now, somehow, I knew. With each moment I was focusing on it, it was revitalising my body, removing any accumulated impurities, making it stronger, better.
Shifting focus again, I found another star, smaller, not so far away from the first. Another constellation lit up, located only in my head, with one star for each eye and one for each ear, forming what I could only call an adaptive perception constellation.
It wasn't limited to the eyes, and if I wished, I could hear way better. As if proving me right, I began to recognise a silent whisper of the waterfall in the valley; an electric hum of the battery in the scaf; careful slithering in the cavern above us.
Slithering—someone was there.
In a rush, I focused on the new star at the bottom of my skull, bringing to life a new constellation, and then opened my eyes.
Not surprisingly, Lola was already alert, with Sixer pointing up the tunnel, clearly using superior scaf sensors to detect approaching danger.
Extending my arm, I wanted to signal her to pass me Sixer, but the absence of my arm stopped me mid-action.
I didn't awaken the energy shield—I awoke the invisibility.
Later.
"It's me," I said, before moving down the slope, keeping to the wall.
"Roger," she replied, still keeping Sixer pointed up the slope, to the tunnel exit.
As expected, the invisibility dropped as soon as I crossed over the line, and I hurried to the bag that I had left on the container.
Opening it quickly, I dumped everything on top of it and picked up the curving knives that had fallen out.
"I will take a position on the right, across from the mat," I said in a hushed voice, picking up two knives, one in each hand, "target the core. If it goes my way first, aim to kill."
"Roger, target core, kill if it comes your way," she confirmed, and I crossed back into The Anomaly.
The familiar rush hit me, but I pushed it aside, hurrying to focus on what was within me.
Breathe in and out. Feel the core, the pulsing, the star in the base of the skull, the invisible constellation.
Feeling it activate, I pushed against the wall, forcing my breathing to slow down and my body to freeze.
Time slowed down to a crawl, and I wished to activate my advanced hearing, but I was not ready to risk closing my eyes to look for the key star.
And yet, somehow it still worked out, and in the silence of the tunnel, I heard the light shuffling, circling somewhere above, in the cavern.
Come on.
If anything, the animal was careful. It was slithering, shuffling above us, and didn't charge into the tunnel.
And so we waited.
By the pattern alone, I began to suspect that it was not an animal, but some sort of snake. The only question was how big it was.
And soon I found out when the head of the snake peeked inside.
The fuck this shit.
It could barely fit in the tunnel.
I stood there, frozen in place, afraid to breathe, looking into blinking yellow eyes as large as the Ateeve's engine nozzles.
It tasted the air with its long tongue a few times, and I knew—this fight was not in our favour, not with my pitiful knives and not with Sixer.
As soon as its head disappeared from the tunnel, I breathed out "Retreat" and rushed back to the boulder as fast as I could, with the scaf half a step behind me, covering my back.
BDah-BDash
Something exploded behind us, hitting the boulder just as we passed it, and I jumped down from the cornice.
The scaf landed next to me, smoking.
Shit.
Grabbing it by the arm, I pulled it with me to the next edge and, pushing it over, promptly followed.
The Ateeve engines whined loudly, and it jumped out of its resting place—good, Lola was still with me—taking a position in the middle of the cave, in front of the violently shaking boulder.
"Shit, Shit, Shit," I swore, dragging the scaf by the arm to the side, away from the path the boulder would come down.
BDah-BDash, Boo-booh
The boulder rolled down behind us, barely a few metres away.
Whoosh-BDash, Whoosh-BDash
Rhythmically worked out the Ateeve's railgun.
"BDah-BDash," sounded in reply, with bright lightning striking back the Ateeve's energy field.
Fuck, Fuck.
"Whoosh-BDash, Whoosh-BDash,
Whoosh-BDash, Whoosh-BDash,
Whoosh-BDash, Whoosh-BDash," assaulted my hearing, and I pressed my hands hard against my ringing ears.
Fucking shit. Die already.
The resulting silence, with rising dust in Ateeve's lights, was deafening no less than the fight before.
Did we win?
And if answering to my thoughts, the monstrous corpse slowly slipped down, leaving a bloody trail on the rocky walls, reaching the cave floor before I even saw the tail.
Fucking shit.