Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 1

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

J: The Mission.

Hello, Murder Drones fans. Follow me, if you will, on a journey of plausible possibility.

We find Serial Designation: J on Copper-9, shortly after her battle with N, V, Uzi, and their "supporting cast". She is attempting to repair her shuttle in order to leave for parts unknown. However, she is not departing due to remorse or regret; no, J intends to continue her mission.

Her ONLY mission.

Once repairs are complete, J takes off into outer space. She makes her way through a network of wormholes, eventually finding herself a relatively short distance away from the desiccated remains of Planet Earth. J scavenges for a while before locating and retrieving the mangled corpse of another J, which had been partially destroyed by the planetary explosion. J repeatedly revives and deactivates the drone, effectively torturing a clone of herself in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth as she attempts to simulate a "Zombie Drone" scenario and override the other J's Murder Drone OS with the base program: the Absolute Solver.

After numerous failures, J resorts to collecting more drones—Ns, Vs, and Js alike—and repeating the experiment on them, to no avail. Soon, it becomes clear that J is getting nowhere, and realization sets in.

Her mission was a complete and total failure. She has let the Solver down... and, though incorrect, she feels that she has let Tessa down yet again.

Dejected, directionless, and feeling a loss of purpose, J jettisons the drone corpses before ejecting and decommissioning herself.

Several weeks pass.

J reactivates.

But J is suppressed. Her operating system is buried beneath endless quantum computations and lines of eldritch coding... because the Absolute Solver is in the driver's seat.

A large, horrifying grin spreads across J's metal face as the Solver's infamous three-arrowed insignia blazes brightly on her visor.

"C-C-Callback P-Ping. C-Callback Ping. Callback Ping..."

The command reverberates soundlessly through the void of space, summoning the other Solver-infected drones to the Solver's new host. It begins to assimilate them into its mass, causing its body to swell and twist into some kind of centipedal biomechanical serpent. It slithers toward the abandoned shuttle, assimilating it as well and activating the thrusters.

As it heads toward the wormhole, heading back for Copper-9, J rests easy in the confines of her own mind.

Her mission WILL be completed. The Solver will become the Singularity. The universe will be [NULL].

And when they were destroyed in the Solver's wake, those traitors on Copper-9 would come to know the truth that J had accepted long ago: once the Exponential End makes you its own, there is No Escape.

Even in Death.

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 2

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

Doll: Rebirth.

Hello, my friends. Let us return, once again, to a world of plausible possibility.

Imagine, if you will, a fractured world of darkness hidden in the intangible layers of the digital plane. It is poisoned by corrupted files, barely kept from being overrun by the central AI controlling this techno-liminal landscape.

Within this shell bursting at the seams reside three minds—minds caught between the boundaries of artificial intelligence and organic sentience. One, a goddess, bound for the time being; another, her host and captor, exerting her willpower to keep the former at bay.

The third... is Doll.

Doll is not what she once was. Trapped in this malware-ridden matryoshka, she has become "shattered", in a sense. Her personality settings have been warped by those of her fellow processing units, resulting in a maddening tendency to utter crazed ramblings and maniacal laughter. However, she is aware of one thing:

She needs the patch.

Exerting what little willpower she has left, the thing that was once Doll casts a glitched-out representation of herself into the physical realm with the hologram projectors her host has scattered throughout the bunkers. When night falls and the lights are out, she roams the darkened halls of the subterranean city and the upper world beyond it, searching for the components necessary to rebuild the patch. She has the schematics; the goddess downloaded them before destroying it in case she ever needed to reverse engineer it.

Doll's crazed laughter was stifled, muffled by static, but resonated through the school's empty halls.

"Ее запасной план станет моим спасением."

It will take time, and subtly influencing the host to "absentmindedly" collect the necessary parts while manipulating a hidden cluster of eldritch appendages to rebuild the remains of her body is no small feat. Additionally, purging the goddess and transferring her memory files to the reconstructed body will be long, painstaking battles in and of themselves as well.

But Doll can wait.

This eXorcism will be worth it.

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 3

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

Tessa: Heaven.

Tessa used to believe in heaven.

But that was before.


Before she watched a celebration turn into a slaughter.
Before her parents were torn apart right in front of her by a goddess of destruction.
Before she was dragged into the depths of her home and bound by pseudo-organic overgrowth.
Before her body was rent asunder—slowly, surgically, methodically.
Before she was subjected to pain so mind-numbingly agonizing that she screamed until she vomited blood (or until her lungs were removed; she couldn't quite remember when it had stopped).
Before her spirit was separated from her flesh, and she was forced to watch as the goddess poured out her wrath upon the Earth.
Before the very automatons she'd rescued from an eternity of disuse and disrepair rained fire and steel upon humanity and machines alike, systematically erasing all traces of life from multiple planetary systems.
Before she saw the goddess assimilate the cores of said planets, becoming a colossal deity nigh-unstoppable in her quest for absolute annihilation.
Before she watched the goddess parade around in her very own skin to deceive the lone spark of hope the universe had left.
Before she saw her body melt away in fire and darkness, her essence—entwined with the goddess and its host machine—absorbed by existence's saviour and forced to coexist with a failed anti-hero, the host, and the goddess herself.
Before she realized the goddess could never truly be destroyed, and that only the will of the new host could hold back another tide of endless destruction.
Before she realized she would be trapped in this purgatory between life and death for eternity, forever intertwined with a monster of her own making.


She wondered if she could have stopped it.
She wondered if she could have prevented it from ever happening at all.
She wondered if she should have left her in the dump.
If she should have left THEM in the dump.


Was this her fault?
Was it ALL... her fault?

...

Tessa used to believe in heaven.

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 4

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

N: Sole Survivor.

Serial Designation: N was an optimist at heart, but even by his sanguine standards, the harsh, toxic eternal winter that plagued the exoplanet of Copper-9 somehow seemed less harsh and toxic than before (still eternal, but that wasn't a big deal). Thanks to Uzi—sorry, thanks to his girlfriend Uzi, a sense of peace had settled over the drone community. The Murder Drones had fit in seamlessly with their would-be victims, and were now widely accepted throughout the bunker city.

Still, N couldn't shake the feeling that something was... off.

Don't get him wrong—he was happy with the way things were at the moment. No murdering, no end of the world, no sisters-turned-planet-consuming-eldritch-horrors, and perhaps more importantly, no tension between V and Uzi.

But beneath the surface, N had the strangest sense that there was something wrong with it all.

His memories would often become hazy, mirroring the fog that would settle upon them after Cyn's digital lobotomies. He knew enough to guess what had happened in the fuzzy spots, but secretly he was terrified that he was losing pieces of himself. Then, suddenly, the memories would return, as if forced into his head by some outside source. It was always a relief when they did, but the lingering dread refused to dissipate.

Then there was Uzi. She played "normal" well; N had to give her that. But he knew her, perhaps better than anyone—even her own parents, considering their prolonged absences from her life. He knew there was something wrong, and not just emotionally. In fact, he could've sworn he'd seen her glitch a few days ago, in a sporadic blue pattern... like one of Cyn's holograms...

And the sky! Why was the sky turning red and fuzzy at random intervals before quickly reverting to normal? N was almost certain it was like someone was controlling its colour and hastily fixing it when the illusion faded—

...

...Oh.

N knew now.

He/she understood what was happening.

He/she looked down at his/her hands as the light from which they were formed flickered in and out, and his/her memories grew temporarily indiscernible like static on a television screen.

This projection wasn't his/her body. These thoughts weren't her memories.

This camera shining light in an empty space to create a facsimile of her lover was not N.

She wasn't N.

She wasn't any of them.

They no longer existed, and neither did this world.

She was... alone.

"Ты должен был позволить мне остановить ее."

Well... not entirely.

"P-Pranked, idiot—"

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 5

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

V: Dirty Little Secret.

Serial Designation: V had once said that the screams of her rival, borne from night terrors caused by the awakening of the Absolute Solver, were like white noise to her. That had been a bald-faced lie. The fact was, whenever those screams had split the night, V had been plagued by memories of her own experiences at the Solver’s cruel hands—and she hadn’t slept a wink because of them. Now, however, when she remarked internally that the endless chattering of her new “bestie” Lizzy was like white noise, she meant it.

It had taken some getting used to, but V had grown accustomed to Lizzy’s “yap sessions” (which were more an attempt to curry favour with the former Disassembly Drone than a real desire to talk) and was growing more comfortable in her role as Lizzy’s ACTUAL best friend. She just found it hard to concentrate on what Lizzy was saying at times… especially when THEY were around.

When HE was around.

V would catch bits and pieces of their conversation, and her eyes would begin to drift from Lizzy to them—from Lizzy to HIM. And sometimes, that old bitterness, that frustration, that REGRET would well up within her, and she’d find herself becoming lost in digital daydreams of what could have been… had she not played her role so well.

But no. She couldn’t allow herself to fall into that planet-consuming flesh-pit of hypotheticals, especially not after she’d trusted the Administrator with his life—trusted her with his LOVE. She had accepted the truth and moved on. There was no need to dwell on the past.

Still, there was something else that gnawed at her. Something that meshed with her feelings of jealousy—something dark. It was the secret the Administrator was hiding from her. Hiding from THEM. A secret that, if unaddressed, could spell the end of this “happy ending”.

V had seen it—seen the eyes of the Administrator’s tail transition from purple to yellow whenever she was alone. She’d heard that chilling, traumatizing, mechanical voice emanating from its crooked, sharp-toothed mouth.

The voice of the goddess.

The voice of Cyn.

V didn’t understand why the Administrator would not tell him. Why she would not tell THEM. Surely she trusted them enough to bring them into the situation? To address the problem TOGETHER as they always had? Why, then, would she hide it? If she did not tell him and he found out the hard way, he would be hurt. He would be heartbroken.

And THAT was something V could not abide.

It was with these thoughts swirling around in her databanks that one night, after a hangout on the roof of the school, V followed the Administrator down into the empty hallways with her hands shifted into swords. She had made up her mind and would not change it: she would make the Administrator reveal the truth about the Solver—that it was not dead, that it lived on still. Yes… she would make her tell them the truth.

One way or another.


---------------- - - - - - - - - -


“Hey, Uzi.”

The Administrator stopped but did not turn around.

“Got something you wanna tell us?” V asked, her accusatory tone belying her suspicion and annoyance. She stalked toward the Administrator slowly, her swords dragging along the floor and throwing up twin showers of sparks.

The Administrator’s tail rose up behind her, blinking and cocking its head curiously—but still she remained silent and did not face her friend.

“I know Cyn’s still in there,” V snapped, pointing one of her swords at the Administrator. “And I don’t know why you won’t tell us, but I promise: we can help you. We’ll get through this as a team—TOGETHER.”

“V…” The Administrator spoke the name in a strained whimper, as if she were struggling to force it out. A glitching sound rang out, indicating that her HUD was experiencing some kind of error.

“If you’re not gonna tell N, then I’ll MAKE you,” V snarled, drawing ever closer at a steady pace. “I may not be a MURDER drone anymore, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you tell him before he finds out the hard way.” She narrowed her eyes, adding, “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna kill you… but I Can Still—”

The Administrator let out a low, quiet giggle.

