I waited in the alcove for what felt like hours; in the meantime, I took some time to catch up on some cultivation. A couple of rounds with the Echo, trying to learn and master the Ether Strike skill, there wasn't much progression or luck in that regard. Though I was now a hairsbreadth away from level 19 .
At around the thirty-minute mark and in between a session of cultivation, the screen flickered to life, an incoming call. I accepted it.
David filled the screen again. "It's done."
I let a breath out I didn't know I'd been holding. "That's a relief."
"A few conditions, though, but nothing you wouldn't have expected." David glanced at his datapad. "Full operational reporting to the Trust, quarterly performance reviews, and the platoon carries the family name in its designation. It'll be filed as Tiernan Independent Platoon One."
"Does the name have to be on it?"
"Arthur's condition. Non-negotiable."
I sighed. "Fine."
"One other thing. The official announcement is being held until tomorrow. Administrative cleanup and all that. The battalion commander, saving face. He wasn't pleased that a recruit's family had the standing to override his ruling, and the delay lets him regain some dignity. You'll hear it through normal channels after morning formation."
"Understood."
David's expression softened. "Marcus. This is the first time since the verdict that Arthur's been able to do something for you that you'd accept. Don't underestimate what it means for him."
I almost choked out a half response, but held my tongue. I sucked in a breath and steadied myself.
"I have to go," I said. "Firmware's tonight."
"I know. Good luck, nephew."
The screen went dark.
I stood in the alcove and listened to my breathing.
I've done it.
That was the strange part. I'd walked in with leverage, and I'd used it, and they'd folded within the hour.
Or — not folded. Agreed. Or perhaps that was part of his plan all along. Fuckin'. And now I'm right back to where I was — Tiernan Independent Platoon One
I ran the words in my head, and they refused to sit right. I'd spent a year trying to get out from under the name, and now I was volunteering to staple it onto over twenty people.
But it was the leverage. The name was why Arthur had overridden the battalion commander in an hour. The name was why the framework even existed. The name was the thing I'd been refusing, and refusing it had cost the squad the platoon.
Maybe it's time I stopped refusing it.
There was that sensation again, not copper, but a slight sharp pain that sank deep into my abdomen. I pressed the heel of my hand against my sternum and breathed until the tightness eased.
I pushed off the console, shook my hands out, and walked.
The simulation centre was quieter at this hour. The main hall's lighting had dropped to a warm amber, pods sitting along the rows with their shells open for the night shift. A corridor branched off to the left I hadn't walked before, the LED sign above its entrance reading MEDICAL INTEGRATION in green fluorescent letters. A nurse in grey coveralls stood at the door, checking names against a datapad.
The squad had gathered near the corridor entrance, and Sato spotted me.
"The big negotiator returns!" He threw his arms up. "Please tell me you secured the bag, Tiernan."
"Sure did, big guy."
"So, when does the assignment come through?" Tomás asked, without looking up.
"Tomorrow."
"Alright, makes things easier for them, I suppo—."
"Barracks seven, Sato, Kenji. Room six." The nurse called
Sato threw me a quick salute and headed down the corridor. Hsu followed a minute later, called into room three. Then Andrew, then Park. Each one disappeared through a door that closed quietly behind them.
Tomás was called into room two. He tucked his notepad under his arm and gave Jin and me a nod before walking in.
"Tiernan, Marcus." The nurse ticked her screen. "Room four."
Jin caught my eye before I walked.
Room four was at the far end of the corridor, the last door on the right.
The floors in the medical wing were different from the training hall — white composite instead of grey, with thin red lines painted along the walls that I realised after a moment were guide strips for different procedure paths. Room four's door slid open as I approached.
Inside was a single pod, smaller and more enclosed than the training ones, and additional equipment surrounded it that I couldn't identify. A medical technician in light blue scrubs stood beside an IV stand and an instrument tray. An older doctor sat at a console against the far wall, already scrolling through my file.
He spoke without looking up. "Tiernan, Marcus. Framework: Parallaxist, Variant I."
"Primer allergies?" The nurse asked.
"None."
The doctor glanced up briefly, then back at his screen. "Primer by IV, let's get you set up. Any questions?"
"Observers?"
"The nurse and I. That's all."
I nodded and lay down in the pod, and the gel took my weight. It was unfathomably comfy, beyond even the simulation pods. I could just fall—
"It'll be cold through the arm at first, then warmth through the chest. Count back from ten if it helps. Doesn't really matter."
