The warehouse smelled of ozone and acid sweat. Before guiding the others to their suicide, I had to understand how much of a machine I'd become and how much of a biological error I remained. The neural cables I'd tucked under my skin weren't plug-and-play; they were copper and silicon wires trying to talk to a central nervous system not designed for them.
I closed my eyes, isolating the noise of the rain hammering the metal sheets. My brain began the scan.
[NEURAL CALIBRATION IN PROGRESS] > Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N): 1.42 (Unstable)
Motor response latency: 12 ms (Target: <5 ms)
Muscular Synchronization: 74%
Note: Tissue rejection is imminent without a higher-grade catalyst.
I tried to move my right arm. A violent spasm shook my shoulder, projecting a stab of pain that my brain instantly converted into a cartographic coordinate of my nervous system. I didn't have to fight the pain; I had to use it as calibration feedback.
I adjusted the cable tension by tightening the synthetic knots under my armpit. The latency dropped. The flesh stopped trembling. I wasn't healed; I had simply been reset.
The Assault on the East Wing
Midnight brought the peak of the acid rain. As predicted, the optical sensors of the Enforcer warehouse's external turrets were blurred by the vapor density.
Elias and the other twelve NILs were crouched behind a rusted container. They looked at me with feverish anticipation. To them, I was the Hero who would lead the revolt. To me, they were just Distraction Variables (Dv).
«When I give the signal, run toward the main entrance», I said, my voice flat and void of emotional inflection. «Scream. Make as much noise as possible. The turrets will take 4.2 seconds to recalibrate thermal targets. That is your time.»
«And you, Zero?» the younger boy asked, clutching an iron pipe.
«I will be the shadow they don't see coming.»
I didn't tell him that the probability of them surviving the first ten seconds of crossfire was 12%. It wasn't necessary. Their sacrifice had already been accounted for in my plan.
Flesh against Metal
«Now.»
The NILs bolted. It was a chaos of screams and heavy footsteps in the mud. As predicted, the turrets' searchlights swung toward them with a hydraulic hum. The machine guns began to sing, projecting streaks of blue tracers that tore through the gray rain.
While Elias and the others were mowed down, I moved along the perimeter wall. Thanks to the modifications, my sprint speed had doubled. My brain calculated the cameras' blind spots with millimetric precision.
I entered through a ventilation duct I had previously weakened with corrosive acid. Inside, the air was dry and smelled of engine grease and compressed magic.
The Grade D Treasure
The Enforcer warehouse didn't just contain food. At the center, protected by a low-intensity force field, floated a cylindrical object, traced with golden runes.
[OBJECT ANALYSIS] > Name: Bio-Inductive Stabilizer
Grade: D
Function: Perfect synchronization between artificial implants and the nervous system. Reduces rejection by 90%.
It was perfect. A Grade D object was an unimaginable treasure for a NIL from Block 17, but for me, it was the only possible medicine to keep from dying from my own modifications.
I grabbed the stabilizer. The force field snapped, burning my fingertips, but I didn't let go. Pain was just data. I pulled out the iron rebar and pried the power plate. The runes died out.
The Final Balance
I exited the back of the warehouse as alarm sirens tore through the air. I paused an instant in the shadows to look at the plaza.
The turret fire had ceased. Of the thirteen NILs who had started, only three were crawling in the mud, trying to distance themselves from their comrades' corpses. I saw the young boy motionless, his chest torn open by a heavy-caliber round. Elias was gone, likely dragged away by security drones for "punitive treatment."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION] > Objective Achieved: Grade D Item Theft.
Allied victims: 10 NILs.
"Hero" Reputation: Increased (The crowd will believe you are the sole survivor of a heroic attack).
Experience Bonus: 0.00012% (Still irrelevant).
I touched the stabilizer in my pocket. I felt its energy flow through my fingers, calming the fire burning in my nerves.
«Thanks for the time you bought me», I whispered toward the corpses in the mud.
There was no sadness in my brain. Only the satisfaction of a solved equation. I had the asset. I had my reputation intact. And I had eliminated twelve useless mouths that would have only consumed precious resources.
Day 75. Rejection is under control. The machine is ready for the next upgrade.