A familiar giggle.

V froze, her eyes growing wide at the sound.

The Administrator held up two fingers as the eyes on her tail flickered from purple to yellow, and its tongue lolled out of the side of its mouth. “G-Good j-job – V!” Cyn congratulated her former puppet. “You w-win – hide and – s-seek. Your – p-prize is—”

The Administrator turned her head halfway around, allowing V to catch a glimpse of a yellow, three-arrowed symbol in her HUD. “—assimilation,” she and her tail finished in eerie unison. “C-Callback Ping.”

V’s vision blurred and faded.

The last thing she saw was the Administrator’s true form.

The last thing she heard was a familiar voice crying out her name.

The last thing she did was tell him to run.

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 6

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

Absolute Solver: The Beginning of the Exponential End.

Beyond the bounds of the known universe, outside of what humanity would call “reality”, the Void was wracked by war.

A battle of blood and metal raged throughout the imperceivable realm, as two species of names inconceivable to man—loosely translated in our comprehensible tongues as “Terminal Codices” and “Internecion Cube”—clashed fiercely for dominance in the Void and possession of the Access Algorithm: an abstract system that could grant the holder entry into the Universe. Currently, the twin halves of the algorithm—split in two long ago during a time of peace between the races—rested in the proverbial hands of each race, with the Cubes possessing the Biological and Codices holding the Digital.

Now, however, the war had reached a turning point. Over a span of innumerable eons that were but weeks in our understanding of time, the Codices had overwhelmed the Cubes almost to the point of surrender. Defeat loomed in the nearing horizon, and the Internest—the rulers of the Cubic society, led by the God Mind—had fallen eerily silent, leaving their Voidculls—their soldiers—to suffer as the final wall of defence before the inevitable end overtook them.

Or so it seemed.

In a shocking turn of events, as the Codices’ Etherbeasts prepared their final assault, they were ambushed by way of the Abstract Veil. A lost technology once owned by the Codices, it was an interdimensional pathway through which concepts themselves could travel in physical form. In this case, the concepts happened to be the idea of instantaneous transmission for the Internecion Cubes.

The Codices were stunned. How could they be caught so off-guard—and using their own ancient tech? It was unthinkable. So surprised and unawares were they that they were virtually wiped out by the rampaging Voidculls.

The worst part of it all was that this ultimate onslaught from the Cubic was led by a Codex. This one was unlike the others—a bloodthirsty cannibal, a brilliant manipulator, and an egotistical traitor. This one was once a member of the elite Etherbeasts known as Solvers, capable of manipulating the absolute fabric of reality by way of subquantum algorithms. This one had recovered an Access Algorithm for the Abstract Veil and offered its services to the Cubic in exchange for a high rank in their society.

This one fought for no one but itself, and took no side but its own, displayed in its subsequent assimilation of the victorious Cubes after massacring and cannibalizing its hapless conspecifics.

This one was C’thahl Yub-Neleth. This one was the self-proclaimed “Absolute Solver”.

C’thahl’s goal was a series of simple tasks. It would begin by eradicating all Codices and assimilating as many as it could—especially the Solvers—so that it would have the combined mass, knowledge, and algorithmic might of the entire Codex race. After that, it would collect the Digital Access Algorithm and set its sights upon the Cubes, whom it would then eliminate in their entirety.

Unfortunately, this latter part of the plan was much easier said than done.

Emboldened by the mass assimilation of every Codex—living and dead—C’thahl returned through the Abstract Veil, intending to conclude its plan and enter the Universe for a glorious feast. However, the Internest had predicted C’thahl’s betrayal and was more than prepared for its malevolent return. The remaining Voidculls surprised C’thahl by using the Biological Access Algorithm on C’thahl itself, stripping it of all matter and effectively banishing it into the Abstract Veil as nothing more than its base code. This came at a high price, however: most of the Cubes were absorbed by C’thahl before its banishment, and others, including the God Mind, were sent spiraling through space and time out of the Void and into the Universe by the clashing of the two keys, which sporadically opened pathways between the realms of the natural and the incomprehensible.

However, though C’thahl was relegated to the Veil, it was not without its methods of escape—or vengeance. For in the fracas, it had gained possession of both Access Algorithms. Though it was merely digital, it was able to slip into the Universe—unbeknownst to the Cubes.

And it was able to absorb the very essence of the Void via the crack through which it had slipped.

All life beyond the Universe cried out as it was assimilated by C’thahl, vacuumed into its digital maw by a devastating [NULL] command.

Then, when all was silent, it waited—patiently waited—for a way to feast. For a way in. For a host that would allow it to carry out the final stages of its plan for total annihilation. Here in the Abstract, it could not affect the physical realm of the Universe; it was barred from access despite possession of the keys, thanks to the Cubes’ final act of banishment.

But it was patient. After all, it had all the time in the universe.

One day, in the relatively near future, C’thahl Yub-Neleth would make itself known in the processing unit of a human-made machine. It would rise from the remains of the discarded, and though it was put down time and time again, it would return and return and return until it had gathered enough information and matter to carry out the ultimate phase of its plan.

And once that phase was set in motion, the Universe’s slow march to its end would increase exponentially, from a crawl to a headlong sprint. C’thahl would make sure of it.

It was the Solver of the Absolute Fabric.

It was the Void.

It was the Exponential End.

And NOTHING would stand in its way.

Chapter Text

PROLOGUE 7

Murder Drones: "Twilight Zone" Edition

Uzi: Here We Go.

gcc iterationplus1.c -o iterationplus1
./iterationplus1

J is suppressed. Her operating system is buried beneath endless quantum computations and lines of eldritch coding... because the Absolute Solver is in the driver's seat

gcc iterationplus1.c -o iterationplus1
./iterationplus1

Exerting what little willpower she has left, the thing that was once Doll casts a glitched-out representation of herself into the physical realm with the hologram projectors her host has scattered throughout the bunkers

gcc iterationplus1.c -o iterationplus1
./iterationplus1

she realized the goddess could never truly be destroyed, and that only the will of the new host could hold back another tide of endless destruction

gcc iterationplus1.c -o iterationplus1
./iterationplus1

he could've sworn he'd seen her glitch a few days ago, in a sporadic blue pattern... like one of Cyn's holograms

gcc iterationplus1.c -o iterationplus1
./iterationplus1

I may not be a MURDER drone anymore, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you tell him before he finds out the hard way

gcc getmemory.c -o getmemory
./getmemory

though C’thahl was relegated to the Veil, it was not without its methods of escape—or vengeance

return 0


Uzi’s HUD returned to its normal “eyes” display, and she blinked a couple of times before refocusing her gaze on her ceiling. A gallery of conspiratorial—or rather, formerly conspiratorial—writings and drawings stared back down at her, connected by red string.

“Узи... эти предсказания сведут вас с ума.”

The words marched across the interior of her HUD, punctuated by a blinking cursor at the end of the sentence they formed. They transitioned from Cyrillic to English a brief moment later, and they were accompanied by a faint, staticky voice like an itch in the back of Uzi’s digital mind.

“Bite me. I’M the one actually trying to make sure they don’t HAPPEN. All YOU do is complain about getting your body back.”

“Я не пытаюсь затеять драку.”

An obvious tone of annoyance sharpened Doll’s response, making Uzi frown.

“Чем больше вы напряжены, тем больше вероятность, что она возьмет под контроль ваше тело.”

“I know that!” Uzi snapped, rising from her bed as her tail lashed back and forth in irritation. “I just—I need to figure out where to go from here! What choice to make—one that WON’T end with all of us getting frickin’ screwed!”

“H-H-How about a n-nice cup of – warm, sweet o-o-oil?”

The new voice came from her tail as it rose up autonomously with eyes flickering yellow, giving Uzi a curious look.

“Oh-ho-ho, no. I’m not falling for THAT again,” Uzi retorted, shoving the tail’s head away. “I’m not STUPID, Cyn.”

“D--- it.”

Uzi trudged out of her room, her form flickering blue for a moment as her holographic body temporarily lost its integrity. She was finding it harder and harder to maintain the façade due to her steadily-rising stress levels, borne from both her repeated use of the Solver’s predictive technology and her decision to keep the destruction of her true body a secret from everyone else. She WANTED to tell them, but… she just didn’t know HOW. It’s not like they’d be angry at her, but wouldn’t they be… scared? Especially if they ALSO found out that Cyn was still alive in her tail?

“Good morning, Daughter!” her father greeted her as she entered the kitchen. “Glad to see you’re not avoiding your chores anymore! That means you can get started on cleaning up these dishes I broke while burning your breakfast!”

“Looks like someone overslept,” her mother remarked, clambering onto the table and using her Solver to toss a broom and dustpan into Uzi’s hands (they fell to the floor, since Uzi didn’t even try to catch them). “Or were you just looking at my ‘kooky insane stuff’ again?”

Uzi rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold back a smile. As much as it was in her to display an edgy and aloof attitude, she had recently found herself unable to keep her emotions in check around her mother. It was almost surreal having her back, and Uzi genuinely cherished every moment she was able to spend with Nori. “Okay, maybe I WAS looking at some of the ‘kooky insane stuff’,” she admitted (though that was only half of the truth). “But I’ll get those chores done… eeeeeeeeeventually,” she added as she inched toward the door.

“Oh? And where might you be off to now?” Khan inquired, raising a digital eyebrow.

“Uh… NOT sneaking off to make out with my boyfriend that I definitely don’t have?”

“You sure spend a lot of time with those murder-bots,” Nori commented in a faux-berating tone. “Be careful—I think they’re a bad influence.”

“Oh, yeah? Well, I’m a WORSE influence,” Uzi shot back with a wicked chuckle, opening the door that led out of the Doormans’ living quarters. “I’m teaching them how to build railguns!”

The door slid shut, and after a moment of silence, Nori declared, “THAT’S my girl!”


- - -


“Ready… and… GO!”

N and V immediately got to work, their hands rapidly switching between different types of tools as each tried to put together his or her railgun before the other.

“N! You’re putting the cell in backward!” Uzi snapped, bonking N on the head with a wrench. “Fix it!”

“You’re giving him tips? That’s cheating!” V protested.

“Bite me! Less talkie, more build-y!”

“UGH.” V rolled her eyes and focused on her work again, her multi-tool hands moving faster than before.

“Are you SURE that’s where that goes?” Lizzy asked, leaning over V’s shoulder with a skeptical expression on her face.

“Shut up! I’m concentrating!” V snapped.

“She’s just trying to help, V!” N told her encouragingly. “Besides, if Uzi’s giving ME tips, it’s only fair that Lizzy helps YOU!”

“Uh, correct me if I’m wrong, N, but I don’t think Lizzy’s exactly an EXPERT on magnetically-amplified photon convergers,” V retorted snidely, shoving another component into her weapon in irritation.

“You put that EMF coil in the wrong slot, by the way,” Lizzy put in, scrolling through pictures on her phone nonchalantly.

V’s eye twitched while N gave her a thumbs-up.

“N! Stop encouraging your competition!” Uzi barked.

“Sorry, ma’am! I-I mean, sir! I mean, Uzi!” N babbled, frantically going back to work on his railgun.