I felt the cold insertion of a needle into my arm, the machine whirred and a piercing cold flowed through my veins until it settled in my chest, emanating a slight warmth.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, si—
My eyes slowly opened as reality swam back into existence. The first thing that hit me was the smell of alcohol and disinfectant.
"Tiernan. You're back." The doctor's voice called through the mist.
I shook my head, trying to regain clarity.
"Don't sit up yet. Primer's still clearing."
My throat was dry. I nodded.
"How long was I out?" I said.
"Seventy-two minutes."
I stared at the ceiling of the pod and let the new sensation settle into something I could name. There was something else that sat at the base of my skull, a new presence I wasn't accustomed to.
"Heart rate's good, and the link seems stable." The doctor tapped his console. "You can open the interface when you're ready. We'll monitor another fifteen minutes before we clear you back to barracks."
I closed my eyes and pulled it up.
[FRAMEWORK: TIERNAN PARALLAXIST — VARIANT I]
[INTEGRATION STATUS: BASELINE — PASSIVES ONLINE]
[PASSIVES — ACTIVE]
— Neural Link Stabilisation. Reduced input lag on all mech controls.
— Ether Cycling Support. Automatic baseline circulation while active.
[SKILLS — LOAD COMPLETE, INTEGRATION PENDING]
— Vanguard Stance. Strength-based offensive stance. +5% Strength on activation, ramps to +25%. Ether cost per activation.
— Warden Stance. Vitality-based defensive stance. +5% Vitality activation, ramps to +25%. Ether cost per activation.
— Revenant Stance. [LOCKED — REQUIRES RANK 1]
[NEW STAT UNLOCKED — ETHER CONTROL]
[ETHER CONTROL]
Cannot be raised through point allocation. Develops through direct application: cultivation, practice, and combat usage.
[TRUE-NOOSPHERE]
[CONNECTION THRESHOLD: 6.11%]
[LEVEL: 18]
[EXPERIENCE: 786 / 800]
[RANK: 0]
[RANK PROGRESSION: 18 / 100]
[STAT POINTS AVAILABLE: 0]
[BODY]
Strength: 28
Agility: 31
Vitality: 33
[ETHER]
Capacity: 3
Sensitivity: 3
Control: UNLOCKED
[MIND]
Willpower: 22
Intelligence: 17
Perception: 21
[Skills]
[PASSIVES — ACTIVE]
— Neural Link Stabilisation. Reduced input lag on all mech controls.
— Ether Cycling Support. Automatic baseline circulation while active.
[SKILLS — LOAD COMPLETE, INTEGRATION PENDING]
— Vanguard Stance. Strength-weighted. Offensive posture. +5% activation, ramps to +25%. Ether cost per activation.
— Warden Stance. Vitality-weighted. Defensive posture. +5% activation, ramps to +25%. Ether cost per activation.
Huh, control has been unlocked finally? But no stat? The hell is this?
I stared at it for a good while.
What does this mean? Do I have to learn how to control Ether entirely by myself? Well, that could be worse. I've already been practising it with Ether Strike, I suppose. And integration pending? Strange.
"Tiernan? Anything concerning?"
"Huh? Oh. No, sir. Just processing."
"Alright." The doctor tapped his console. "Vitals are good. You're cleared. But no cultivation and no mech work until morning. Get some rest."
The shell lifted, and the nurse removed the IV line and applied a small adhesive.
"Welcome to the corps, pilot."
The walk back to the barracks was strangely calm. The evening had properly dropped over the compound. The path-lights were on a reduced cycle, and the air smelled like the coolant exhaust from the simulation centre's venting system.
I could feel the framework now that I knew what it was. A present cycling in the back of my skull that drew Ether in and distributed it back.
The bunk-room was half-dark when I got in. Several of the squad were already back. Hsu was snoring, Andrew was reading a datapad by his pillow light, Sato was asleep with his mouth open. Tomás's and Jin's bunks were empty.
Both of them are probably still in surgery.
I slid into my bunk without turning the light on. Reached into my footlocker and pulled the datapad out.
[NEURAL HANDSHAKE — COMPLETE]
[CONTENTS ENCRYPTED]
[REQUIREMENTS: RANK 1]
[CURRENT RANK: 0]
[RANK PROGRESSION: 18/100]
Still locked, but it was worth a shot. It was Lydia's framework and datapad after all. The datapad and firmware were both now gated to Rank 1. Is there a correlation there?
I closed my eyes with the thoughts whirring about in my head.
Tomorrow, I get my very own platoon. I guess they'd put my name at the top. Oooo, Osei is going to be sooo pissed. Heh.