A rush of wind stirred the leaves around Veridian as she walked, her boots crunching softly on the forest floor. Following the directions from her AI, she was halfway to her destination when a crisp, synthetic voice cut through the silence.
[Alert: Hostilities detected 60 meters away from your location.]
Veridian froze, her senses going on high alert. She ducked behind a thick bush, her eyes scanning the dense undergrowth.
"Where is it? I don't see it," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
A low growl rumbled from behind her, followed by a thunderous roar. A grotesque, hunched creature with razor-sharp claws burst from the trees, charging right at her.
"What?!" she gasped, her eyes widening in alarm.
[Alert: Emergency Evasion Controller activated.]
Just as the monster's claws swiped toward her, Veridian's body moved on its own. A surge of power from her jetpack propelled her upward, narrowly dodging the attack and landing her gracefully behind the stunned creature.
"Wow, that's crazy," she muttered, marveling at the skill's seamless execution.
The monster, a "drone" as her AI had now identified it, turned with surprising speed, preparing for another charge.
[Scan complete. Adding to Xeno Archive.]
"What?!" she exclaimed, as the drone lunged again. The Evasion Protocol activated a second time, sidestepping the attack with fluid precision.
[Class 6 Xeno. Name: Drone.
Description: A weak xeno organism, lethal to the inattentive. Attacks with predictable biting and clawing patterns, which can be easily used against it. Note: This type of xeno always hunts in packs of four.]
"Wait, there's more?" she said, her movements becoming a blur as she continuously dodged the drone's attacks.
[Alert: You must engage in combat. Combat protocols are now online.]
Leaping back from the creature, Veridian's hands glowed with a faint digital light as two sleek, customized 1911 pistols materialized, solidifying in her grip.
"My guns look nice," she commented, admiring their digital sheen before raising them and firing.
Shrieeek! The drone shrieked as the bullets tore through its body, collapsing into a heap. Just as her AI had warned, three more appeared, charging in unison. Without hesitation, Veridian drew two MAC-10s from her holsters, unleashing a hail of digital gunfire that mowed down the remaining creatures.
"Are there any more hostiles in my area?" she asked her AI.
[Negative. No hostiles detected.]
"Good," she said, holstering the MAC-10s. A flicker of insight crossed her mind as the weapons dematerialized. It seems I can store my equipment in this space, but there's a slight delay before they fully materialize.
With the path clear, she resumed her journey. After killing a few more xenos, her AI pinged her again.
[The exit of the forest is 1km away. Continue walking to reach your destination.]
"So close, I can see the light already," she murmured, spotting the bright, open plain at the end of the forest.
[Destination reached.]
The AI's announcement came as Veridian's eyes widened. Before her lay a sight that seemed impossible: a sprawling metropolis with skyscrapers reaching for the clouds, far taller than any she had ever seen. Flying vehicles zipped between the buildings like insects.
"Is that a city? With... look at those buildings! Taller than what I've ever seen," she said in awe.
[Alert: Faint signal located.]
"What? Wait, are there people like me there?" she asked, a surge of hope welling up inside her.
[Faint signal of a friendly unit detected. Attempting to locate... Location found. Sending information to your display.]
"Wow! I still can't get used to this," she said as a holographic map appeared before her, showing a green dot in a basement-like structure.
"Are they living in some kind of basement?" she wondered
"And don't you think i haven't noticed that you lowered you voice i appreciate it. " she said to her ai.
[understood.]
Veridian stopped dead in her tracks, the revelation of the monster's name finally sinking in. "Hold up. You said that thing was a xeno? Doesn't that mean I'm on a different planet?"
[Answer: You are on Earth, the birthplace of humanity. The xeno organism you found and killed is likely the result of a ship carrying such an organism, which then broke free in an accident.]
"Good thing I'm still on Earth, but... wait. A ship carrying an alien? There's space travel?" she asked, her mind reeling with the new information.
[Answer: Yes, space travel has been widely available since the 1st Cosmic Century.]
"Cosmic Century?" she repeated, the term sounding completely foreign to her.
[The Cosmic Century was created to give an accurate dating system after humanity achieved space travel. It's a standard calendar system used across different planets and star systems.]
"Good to know," she said, "though the concept still felt mind-boggling." she thought
"Traveling through space... I just want to witness it."
[Adding to checklist?] the AI asked.
"Sure, why not," she replied sarcastically, a small smile playing on her lips.
"well then lets get going shall we" she said happily, before walking towards the city.
City Location: Downtown clinic
A woman with sharp green eyes and striking white hair, dressed in a clean medical coat, was meticulously installing cybernetics on a patient. Her focus was absolute until her AI's voice broke through.
[Alert: Friendly signal detected.]
Her eyes snapped open wide, and she paused for a brief moment before resuming her work.
"Thanks, Doc," the patient said, getting up and leaving.
"Tell me the location of the unit," she said, her voice a low command.
[Unit location is at the outskirts of the city.]
"What type of unit is it?"
[Unknown.]
"Mhm. Very well," she said, standing up and heading for the door.
"Hey, Doc, leaving early?" her assistant called out.
"Yep, cancel all my appointments for today," she replied.
"Alright," the assistant said, a hint of confusion in her voice.
Once outside, the doctor got into her car and drove toward the location her AI had given her.
"It's been a while since I've seen another one of my kind," she mused as she sped through the city.
Location: unknown
"So, when she inevitably gets to know us, what will happen?" a calm voice mused, a hint of curiosity in its tone.
"Who cares? As long as I still exist and can kick some ass!" an aggressive, eager voice shot back.
"You always want to fight. Why don't you just chill and—" the first voice began, only to be cut off.
"You're one to talk! You're the one who always hides behind her shields," the aggressive voice mocked.
"Hey! At least I'm not a brute!" the calm voice retorted.
"Well, at least I'm not a scaredy-cat who hides!"
"Why, you!"
The two unseen figures erupted into a scuffle, trading insults and blows, their argument echoing in the empty space around them. Eventually, they settled down, their attention drawn to the view of Veridian continuing her determined walk toward the city.
"Also, you suck!" a voice chirped in.
"Oh, you know what? Come here!" a second voice challenged.
"Oh no, you don't!" the first voice retorted, before the bickering resumed in full force. Before stopping which continues until one of them shuts up.