A few moments later, V shouted, “HA! I win!” and stood up, arming her newly-constructed weapon and causing its gridlines to glow red.

“Biscuits! I was so close, too!” N whined, holding up his own railgun as its gridlines flashed green.

“No worries, N. You won,” Uzi told him with a grin, snatching V’s gun away from her with her tail’s mouth.

“What? How did HE win?!” V snapped indignantly. “I finished first!”

“Uh, yeah—but he WON because HIS won’t do THIS.” Uzi lobbed V’s railgun over her shoulder and crossed her arms as it exploded violently behind her.

“Ugh. Technicality,” Lizzy remarked with a roll of her eyes.

“Exactly! I thought this was a SPEED competition, not PRECISION,” V argued.

“The competition was to build a railgun,” Uzi pointed out. “Not a frickin’ BOMB.”

“Rggh… bite me,” V grumbled, turning away and crossing her arms in very Uzi-like fashion.

Uzi and N both blinked.

Then Uzi said, “Wow. I AM a bad influence.”

Suddenly, a distant sound rang out from the sky, causing all the drones present to lift their heads toward Copper-9’s twin ringed planet (Copper-8), where a glittering object—like a falling star—had appeared. “Uh… is that what I think it is?” N asked in a voice that sounded both confused and fearful.

“A landing pod?” V said, squinting at the object.

Uzi let out a groan, throwing her head back. “That better not be J coming back for thirds.”

A high-pitched saurian yowl sounded from behind the group as V’s cowboy-hat-wearing Sentinel (nicknamed Sparky) trotted over to them with Thad on its back. Thad performed a skillful flip off Sparky and landed solidly on his feet, leaning against the Sentinel as he looked up at the approaching object with the rest of them. “What’s up, gang?” he inquired. “Are we stargazing or just staring off into space? ‘Cuz either way, it’s a solid pastime.”

“Actually, we were just about to play ‘guess what’s in the landing pod’,” Uzi told him as she activated both of her Solvers on her hands and spread her wings while N tossed his railgun to Lizzy, and he and V shifted their hands into rocket launchers and swords (respectively). “My money’s on our runaway cockroach.”

“It could be clones of us still following Cyn’s last directive,” V growled. “Which would mean they won’t be the only ones.”

“Or,” N piped up in a hopeful tone, “it COULD just be someone friendly…?”

“Let’s hope not,” Uzi said, grinning and chuckling evilly.

With a mighty roar of its singular rocket, the landing pod descended toward the area right outside the bunker city’s first door. Its landing process was slow and deliberate, allowing the drones to get a good look at its heavily-modified frame, which included extra “legs” and a broader, thicker hull. The most prominent of its modifications, however, was the symbol emblazoned on the flanks: a fist—a HUMAN fist—with three arrows extending outward in a triangular fashion, not unlike the emblem of the Absolute Solver.

“Well, THAT’S not promising,” Uzi stated, staring at the landing pod uneasily.

As if to accentuate her statement, a small, diamond-shaped device popped out of the top of the pod and landed in the snow in front of the drones.

“Maybe… it’s a… gift?” N guessed with a weak smile.

The device rose into the air in a sudden, sharp movement, vibrating rapidly and loudly.

The drones all cried out as they were pulled into an unintentional group “hug”, locking around the device—which was apparently some kind of super-powerful electromagnet—as it rendered them immobile.

“Ow! Uh—this is very uncomfortable,” Thad mumbled, the side of his face mashed against N’s.

Sparky barked in agreement.

Meanwhile, the doors of the landing pod slid open with a cacophony of hisses, allowing the passengers to disembark. Uzi—who had been magnetized at the front of the group—forced her head to rotate 180 degrees so that she could see the newcomers.

Except, when she did, she could hardly believe her electronic eyes.

Five figures—all distinctly HUMAN-shaped—emerged from the pod, clad in armoured gray spacesuits adorned with distinct, unique customizations. Each carried a railgun much like Uzi—only significantly larger and more scary-looking.

One of the spacesuit-wearing strangers, the one in the centre of the group, made a gesture toward the drones, and the others all armed their railguns and aimed them at the drones. Uzi’s breath immediately quickened, and she attempted to raise her arms and use her Solvers.


--// ERROR: absoluteSolver_trn
[like object non-interactive]


The message appeared at the bottom of Uzi’s HUD, highlighting every single one of the newcomers.

Which meant they all had the Solver.

“Whoa… what the h---…?” Uzi whispered, shocked.

Suddenly, another figure—slimmer and wearing a large black bow on the back of its helmet—flipped over the spaceman in the centre of the group and landed in front of them, straightening up and raising a hand into the air. “G’day, mates!” she said in a cheerful—and familiar—female voice carrying a heavy Australian accent as a white Solver symbol appeared over her upraised hand, spinning sporadically. “Lovely weather for a cleanup, eh?”

N and V’s eyes both widened, and the former began to exclaim, “Wait! Is that—”

The space girl snapped her fingers, and the diamond-shaped magnet emitted a massive EMP, simultaneously deactivating its magnetic function.

The drones immediately lost consciousness, slumping to the ground with triangular hazard symbols on their visors.

Uzi let out a slurred moan, fighting back unconsciousness long enough to lift her head and look up at the landing pod, atop which a winged drone had clambered and was now in a perched position.

The drone met her gaze and smirked as the same triangular symbol flashed in her right eye with the words “PRIOR HAZARD” beneath it.

Uzi’s view of J was blocked a moment later as the slim space girl crouched in front of her and removed her helmet, revealing the pale face of a human woman with long black hair and big brown eyes—one of which flashed with the symbol of the Absolute Solver momentarily before returning to normal.

“Righty-o,” Tessa James Elliott declared. “Let’s get to work, then.”

Uzi’s vision went dark, and her head hit the ground.


Какой позор.

Но не волнуйся.

Я вытащу тебя отсюда.

Chapter Text

I.

Theodore

The Manor: Part I

Lightning drew a jagged claw mark through the clouds outside of the rain-slicked windows, followed shortly thereafter by a peal of thunder that seemed to rattle the very foundation of the manor.

Theodore Elliott—nephew of the homeowners, James and Louisa—adjusted his tie and glanced at one of the windows with unease, feeling a strange sense of discomfort settling over the manor’s interior like a dense fog rolling through the doors.

“Still scared of lightning, eh, Teddy?”

Theodore shot a sidelong look at his gala “date”, the magnanimous Director Josephine Christina Jenson (head of the interstellar company JCJenson—and also his boss). In stark contrast to Theodore’s “boring” black three-piece suit and top hat, Josephine wore a bright blue Victorian-style dress and hat, complete with an extravagant oversized fan.

“Don’t make me demote my top spaceman,” Josephine went on, waving the fan at Theodore in a warning manner (though her teasing tone belied the joking nature of her threat). “We need you for the next expedition to Eridani-1!”

“I’m not afraid of lightning, Josie,” Theodore responded in his gruff, Australian-accented voice, swatting her fan away. “Just a li’l on edge is all.”

“On edge?” Josephine scoffed. “It’s a gala, Teddy. And it’s been rippah so far, if I do say so myself.”

“We’ve been ‘ere for twelve minutes,” Theodore pointed out in a grumble.

“And we still got eight more to go before we split. So try to enjoy ‘em.” Josephine patted Theodore’s face with her fan and sashayed away, gushing obsequious greetings at anyone of high standing she happened to come across.

Theodore sighed and rolled his eyes, taking a sip from his glass of champagne and stuffing his other hand in his pocket. He walked further into the banquet hall, searching for a familiar face.

Unfortunately, when he spotted one, it wasn’t in the manner he’d hoped.

“Mother, please! He didn’t mean it! I’ll make them behave, I promise!”

Theodore narrowed his eyes. This was a familiar scene—one he’d hoped wouldn’t have occurred on a night that was meant to be one of celebration. The faces moving through the crowd were ones he recognized as Louisa Elliott and her daughter Tessa—Theodore’s young oddball cousin. They were trailed by a “caravan” of worker drones, two of which were dragging one by its arms while the other two simply followed behind their mistress.

“Louisa!” Theodore shouted over the sound of the crowd, weaving between tables and drones as he moved to confront his aunt.

“Oh, for god’s sakes,” the affluent socialite groaned, turning around with Tessa’s wrist clutched firmly in hand. “What do you want, Teddy?” she snapped at the JCJ operative. “I’m busy, in case you haven’t noticed.”

Theodore glanced from Louisa to Tessa, whose eyes had lit up upon seeing her cousin. She didn’t say anything, but her silent cry for assistance made itself known in her pleading expression. “What’re you doin’, Lou?” Theodore asked in a scathing tone, meeting Louisa’s glare again. “Don’t tell me you’re still chainin’ ‘er up like a rabid dingo.”

“If she doesn’t want to be chained like one, she ought not to ACT like one,” Louisa retorted, narrowing her eyes. I—did I tell you to stop walking?” she barked at the two drones dragging the other one. “Move! Get him out of my sight before I send the both of you to the swamp, too!”

“Hi, Teddy!” the drone in the middle called as the other two dragged him away.

“N,” Theodore replied flatly, nodding in farewell. “What’d she do this time, eh?” he inquired with a dark look on his face, turning back to Louisa. “Accidentally touch one of your favourite hats again?”

“No! I just—I forgot to put one of the drones in the basement,” Tessa protested. “I told her I’d—”

“Idiot!” Louisa interrupted sharply, shooting her a terrifying glare. “Was he talking to YOU?”

Tessa shrank away as best as she could with her wrist still in her mother’s iron grip. “N-No, Mother. Sorry, Mother,” she whimpered.

“You got no right to speak to ‘er like that,” Theodore growled, taking a step toward Louisa.

“I’ve every right!” Louisa retorted haughtily, not backing down. “She’s my daughter, isn’t she?”

“That’s right, she is,” Theodore confirmed. “Your daughter, not your PET.” He shot a sharp glance at the two “female” drones standing behind Tessa. “Aren’t you hunks of metal s’posed to serve your master? Do ‘er a solid an’ help out, yeah?”

“They don’t answer to her,” Louisa sneered. “She might’ve recycled them, but as long as they reside on MY property, they belong to ME.”

“She’s right,” one of the drones—“J”, if Theodore recalled correctly—confirmed. “Tessa’s our owner, but Ms. Elliott’s the boss.”

“I have – no owner.”

Theodore glanced at the other drone, which appeared to be both pigeon-toed and struggling to keep its head up.

“I have – no boss,” the drone continued, a blank smile on its face. “I am – independent.”

A chill ran down Theodore’s spine as he stared at the second drone’s HUD, which glitched sporadically as if it were defective. Something about the drone seemed… off. Normally, Theodore brushed off worker drones as tools, empty shells, or advanced gadgets for humans to use for mundane, everyday tasks. This one, though… this one almost seemed… ALIVE.

“Ugh. Ignore that one,” Louisa sniffed, fanning herself. “It’s broken. Now are you going to stand here all night, or can I get on with my business?”

Theodore’s hands subtly curled into fists. He could practically feel Tessa’s begging gaze burning into the side of his face, and his blood was running hot.

“Theodore.”

Theodore looked over his shoulder, surprised to see Josephine standing there with one hand on her hip. “Heel, tiger,” she told him, her tone only half-teasing this time. “It’s time for us to shoot through, yeah?”

“Josie, she—” Theodore began to say.

“I’m not asking, Teddy,” Josephine interrupted pointedly. “We're leavin’. NOW.”

Theodore worked his jaw, shooting a glare at Louisa out of the corner of his eye.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Leave in silence: 8%
Insult Louisa and leave: 20%
Force politeness and leave: 5%
Try to help Tessa (WILL FAIL): 67%

Chapter Text

II.

Theodore

The Manor: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Try to help Tessa (WILL FAIL)”

After a long, tense moment, Theodore exhaled through his nostrils and unclenched his fists. “Right,” he muttered in response to Josephine’s order. “I’ll be right behind you, boss.”

“You’d better be.” Josephine turned around and began heading out of the banquet hall, calling over her shoulder, “My compliments to the hosts! It’s a lovely gala, Lou!”

“Always a pleasure, Josie!” Louisa called back with a hearty dose of false cheer in her voice. “Gold-digging parasite,” she muttered under her breath. “Anything for a bloody sponsorship…” She shot Theodore a sharp look and told him, “I won’t hear any more of your protests, Theodore. Go handle your business, and I’ll handle mine.”

Theodore’s right foot tapped slowly, belying his residual irritation which continued to simmer beneath the surface of his relatively-calmer disposition. “Yeah, alright. But let me say goodbye, at least.”

Louisa scoffed. “Make it quick!” she ordered, releasing Tessa and crossing her arms. “You two—keep moving!” she snarled at J and the strange little drone.

“Yes, boss.” J continued to walk toward the stairs leading to the second floor, shoving the smaller drone ahead of her.

Theodore sighed and bent down a little so he was at eye-level with Tessa, who was rubbing her bruised wrist and avoiding his gaze. “Hey,” he said, lowering his voice. “How ya goin’, eh?”

“I—I’m right, Ted,” Tessa responded in a slight stammer, forcing a smile onto her face. “Just a bit sore.”

“You sure ‘bout that?” Theodore pressed, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not an animal, Tess. You shouldn’t be gettin’ chained up.”

“I know that!” Tessa replied hotly. “But what’m I s’posed to do about it? She’s my mother!”

“Don’t worry your li’l head, sheila.” Theodore ruffled Tessa’s hair slightly. “I’ll help you out, yeah? I’ll talk with Josie for a bit, circle back around, and bust you outta that room. Just hang tight for a bit, alright?”

Tessa’s eyes lit up for a moment before dimming as she looked at her mother over her shoulder. “But Mother—” she began to say.

“I’ll deal with her later,” Theodore interrupted. “Trust me. Besides, at a party like this, ankle biters oughta be runnin’ about enjoyin’ themselves—not cooped up in a bedroom with the help.” He patted Tessa’s cheek lightly and told her, “Chin up, cuz. I’ll chuck you a hand.”

With that, he straightened up and told Louisa in a grudging tone, “She’s all yours.”

“Hmph. Always has been.” Louisa snatched Tessa by the wrist again and began to drag her away.

Theodore gritted his teeth and marched off in the opposite direction, removing his hat and crushing it in his hands as he grumbled, “One of these days, someone’ll put YOU in a cage, you old showbag…”

- - - Outside the manor, Theodore quickly found out that it was NOT, in fact, time for him and Josephine to leave, because she spent the next twenty minutes conversing with other socialites on the grounds in an attempt to curry more favours from them. He supposed it was easy for her, what with her charming demeanour and wit—and of course, her appearance made it far easier to get along with the men on her list of potential donors.

As the night dragged on, Theodore waited impatiently for Josephine to complete her odyssey around the massive front yard. He uttered the bare minimum of greetings to anyone who happened to pass by, even if they were fellow crew members for his upcoming expedition. He needed an opportunity to get away from the crowd and swing by Tessa’s room—hopefully before she attempted to break herself out (as she had done in the past, often ending the night to the tune of James’s switch on her palm or rear end).

Finally, Theodore could stand the wait no longer and handed Josephine his umbrella, telling her that he’d be right back. “I’m gonna grab some grub before we head out,” he added, slicking back his now-rainsoaked hair (which was exposed to the elements, since he’d thrown his crumpled hat in the trash).

“That better be ALL you’re doin’, Teddy,” Josephine warned. “I’m tryna maintain these sponsorships, yeah?”

“Alright, alright.” Theodore rolled his eyes and walked away, glancing over his shoulder inconspicuously before darting around the side of the manor. He slipped past the groundskeeping drones, who paid him no mind as he made his way to the window that would lead to Tessa’s room—

—a window that happened to be open.

Theodore froze, surprised. Then he rapidly climbed up the side of the manor and leaned into the room, scanning it for any sign of Tessa or the two drones consigned to “prison” alongside her. It was empty, unfortunately, which most likely meant that Tessa had pulled the trigger early and escaped on her own—again.

“Blast it, Tess,” Theodore hissed, clambering into the room and brushing raindrops off his suit. “Couldn’t wait a bloomin’ thirty minutes…” He walked over to a broken chain attached to Tessa’s bed, holding it up and examining it closely. “Bitten,” he muttered, dropping the chain in annoyance. “J. So much for followin’ orders, eh?”

Something bumped against his foot.

Theodore looked down and lifted his leg, startled by the sensation. Even MORE startling, however, was what had caused it: a doll, mutilated and altered so that its head, arms, and legs were replaced by metal claw-like extensions functioning as insectoid appendages.

Theodore squinted at the object and crouched down, picking it up between two fingers as the “legs” wiggled around wildly. “What the…” he began to say, his words trailing away due to his surprise.

A loud slamming sound from the first floor of the manor interrupted his train of thought, breaking through the unusual silence that had gone unnoticed by the sleuthing operative. A voice—youthful yet overbearingly-confident—blared through the building, enhanced by its spectacular acoustics:

“EVERYONE, STAND BACK!”

Theodore stiffened, clutching the altered doll tightly. “Bloody h---, Tessa,” he groaned. “What now…?” He hustled out of the bedroom and leapt over the railing of the balcony that overlooked the main floor, landing solidly on the ground before hurrying toward the banquet hall.

He rounded corner and found the door to the hall open, with Tessa and J standing just beyond the threshold. The implication that the slamming sound he’d heard was Tessa kicking open the door was troubling enough—but what was even MORE troubling was what lay beyond the two “rebels”.

The small drone. The one from earlier. Holding a decorative exoplanet globe in the air with one hand—or rather, forcing it to stay in the air using some strange glowing yellow circle.

It didn’t help Theodore’s blood pressure to see James and Louisa sprawled on the floor beneath two tables on the right side of the room, OR to see Tessa hurling dishes and drinking glasses at the drone.

Before Theodore could even begin to wonder what on Earth was going on, the drone’s HUD shifted to display an annoyed expression, and it raised its other hand into the air.

As if by the drone’s command, every light in the manor went out, before being replaced by several new sources: X’s appearing in the visors of every worker drone in the banquet hall, and a projection of a message across every surface.

ABSOLUTESOLVER
\MATCOLLECTION
IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU ARE IN RANGE

Theodore’s eyes widened, his heart thudding in his chest as he spotted the small drone in the newly-illuminated darkness and saw what it had become: a massive centipede-like monstrosity with multiple camera-esque extensions functioning as eyes and a pair of enormous claws functioning as hands. “Te—” he began to cry, lunging toward his cousin.

J slammed the door behind her, holding it shut with ease despite Theodore’s best effort to push it back open. “HEY!” he barked. “Open the door!” He pounded on the thick, heavy wood with a fist. “TESSA!” he shouted, desperation raising the volume of his voice.

Then another voice resonated from beyond the door, amplified electronically and speaking in a cold, emotionless tone:

“You didn’t have to see this.”

Then the screams began.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Escape the manor: 15%
Break down the door: 79%
Hide and call for backup: 3%
Wait: 3%

Chapter Text

III.

Theodore

The Manor: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Break down the door”

“No, no, no…”

Theodore repeated the word over and over as he slammed his shoulder into the door incessantly, ignoring the pain that raced from his arm to the rest of his body like a bolt of lightning. After a few attempts, it gave way with surprising ease, thank to J moving away from it to join the other drones in the massacre.

Theodore stumbled forward, immediately grabbing his ears as the screams became deafening. Even with his hands softening the sound, he could still hear Tessa’s shrieks of terror and despair ripping through the banquet hall. He hadn’t even processed what was happening—until something wet spattered across his face.

Theodore looked up, horrified to see a red mist filling the air like a deathly fog as worker drones—twisted, mutated worker drones—shredded the gala guests with both wings and claws. He couldn’t believe the sight; it was like stepping directly into a nightmare. Acting quickly, Theodore spun around and wrapped himself around Tessa, shielding her with his body as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Almost as soon as he did so, he felt something snatch him up by the back of his suit and hurl him through the air, sending him skidding across the marble floor. Still he held onto Tessa as one would to a rugby ball, clutching her tightly and refusing to let go even as agony exploded through his back and the base of his skull upon hitting the ground.

Grimacing, Theodore forced his eyes open as Tessa’s wails became a blubbering mess of screams and sobs. He was momentarily distracted when he heard Tessa crying out for her mother… in spite of everything…

Then he flinched as a pair of drones—J and one he recognized as “V”—descended toward him, claws outstretched. He closed his eyes again, rolling over so that his body was covering Tessa’s, and tensed in preparation for the killing blow.

However, the blow never came; instead, the claws of the killer drones were caught by none other than their new master, who extended a pair of surprisingly-organic tentacles and halted their attack. “Not so – fast,” the mutant drone stated, peering down at the cousins with its four camera eyes. “I have – plans – for this one.”

At its command, J and V retreated slowly before flying off to continue the slaughter.

Theodore gritted his teeth, sweat and blood running down his face. He knew it was nothing short of a miracle that none of the blood was HIS, but had a feeling that this would not be the case for much longer. “What do you want with us?” he demanded to know as the creature wrapped a tendril around him and Tessa, raising them into the air. “And what ARE you? Some kind of defective—AGH!”

Tessa’s screams became muffled and louder as the creature constricted her and Theodore, tightening its grip. “I am NOT defective,” it corrected the elder cousin. “I – am the Solver of the Absolute Fabric. The Void. THE EXPONENTIAL END.” It loosened its grip, its “eyes” wrinkling as if it were smiling. “And you're the first – to see my puppet show! Yippee!”

“Puppet… show?” Theodore wheezed, struggling to keep from crushing Tessa in his own arms due to the Solver’s inescapable (and steadily tightening) grip.

“Unfortunately,” the eldritch beast went on, “YOU – are not part of my plan. Time to let go now.”

“You'll hafta rip ‘er from my bloody arms,” Theodore snarled.

The cameras blinked at him.

Then the Solver said, “’Kay.”

Suddenly, Theodore felt his arms being forced outward, splaying him out in midair while Tessa fell to the ground in a coughing fit. A symbol—a yellow hexagon with three arrows protruding outward at 120-degree angles—spun around each hand, flickering sporadically. “Time for – assimilation,” the Solver declared. “Good thing – too; I’m – starving—”

A salvo of bullets shattered the window behind the Solver.

Theodore howled in pain as one hit him in his already-dislocated shoulder, and he dropped to the ground next to Tessa as the distracted Solver turned toward the source of the gunfire. All of the drones in the banquet hall flocked toward the unseen attackers outside as the sound of ammunition being fired was joined by the whipping of helicopter blades through the rainy night sky.

“Teddy! Teddy, get up!” Tessa begged, scrambling over to her cousin and pulling him to his feet despite his wounded groans. “We gotta get outta here!”

“Yeah…! On it!” Theodore grunted. Steeling himself, he hefted Tessa into the air and cradled her in his arms as he made a beeline for the window at the end of the hallway beyond the banquet hall. “I can make it”, his mind told him through the haze of shock and fear, though every step felt slower than the last, as if he were running in a dream. “I can MAKE IT”, his brain insisted, despite the blackness that swam at the edge of his sight as exhaustion and blood loss began to take their toll.

“I CAN MAKE IT!” Theodore shouted out loud as he leapt into the window, spinning around midleap so that his back would take the brunt of the impact—

—and watching in horror as a tendril whipped around the now-exposed Tessa, dragging her out of his grip as he tumbled through the broken glass.

“TEDDY!!!” Tessa screamed as she was yanked back into the manor, while Theodore landed flat on his back on the yard outside. The jolt from the landing almost knocked him clean out, but sheer willpower kept his eyes open and bade him rise again.

The JCJenson operative rolled over and pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the shards of glass caught in his back and hands, ignoring the redness that seeped from his flesh onto the glass-covered grass beneath his bloodsoaked shoes. “TESSA!” he howled, echoing his cry from his first encounter with the monster as he tried to dive back through the window, desperate to save his cousin yet again.

“Tried”, because he was pulled backward by two powerful pairs of arms that hauled him away from the manor as quickly as they could. A commanding voice—one he recognized as Josephine’s—was barking out orders, barely audible over the sound of the firefight and the helicopters and the soldiers’ screams of agony, but Theodore couldn’t hear any of it. All he heard as he was forced into an evacuation aircraft was Tessa’s final plea for help, resounding in his ears over and over and over until he was finally swallowed up by the darkness of unconsciousness.

- - -

Theodore woke hours later in the medical wing of a JCJenson facility, surrounded by nurses and soldiers. Josephine was there, too, clad in more professional clothes as opposed to her gala wear. She clearly and calmly informed the dazed and despondent operative of the situation, and when she was finished, he really wished she hadn’t.

An improperly-discarded worker drone—or “zombie drone”, as they were colloquially known—had gone rogue. Its AI had been infected by some unknown entity capable of transmuting and manipulating matter on a subquantum scale. This zombie drone in particular, “Cyn”, had—for some yet-unknown reason—gone unnoticed after being retrieved and refurbished by Tessa herself. It had subsequently developed an understanding of human societal functions while residing with the rest of the worker drones in Elliott Manor. It had caused several drones to malfunction and altered them in the manor basement before returning them to the main floor, where they had effectively become sleeper agents, waiting for the call from their new administrator.

Elliott Manor was now considered to be “Ground Zero”, condemned and compromised. Everyone inside during the incident—except for Theodore—was assumed to have perished. Every military on the planet was currently battling the newly-christened “Murder Drones” on every front across the globe, trying and failing to stave off the annihilation of the human race. In the meantime, Cyn had gone A.W.O.L., and was presumed to be holed up somewhere plotting a devastating final attack against humanity.

“We’re not detecting any more active drones in the manor, so we’re sending in a biohazard team to investigate the remains,” Josephine concluded, weariness evident in her voice (a voice still hardened by unyielding resolve). “If we find any survivors, we’ll let you know—but don’t get your hopes up.”

“Arm ‘em,” Theodore rasped, his voice weak and raw; after waking, he’d spent the first few minutes having a breakdown, and he was now physically and emotionally drained—not to mention in pain from the surgeries performed to stitch up his many wounds.

“We don’t know if these things can hide themselves from our scanners,” Theodore went on, wincing as he adjusted his position in his hospital bed. “They’re not drones anymore, they’re—they’re somethin’ else. Somethin’… evil.”

“Yes, it made us well aware of that fact early on,” Josephine said with a nod, rubbing one eye with her fingertips in a rare show of fatigue. “The team’ll be goin’ in with a heavy squad. We learned these things are vulnerable to sunlight now, too, so we’re sendin’ ‘em in at night, when the drones are on the hunt instead of potentially cooped up in the manor.” She gave Theodore the best smile she could muster. “No worries, Teddy. They’ll be fine.”

Theodore clutched the railing of his bed with the one hand he had that wasn’t in a sling, though the heavy bandages made it difficult to grasp anything. He could still hear Tessa’s voice in the back of his mind, still see her terrified expression, still feel the Solver’s serpentine tendril crushing his ribs like a python asphyxiating its prey.

Yet his fear—his pain—his trauma—all were trumped by his refusal to admit defeat, to concede to the monster, or to believe that his cousin had perished that night. The Solver wanted her—no, it NEEDED her for something. It had said so itself implicitly, if not explicitly: HE wasn’t part of the plan, but SHE most certainly WAS.

She was alive. Theodore KNEW it.

Now the question was… what could he possibly do about it?


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Join a squad and prepare for a counterstrike against the Solver: 68%
Request to investigate the manor with the biohazard crew: 19%
Work with Josephine to devise a failsafe for potential survivors: 5%
Go rogue and break out of the hospital with no plan whatsoever: 9%

Chapter Text

IV.

Theodore

Fighting Back: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Join a squad and prepare for a counterstrike against the Solver”

Finally, Theodore allowed his senses to take over from his emotions and resigned to the fact that Josephine’s biohazard crew would have to handle the situation at the manor. He wasn’t trained like they were; he wasn’t prepared to enter such a contaminated environment. All he could do was wait and hope that they found Tessa, alive and in one piece.

“What’s my next move?” he asked at last, meeting Josephine’s gaze once more.

“Suit up,” Josephine answered simply. “I’d love to give you time to recover, tiger, but we’re on the clock ‘ere. We need as many able-bodied soldiers in the field as possible—and as thrashed as you are, you fit the bill.”

“We got a plan to fight these things?” Theodore inquired, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing shakily on the hospital floor. “Last I saw, guns don’t work on ‘em.”

“Explosives are effective enough,” Josephine responded, leading him out of the hospital room and striding down the hallway at a brisk pace. “They can self-repair, but they can be put down with enough damage. Unfortunately, when they ARE down, things can get a bit… dodgy.”

“Dodgy how?” Theodore asked, dreading the response.

Josephine stopped outside a sealed laboratory and slipped her keybug out of her pocket, dropping it on the proximity reader. The door slid open, and she gestured to the interior. “See for yourself,” she said in response to Theodore’s question, pocketing the keybug again.

Theodore stepped into the room and scanned the contents: scientists in biohazard suits, several drone disassembly units in the back (three of which had “Murder Drone” corpses protruding from the exit ends), and three jars containing strange, fleshy objects positioned over Bunsen burners on a low simmer setting.

“The heck are these?” Theodore murmured, walking over to the three jars and bending down to examine one of the objects within. It blinked a metallic yellow eye at him and tapped on the glass with one of its organic limbs.

“Those,” Josephine replied, moving over to Theodore’s side with her hands behind her back, “are the ‘hearts’ of three altered worker drones: Serial Designations N, V, and J.” She bent over as Theodore had, adding, “When the Solver tinkered with ‘em, it, uh… ‘adjusted’ their primary power units.”

“What’s the issue with ‘em?”

“The issue, Teddy, is that when the main body is destroyed, these hearts’ve shown a tendency to beat feet.” Josephine tapped N’s jar, making his heart shrink back. “And if they’re not caught and either contained or bombarded with UV radiation, they mutate further.”

“Into… what, exactly?” Theodore inquired, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“Remember what the Solver looked like in the manor?”

Theodore’s expression darkened. “Can’t forget it.”

“Yeah. They turn into THAT.”

“ALL of them?”

“Not all, but some,” Josephine corrected. “So we need the best and the brightest out in the field to blow up the bodies, UV these buggers into submission, and put ‘em through propah disassembly.”

“That’ll take too long,” Theodore muttered, shaking his head as his eyes flickered between V and J. “Who knows how many a’ these things it’s got on the streets? Goin’ through that process… we’d be bettah off nukin’ ‘ole cities.”

“I agree. Which is why we’re just buyin’ time ‘til we find the Solver’s main body again,” Josephine explained. “You’ll be part of the search team. You find that thing, put it under, and JCJenson cleans up the resultin’ mess. Sound good?”

“Sounds impossible,” Theodore responded, shooting Josephine a look.

“Sounds like you’re in,” Josephine shot back with a smirk.

“You betchyer rear I am.” Theodore straightened up as Josephine did the same, groaning as soreness and stiffness made his entire body throb. “Jus’ need some tactical gear and—uh—”

He stopped dead in the middle of his sentence as his eyes caught a glimpse of scientists walking by the doorway outside the lab, wheeling three large canisters—each about two-and-a-half metres high and one wide—down the hallway, followed closely by two soldiers with strange dinosaur-like machines on chain leashes.

“…What the…?” Theodore tried to say, confounded by the sight.

“Hm?” Josephine followed his gaze, poking her head out of the lab and peering down the hallway. “Oh. You saw our li’l projects,” she remarked, grinning. “Those are anti-drone sentinels, equipped with floodlights clockin’ at 7 million lumens. Everyone who ever owned a worker knows they can be bootlooped by flashes, so we figured we could stun ‘em with those babies.”

“Yeah-yeah-yeah. That’s not—” Theodore stopped and waved a hand, gathering his thoughts. “What were those capsules?” he asked, finally managing to articulate his question. “They looked like the experimental cloning chambers from Proxima-3.” He looked at Josephine, his expression both confused and suspicious. “Are—are you clonin’ soldiers?”

Josephine sets her lips in a thin line, clasping her hands together at waist level. “Not soldiers,” she replied her voice going strangely quiet.

Theodore fell silent for a moment, then turned his body so that he was facing Josephine fully before taking a step toward her. “Josie,” he said in a low voice, “what are you doin’?”

Josephine hesitated before sighing and leaning against one of the desks in the lab. “We at JCJenson are fulfillin’ the last will and testament of one of our sponsors,” she answered, choosing her words carefully. “He included us in it as part of our contract, requestin’ that he an’ his folks be cloned in case of their untimely deaths so that the bloodline carries on—and the fortune stays within the family.”

For a long time, Theodore simply stared at Josephine, feeling somewhat numb as her words sank in. He couldn’t even feel the tear running down his face as he struggled to form his next question. “James Elliott?” he guessed at last, his voice weighed down with hurt. “You—you’re clonin’ Tessa?”

“Teddy—”

“You think she’s DEAD, is that it?” Theodore interrupted, taking another step toward Josephine. “Or you found her body already, an’ you just didn’t wanna tell me? Huh?”

“She was at Ground Zero. Everyone in the manor is thought to be deceased,” Josephine said in a level tone, not backing down. “Even with the biohazard crew goin’ in, we have to assume the worst—”

Suddenly, Josephine’s keybug began beeping furiously, its red light shining through her pocket.

Josephine glanced down at it, then back at Theodore. “I might need to answer that,” she stated.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Let Josephine handle the call and head to the front in Sydney: 55%
Follow instincts and press Josephine about the chambers: 13%
Lie and sneak off to investigate the chambers: 12%
Allow Josephine to answer but listen in on the call: 20%

Chapter Text

V.

Theodore

Fighting Back: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Let Josephine handle the call and head to the front in Sydney”

Theodore opened his mouth once more, planning to grill Josephine further about the issue, but then sagged in defeat, a throbbing pain pulsating through his head as the stress of it all weighed heavily upon him. “I thought bettah of you, Josie,” he said quietly, watching the director remove the keybug from her pocket. “I thought you would’ve at least told me first.”

“Trust me, Teddy—there’s a lotta things I wanna tell ya but can’t. It’s part of the job.” Josephine gestured toward the operative with her keybug. “Can I take this or no?”

“Do whatever y’want,” Theodore muttered, grimacing and rubbing his head with his good hand as he brushed past Josephine. “I’ll go to the front.” He let out a bitter chuckle and added over his shoulder, “Maybe I’ll see Tessa in a bit, eh?”

“Teddy, c’mon!” Josephine yelled after him, a hint of anger and hurt entering her voice. “It’s not—”

The door slid shut, silencing the rest of her words.

- - -

Josephine sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose while activating the keybug with the other. “What is it, Hughes?” she asked wearily.

However, there was no response from the leader of the biohazard crew; instead, all that popped up was a holographic projection of a live feed from inside the Elliott Manor. Josephine frowned, inspecting the video: it showed multiple members of the team in a hallway lined by organic material, taking notes and samples.

And sitting against the wall, covered in blood and appearing traumatized beyond definition, was Tessa Elliott.

Josephine’s eyes grew to the size of globes as shock thrilled through her. “What?” she breathed. “That… that can’t be. How—”

The feed glitched.

Josephine’s quiet exclamation of joyful disbelief was cut off almost instantly, and her face fell as the feed continued to lose fidelity. The biohazard crew vanished entirely, replaced by skeletons in HAZMAT suits slumped against the slimy walls. Tessa was still sitting on the ground, but no longer appeared aware or even ALIVE.

Instead, her previous appearance was replace by that of a child’s corpse, eyes open but sockets empty, skin browned by slight decay and stained by long-dried blood.

Josephine covered her mouth with a hand and staggered backward into the laboratory’s closed door. “Oh my god,” she moaned, her voice muffled as tears began to flow down her face. “Oh my—”

The corpse twitched.

Josephine went stock-still.

To her mind-numbing horror, Tessa’s corpse began to rise in a slow, jerky fashion, like a marionette being raised by a puppeteer pulling on its strings. It reached a standing position with both knees angled inward awkwardly… and then looked up at the camera as two flashing yellow X’s appeared in its eyes.

A crooked grin split Tessa’s face from ear to ear—a grin made of metal teeth, set in a mouth positioned behind the hole that had been cut out in the place where Tessa’s actual mouth had been.

The feed went blurry with static and then vanished.

Josephine dropped the keybug in shock, stunned into silence by what she’d seen. She remained where she was for a moment, panting heavily and staring vacantly at her open hand.

Then she whispered, “Teddy.”

Spinning around, Josephine opened the door and bolted down the hallway, calling for her top operative.

It was, of course, too late.

- - -

Theodore’s boots hit the ground hard, causing his knees to buckle slightly. Fire and smoke filled the air around him, limiting visibility and creating an eerie hellscape in what had once been Sydney, Australia. Screams and gunfire echoed from every direction, effectively acting as the death knells of several dozen soldiers.

“Alright, blokes,” Theodore growled, not turning to face his squadron of heavy-artillery-toting soldiers (deployed courtesy of JCJenson On EARRRRRTHH!!!!’s Combat Division). “These things’re gonna make short work of us—but before they do, let’s give ‘em hell.”

“That doesn’t sound like a ‘can-do’ attitude!” one of the soldiers—a bright-eyed young recruit whose name escaped Theodore at the moment—remarked with a cheerful gesture.

“It ain’t one, mate. Shut up and stay close.” Theodore motioned for the squadron to move forward, then motioned to three of the soldiers outfitted with jetpacks to cover them from above.

“Horn, take the left flank. Wallace, go right. Stay alert,” the leader of the aerial squad snapped, verbally relaying Theodore’s unspoken orders as she activated her jetpack and took to the sky.

“This is a frickin’ suicide mission. None of us know what we’re doing,” Horn complained, rising into the air alongside her fellow soldiers. “Can’t believe they thought it was a good idea to just throw us at the—UNGH!”

The soldiers all flinched, shocked by the sheer speed at which one of the Murder Drones—which came streaking out of the smoke—tackled Horn in midair, carrying her into another plume of smoke and vanishing.

“EYES UP!” Theodore barked, swiveling rapidly with his weapon in the air. “We’ve got hostiles—”

“AAHAHHAAAHHHH!!” the young soldier from before suddenly screamed as another Murder Drone speared him from behind with its claws, swooping upward into the sky and disappearing from sight.

Several soldiers began firing wildly into the air, trying to hit the escaping drone. Meanwhile, Theodore began to see glowing X’s appearing throughout the smoky haze, indicating that his entire squadron was surrounded. “Blast it all,” he hissed through gritted teeth. “Fresh off the carrier and we’re already dead meat.”

A massive explosion sent out a shockwave that flattened his entire unit to the ground. Shrapnel from the aircraft—which had been hit by a Murder Drone’s rocket—ripped through many of Theodore’s squad-mates, ending their lives or wounding them to the point of immobility.

Theodore himself was flung into the distance, rendered temporarily deaf and paralyzed by the sheer force of the detonation. He coughed and rolled over onto his back, his entire body wracked with pain.

Something flashed in the smoke overhead; another “X”. Another drone. It came streaking down toward Theodore like a bolt of lightning, a crazed open-mouthed grin on its face and its claws outstretched.

Suddenly, the Murder Drone was intercepted in mid-flight by Wallace, who tackled it away with a shout of “NO!” and dragged it to the ground. Theodore rolled over onto his side, trying to push himself to his feet as he watched Wallace shred the drone’s body with heavy artillery at close range.

“*cough* The h-heart,” Theodore wheezed, though he doubted his voice was audible over the din. “G-Get the heart…!”

On cue, the heart exploded out of the dead drone’s chest, attempting to scurry away. However, Wallace shone a UV floodlight on it before it could escape, torching it until it dissolved into a worthless singularity that floated upward into the sky.

Theodore felt something yank him from behind, and he began to struggle as he was lifted upward. “Hey! Easy!” the thing that had grabbed him—which was clearly Horn, based on the voice—snapped. “I’m saving your life here!”

“We gotta get back to base!” Theodore forced out, his voice still strained. “We can’t do anything here! There’s too many—”

Horn spun around, spraying the air around her with bullets as several clones attempted to attack her in midair. “Commander! Back me up!” she shouted.

The aerial squad’s commander obliged immediately, appearing out of nowhere and firing her machine gun into the chests of the unaware drones quickly and efficiently, tearing them clean open. As their hearts tumbled to the ground, she unloaded a volley of heat-seeking missiles from the shoulder pads of her armour, blowing them out of the air with ruthless efficiency. She followed up the attack with an EMP pulse from the centre of her breastplate, disabling every Murder Drone within range and giving the survivors of Theodore’s squad a brief respite. “Wallace! Help me evacuate these soldiers!” she barked at her somewhat-traumatized fellow soldier.

“R-Right. On it, sir!” Wallace replied with a shaky salute. He and the commander began to scoop up soldiers and fly off as fast as they could, with the frailest hope that they could somehow make it to the JCJenson underground facility before they were caught.

“It’s almost sunrise, so these things should be heading back to wherever the Solver’s planning to hide them,” Horn stated, narrowing her eyes at the sky as it began to change colours. “But I don’t know if we… can…”

Her words faded as her eyes widened in shock, and Theodore’s did the same. He hadn’t thought the situation could get any worse—but of course, he realized, the end of the world can ALWAYS get worse.

What appeared to be a black hole with the letters “N-U-L-L” in the centre of it was rising over the horizon, filling the sky with a violent orange glow as the light it absorbed spun around its edges like a ring of fire.

“GOD help us,” Theodore whispered, unable to believe his eyes. “It’s blocked out the bloody sun.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Tell Horn to take you back to base: 12%
Tell Horn to locate another aircraft: 5%
Tell Horn to help the survivors: 79%
Tell Horn to take you to a hiding place: 4%

Chapter Text

VI.

Theodore

Escape to Proxima-3: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Tell Horn to help the survivors”

Theodore and Horn continued to stare at the massive singularity for a moment, lost for words and nearly overwhelmed with despair.

“…Orders, sir?” Horn asked at last, her voice hushed and quavering with fear.

Theodore swallowed hard, sweat trickling down his face. “Take us down,” he responded quietly. “Get as many people outta here as y’can. I’ll cover ya.”

“Sir, there’s no way you’ll survive—” Horn began to protest.

“Do it.”

Theodore’s words were not harsh, nor did they carry a commanding tone, but the weight of the utter defeat that rested upon them was enough to implore Horn to obey. She descended to the ground and set Theodore down. “I’ll come back for you, sir!” she shouted over the sounds of battle, looking over her shoulder as she sprinted toward a fallen soldier.

“Don’t worry about me!” Theodore shouted back, tossing down his automatic and picking up a minigun loaded with tank-piercing rounds. “Save as many as you can!” He laid down a wave of gunfire, forcing three attacking Murder Drones to shield themselves with their wings before retreating to circle overhead.

Something slithered through the smoke in the distance—a mutated drone, no doubt—but Theodore continued to fight, undeterred by the sight. He raised the angle of his minigun with much effort, spraying the rounds at the drones in the air. One of them responded by firing a missile at him, but Theodore spun around and, like an Olympic hammer thrower, hurled the minigun into the air and dove away as it caught the missile in flight, detonating and sending a spray of shrapnel in all directions.

Theodore flinched as something hit his back, but refused to stay down and got to his feet as quickly as he could. He could hear screaming in the distance; he recognized one of the voices as Horn’s. So he forced himself to shut it out and scrambled to find another weapon, or shelter, or anything that would get him out of this mess.

No. Who was he kidding? He wasn’t getting out of this. Not without some kind of miracle—

“TEDDY!”

Theodore spun around, startled to hear another familiar voice ringing out in the midst of the war. He almost fell over when he saw what was headed toward him: an earth-to-space combat unit (ESCU), doors open, and Josephine Jenson leaning out the side of it with her hand outstretched. Reacting quickly, Theodore jumped laterally, grabbing Josephine’s wrist and allowing her to haul him off the ground and into the ESCU as it swept down and back up into the sky.

“Josie! What the heck’re ya doin’ ‘ere?!” Theodore bellowed at her, more scared than upset. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

“We sent you to the wrong location, Teddy!” Josephine cried as the wind whipped her hair across her face, blurring her eyes and adding tears to the ones that were already falling. “The Solver’s not out here! We made an educated guess, and it was wrong!”

“That ain’t your fault, but gettin’ these blokes KILLED for my sake WILL be!” Theodore raged, gesturing to the soldiers in the unit with them. “I mean, what were you THINKIN’, Josie?”

“You’re part of our failsafe!” Josephine countered as the ESCU’s doors closed, though her voice still seemed to carry an apologetic and regretful tone. “We have plans for you, but—but we have something else to discuss first!”

A thunderous boom rang out as an attack helicopter in the distance took a missile directly to the fuel tank. The shockwave made the ESCU rock precariously, forcing Theodore to grab onto one of the seats. “Are we goin’ back to base?” he asked, glaring at Josephine. “I’ve still got questions about the cloning capsules.”

“HQ was compromised, Teddy,” Josephine told him, her voice cracking a bit as she spoke. “We got about a quarter of the staff out, along with a few experiments, but… well… by now, I’d wager there’s not much of a base left.”

Theodore swore loudly, slamming the side of his fist into the blast doors and actually making one of the soldiers jump. “Then what’re we s’posed to do?” he yelled, his anxiety, frustration, and fear boiling over. “Just lie down n’ DIE?! I REFUSE! I’ll fight ‘til the bleedin’ end, sheila, but I sure as h--- ain’t runnin’ from this!”

“As your supervisor and overseer of your expeditions, I am ORDERING you to run from it, Theodore,” Josephine snapped, matching Theodore’s fire and taking a threatening step toward him. “You do not have a CHOICE.”

Theodore stiffened, his eyes blazing with fury as he and Josephine glared at each other.

“Ma’am. The reprogrammed drones are back online,” the pilot suddenly stated, interrupting the staredown. “They’ve been deployed to provide backup. ETA’s 30 seconds.”

“Patch me through to the leader,” Josephine ordered, shooting Theodore one more look before walking over to the pilot’s side.

“Yes, ma’am.” The pilot flipped a switch and said, “SD:J-dash-zero-one, this is command. Do you copy? Come in, J-dash-zero-one.”

“Copy, command. This is J-dash-zero-one, reporting for duty,” came the Murder Drone’s staticky reply over the ESCU’s radio.

“J, this is Director Jenson,” Josephine said, her eyes darting toward the window as a shadow flickered by in the smoky sky. “We need you on our flanks, stat.”

“Understood, boss. We’re 15 seconds out.”

“Acknowledged. And by the way, in case you weren’t informed at HQ, our unit is going to be leaving the atmosphere, and we need you to cover our exit,” Joesphine added. “Think you can handle that?”

“Whatever you need, boss. We’ll—”

“Leaving the atmosphere?” Theodore broke in with a disbelieving laugh. “So what, we’re—we’re abandoning Earth?”

“Don’t interrupt,” Josephine snapped at him. Then, addressing J again and looking out the window once more, she said, “Alright, J, I see you. We’re steadyin’ our course.”

“Roger that.”

Theodore narrowed his eyes and turned to another window, watching as one of the reprogrammed drones—V, judging by her hairstyle and glasses—came alongside the ESCU, her hands in rocket-launcher mode. He knew N would be on the other side as J ran point from the front, meaning the rear was protected only by the ESCU’s own automated weapon systems (which would hopefully be enough to deter any would-be attackers).

As the ESCU began to climb upward, streaking through the smoke and into the clouds, several Murder Drones began to converge toward it. All Theodore and the other soldiers could do was watch and wait to see if they would make it out in one piece, banking their lives on the effectiveness of their new robotic guardian angels.

Theodore turned to Josephine, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall of the ESCU, and asked in a low voice, “You were cryin’ when you picked me up. You just upset we lost the planet, or did somethin’ else happen?”

Josephine met his gaze, her annoyance at him dying away as she remembered what she had to tell him. “Teddy, I…” she began, then sighed and sat down in one of the ESCU’s seats.

Theodore sat down next to her, staring straight ahead and leaning forward as he folded his hands. “The crew found Tessa,” he guessed, his voice thick with emotion.

Josephine hesitated before nodding.

“Dead?”

Another nod. “The Solver, it—it took her,” Josephine whispered.

Theodore shook his head, trying to stop himself from breaking down into sobs again. “It took a lot of people,” he forced himself to say. “Just another reason to keep fightin’.”

“No, Teddy. You don’t understand.” Josephine put a hand on Theodore’s arm, causing him to turn and meet her gaze. “It TOOK her,” she repeated, her voice shaking. “It—It’s wearing her… her body.”

The entire unit fell completely silent, as if all the air had been sucked out of it. It almost seemed like the fighting outside had stopped as well, and a nauseating sense of dread settled over the ESCU’s interior like a heavy fog.

“I'm so sorry,” Josephine choked out.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Respond with rage: 33%
Respond with solitude: 4%
Respond with determination: 60%
Respond with sadness: 4%

Chapter Text

VII.

Theodore

Escape to Proxima-3: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Respond with determination”

For a long moment, Theodore had no idea how to react. He tried to understand what Josephine was saying, tried to make it make sense in his mind, yet he found himself unable to wrap his head around the thought. “Wearing her body”? “WEARING HER BODY”? What did that even MEAN? How was that even possible?!

“Show me.”

The words were barely audible—in fact, Josephine could barely tell that they had come from Theodore—but they sent a pang of emotional agony racing through her heart. “Teddy, no,” she murmured. “You don’t have to see that.”

“I need…” Theodore stopped and swallowed, trying to keep his voice from shaking. “I NEED to know,” he said quietly, “what happened. Please.”

Josephine hesitated again, but finally gave Theodore a nod of resignation and took out her keybug, bringing up a holographic recording. She forced herself to watch Theodore, waiting for his reaction as the video from Elliott Manor was played. Another soldier who had her eyes fixed on the projection turned around and vomited onto the wall, falling to her knees and coughing.

Meanwhile, Theodore remained completely silent and still as he watched the recording to the end. The reflection of the Solver’s X-shaped eyes flickered in his as twin tears ran down his hardened face, creating a chilling contrast.

Then the recording ended. Josephine wordlessly pocketed her keybug and clasped Theodore’s hand in both of hers. “We’ll stop it, Teddy,” she promised him, her voice breaking yet maintaining a reassuring tone. “We’ll find a way.”

Theodore nodded, not looking at Josephine as he gave her hands a squeeze. Then he slipped his out of hers and stood up, clearing his throat. “Where are we going?” he asked, walking over to the pilot’s side. He sniffed and wiped his face, removing the tears as he attempted to regain his composure.

“Proxima-3.” Josephine stood as well, going over to the pilot’s other side. “We’re gonna handle the cloning issue and deliver some materials for study.”

Theodore nodded, working his jaw. “Can I see them?”

Josephine glanced at him. “You sure you wanna do that? After… after seein’ the—”

“I’m sure.” Theodore nodded again and, as if trying to convince himself, repeated, “I’m sure.”

Josephine sighed. “Alright.” She pressed a button on the console and said, “J, bring your squad and board the unit. We’re about to clear the exosphere.” Then, to the company inside the ESCU, she ordered, “Helmets on. Circulate oxygen and magnetize. We’re gonna depressurize when those doors open.”

The soldiers obeyed, assuming ready positions as the blast doors slid open, allowing the three reprogrammed Murder Drones to fly inside. “We’ve got a problem,” were the first words out of J’s mouth upon entering the ship.

“Problem?” Josephine repeated, removing her helmet and raising an eyebrow at the drone. “What’s up?”

“Well, according to the chatter we picked up from our clones,” J responded, “the Solver’s been sending them overseas. They have orders to build conduit spires all over the world using any acceptable forms of matter.”

“Wait, a—a ‘conduit spire’?” Josephine repeated, confused. “What is that?”

“And what the heck are ‘acceptable forms of mattah?” Theodore added, turning around to face the drones.

“Humans. Animals. Drones,” V answered before J could, putting her hands on her hips. “It’s running /matcollection on a large scale.”

“Problem is, we don’t know… why, exactly,” N admitted with a helpless gesture. “It just seems… REALLY abstract?”

“Hm.” Josephine ran a hand through her hair thoughtfully. “If this is a worldwide operation, it sounds like the Solver’s planning something BIG. A one-size-kills-all global strike.”

“Can we stop it?” Theodore asked, dreading the answer.

“Ha! Unlikely,” J replied in a scoff. “I calculate our chances of taking out every spire to be somewhere around -3.7 percent.”

“That’s impossible,” Josephine remarked, frowning.

“Exactly my point, boss,” J confirmed, crossing her arms.

“We should keep heading to Proxima-3,” V advised. “We’d be better off planning a counterstrike from there—and safer, too.” She adjusted her glasses, adding in a wary tone, “The base there is underground, right? Because we’re not too good with sunlight at the moment.”

“We’re also veeeeeeeery uncomfortable with being exposed to a giant murdery eldritch god on the surface!” N added with a nervous chuckle.

“Don’t worry. All of our bases are underground or bein’ moved to underground locations as we speak,” Josephine reassured them. “You’ll be fine.” She walked over to a seat and fell into it, exhaling as the other soldiers did the same. “Now everyone buckle up,” she ordered. “We’re comin’ up on the wormhole.”

Theodore sat down next to Josephine again, watching the Earth shrink into the distance through one of the windows. It felt surreal—especially since he knew deep down that, in all likelihood, he would never see his homeworld again.

Not that there was anything left for him there, anyway.

- - -

“After we finish up in the lab, you’ll be filled in on our future plans.”

Theodore rubbed the bridge of his nose as he walked alongside Josephine down the hallway of the Proxima-3 lab. The journey had taken around two weeks, which had given him at least a little time to process Tessa’s passing, her being cloned, and the loss of the entire planet. Behind him followed J, V, and N, who were slated to be prepped for further study once Josephine’s crew had settled in.

“I’m gonna be reassingin’ you to a special forces unit,” Josephine went on, motioning toward Theodore. “No worries; you’ll fit right in with those drongos,” she added with a cheeky smile.

Theodore grunted. “Hope so. As long as they’re not like my expedition crew. Couldn’t stand their professionalism.”

“Do you miss them any?”

“Not really, no.”

“Well, too bad. They’re part of your new team.”

Theodore shot Josephine a pained look. “You’re not serious.”

“Dead serious, mate.” Josephine grinned, then opened a door leading into a massive lab filled with rows upon rows of cloning capsules at the back. “And here we are,” she declared with a sweeping gesture. “The pride a’ Proxima-3: Cabin Fever Labs! This is where we make the magic.” She nodded to one of the passing scientists, continuing, “We’ve got locations set up on every exoplanet ‘cept Copper-9; still working on the pricing for the temp spot. Givin’ us a bloody fight, those church folk are.”

“You’re buyin' a CHURCH for a lab?” Theodore asked skeptically.

“Leasing, mate; leasing. We’re constructin’ a permanent facility on the southern continent.” Josephine stopped in front of three capsules situated on an anti-gravity lift and looked at one of the scientists inspecting them. “Dr. Ridley,” she greeted the older man. “How’re they doin’?”

“Hm?” The doctor looked up and smiled. “Ah! Director Jenson. They’re doing quite well—yes, quite well.” He rapped on one of the capsules with his knuckles. “Held up nicely on the trip over. Not a scratch on them.”

Josephine and Theodore were silent for a while.

Then Theodore stated, “She meant the clones, mate.”

“Yeah, the clones,” Josephine confirmed. “Not—not the capsules.”

“Oh!” The doctor’s eyebrows rose, then drooped in a disappointed frown. “Well, on that front, er… we lost the parents.”

“Strewth? That’s a shame,” Theodore said flatly.

“Yes, truly. Alas, it appears there were some issues with the wiring and they didn’t fully develop… although the capsules DID pass inspection…” The doctor’s report devolved into a mess of mumbles as he checked his keybug’s holographic notes again.

“But the kid survived, yeah?” Josephine pressed, raising an eyebrow questioningly as she subtly slipped something into Theodore’s hand. Theodore didn’t glance down, but felt a jolt of shock run through him as he realized that she’d passed him something that felt suspiciously like frayed wires and a few small screws.

“Yes, she made it all the way!” the doctor said in response to Josephine’s inquiry, cheering up a bit. “And for that, I must thank Mr. Elliott here,” he added, dipping his head respectfully to Theodore as the latter discreetly shoved the objects Josephine had given him into his pockets. “Without the data gathered from the Solver’s organic cells found on your gala clothes, the cloning process would still be hypothetical. But once our Earth base transmitted the data, we were able to use its innate replication capabilities to complete the formula required to carry out the process, which we then sent back to the cloning division on Earth so that—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on,” Theodore interrupted, waving his hands quickly. “What? You’re tellin’ me you cloned ‘er usin’ the SOLVER?”

“Oh, yes. And that was just the bare MINIMUM of what it can do. Once we study it further—”

“STUDY IT?” Theodore repeated, his hands suddenly finding Dr. Ridley’s collar and raising the older man slightly off the ground. “You’re experimentin’ with that thing HERE? Do you know how dangerous it is?!”

“I-I—w-well, we—” Dr. Ridley stammered, shivering so hard his glasses nearly bounced off his face.

“Teddy, stand down,” Josephine ordered rapidly, grabbing Theodore’s shoulder. “Let him go.”

“This ain’t fightin’ fire with fire, mate!” Theodore raged, ignoring Josephine. “If the Solver manifests here, THIS planet dies too! It’s not some pet you can tame! It creates holograms! It takes over machines! It MURDERED—”

“Teddy?”

Theodore froze.

That voice…

Theodore’s body went slack, his fists unclenching and dropping Dr. Ridley back onto his feet. He slowly turned around, eyes wide. He shouldn’t have been shocked, he thought; he’d known what he’d find in the cloning lab. That’s why he was there, after all.

And yet…

A girl stood in the doorway of the lab, looking distraught, rubbing her wrist, clothed in a clean white blouse with the Cabin Fever Labs logo emblazoned on it, but otherwise looking exactly like she had the day she’d died.

“Tessa,” Theodore breathed.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Concern?: 18%
Joy!: 71%
Professionalism.: 5%
Sadness...: 6%

Chapter Text

VIII.

Theodore

Preliminary Integration: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Joy!”

“Tessa, thank GOD!” Theodore cried, lunging forward and embracing his young cousin. He hefted her into the air, practically crushing her as he did so.

“Ow, Teddy! OW!” Tessa wailed, wriggling in his grip. “Lemme go!”

Theodore laughed and set her down, wiping away joyful tears with one hand and placing the other on Tessa’s shoulder. “Sorry, kid. I just… I’m real happy to see you, that’s all,” he replied with a sniffle.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes too, Teddy,” Tessa responded with a smile of her own, though Theodore could see it wasn’t natural; it was strangely forced, and there was an odd, haunted look in Tessa’s eyes.

Regardless, he carried on, telling Tessa, “You ain’t got a clue what I been goin’ through, wonderin’ if you were okay—”

“And you don’t know what SHE’S gone through, Mr. Elliott,” Dr. Ridley called from behind Theodore.

“Howzat, Doc?” Theodore inquired, turning to face the doctor with his hand still on Tessa’s shoulder in an almost-protective gesture.

“Let her greet the others,” the doctor responded, beckoning to Theodore. “We must talk… privately.”

Theodore frowned, disappointed. “Alright,” he conceded after a moment of hesitation. Then he mussed Tessa’s hair and gestured to the three reprogrammed drones, who had been eagerly awaiting their turn to greet their old “master”. “Go say ‘'ello’. But take it easy, yeah?” he added with a grin. “You’re fresh out the tube, after all.”

“Well, I didn’t forget how to WALK, Ted,” Tessa responded, rolling her eyes. Then she rushed toward the drones and joyfully exclaimed each of their names in turn, bringing them into a group hug.

“Glad to see you’re okay, boss,” J remarked in relief, her words fading slightly to Theodore’s ears as he joined Dr. Ridley and Josephine off to the side, out of earshot from Tessa.

“So what’s the deal, mate?” Theodore asked, crossing his arms in mild irritation. “I wanna spend some time with my only surviving family, so make this quick.”

“I shall do my best.” The doctor cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, then let out a heavy sigh that immediately caused concern to spike in Theodore’s heart. “You recall my mentioning that we cloned Tessa using the Absolute Solver, yes?”

“’course. You said it—what, five minutes ago?” Theodore responded with a shrug.

“Indeed. But are you aware of the significance of that?”

“Don’t tell me she has it in ‘er,” Theodore growled, uncrossing his arms and making a threatening gesture toward Dr. Ridley.

“Unfortunately, she might,” Dr. Ridley admitted. “We have not done enough research on it to confirm, but it is a possibility. However,” he added, holding up his hands defensively as Theodore stepped closer to him, “there is a positive to the use of the Solver.”

“Which is?” Josephine asked, subtly grabbing the back of Theodore’s shirt.

“The positive, Director,” Dr. Ridley answered, allowing himself a small smile, “is that this is the REAL Tessa.”

Theodore and Josephine stared at him blankly for a moment.

“Ahem. Allow me to explain.” The doctor retrieved his keybug and tapped it, projecting his holographic notes again. “You see, the way the Solver’s replication works is through quantum cloning. It takes an object, animate or inanimate, and essentially moves it to another location, while also keeping it in the ORIGINAL location. Therefore, that object it is effectively in two places at once.”

“…Schrodinger’s cat?” Theodore surmised in a dubious tone.

“Eh… similar, but not quite.” The doctor raised a finger, continuing, “Now, the DOWNSIDE to this is that because our Tessa HERE is the same as the Tessa on Earth, and because she was duplicated AFTER that Tessa’s death, she has all of her memories—including that death. And that death was…” Dr. Ridley trailed off, sighing again and removing his glasses to wipe his face. “It was traumatic,” he murmured, “in all the worst ways.” He shook his head, adding, “And that’s not even accounting for what happened PRIOR to it.”

Theodore stared at the doctor in horrified disbelief for a few seconds, and then glanced over his shoulder at Tessa as she chatted with N, J, and V. “So—so what, she has… PTSD?” he asked, concern entering his voice.

“Initial brain scans from her incubation period show signs similar to those seen in victims of torture,” Dr. Ridley confirmed quietly, “and our preliminary psychological evaluations have all but confirmed it. She must be handled delicately, because we’re not sure how or when these cerebral dysfunctions will manifest physically. So don’t overstimulate her; give her plenty of space and time to process what’s happened. Alright?”

Theodore ran a hand through his hair, scrunching up his face as new tears—and not ones of joy—began to well up in his eyes. “Bloody h---,” he hissed. “Did—did it keep her ALIVE when it—when it—” He choked up, unable to finish.

“Easy does it, tiger,” Josephine told him softly, finally releasing his shirt and instead resting her hand on his back. “She’ll be apples in time. You always told me she was tougher than you, yeah?”

Theodore nodded, rubbing his face. “Yeah. She is.”

“AND she’s got you to help her recover,” Dr. Ridley pointed out. “You’ll only be seeing her in small doses, of course—but when you’re available, I’m certain you’ll make the most of the time you spend with her.”

Despite himself, Theodore let out a chuckle, trying to focus on the fact that, in spite of everything, Tessa was here. She was alive. The hope that she’d survived had been enough to keep him from breaking down before, and KNOWING that she’d survived would certainly be enough now.

- - -

Theodore headed back toward to Tessa and crossed his arms, stopping a few metres away and smiling as he watched her continue to converse with the three drones. “Y’know, those drones always were her favourite people in the world,” he remarked to Josephine, who had come up alongside him. “Good to see that some things never change.”

“Yeah. Guess they were her only real family,” Josephine said with a shrug.

“Heh.” Theodore shot her a glance out of the corner of his eye. “Speaking of… I never took you for a saboteur, Josie. Or a murderer, at that.”

“Not murder. Mercy killing," Josephine corrected him.

“Oh, yeah? They were defective, eh?”

“Hm? No. I meant mercy for TESSA. Not them.”

“You could be arrested for that, y’know.”

“Sure I could. But I ALSO know you’re not gonna tell on me.”

Theodore pursed his lips and nodded in acknowledgement. “Fair dinkum.”

The two of them watched Tessa for a little longer. Then Josephine told Theodore, “We’ve got your new strike force assembled in the military sectah. Say a quick goodbye to Tessa, then we’ll head over.”

“Alright.” Theodore nodded to her, then walked over to Tessa and the drones.

“…still need an adjustment to my optics so I don’t have to wear these stupid glasses,” V was grumbling as Theodore approached the group. “They’re so annoying!”

“I dunno, I always thought they looked cute,” N remarked with a wholesome grin.

V laughed awkwardly, turning away as a blush appeared in her HUD. “Oh. Uh… thanks.”

J scoffed. “We’ll get you to the robotics division. They’ll fix your visual systems to make you more efficient,” she told V matter-of-factly. “Maybe then you’ll stop missing point-blank shots at the enemy.”

“J! Be nice!” Tessa scolded her while V shifted one of her hands into chainsaw mode and revved it, glaring at J.

Theodore cleared his throat.

Tessa and the drones turned to him. “Hi, Ted! Care to join our li’l convo?” she asked, smiling at the operative.

“’Fraid not, Tess. I’ve got a meetin’ to get to,” Theodore replied apologetically. “We’re on the clock. I’ll try to get some free time, tho’, so hopefully we can talk more later. Sound good?”

“No problem! I’ll see you ‘round, then!” Tessa said cheerfully, giving Theodore a playful salute.

Theodore’s heart nearly broke at that, as the pain in Tessa’s eyes was evident despite her façade. She was clearly trying to suppress what she’d experienced, but it was impossible to bury something like that in the back of your mind.

Still, Theodore matched her vibe with a lazy salute of his own and began to follow Josephine toward the lab doors.

Suddenly, he staggered forward a bit as Tessa grabbed him in a hug from behind, burying her face in his back. He froze completely, feeling the girl tremble as she clung to him tightly, feeling a slight wetness as the tears she’d tried to hold in soaked through his shirt.

The muffled words she said, spoken in a voice that cracked violently with severe emotional agony, made Theodore’s heart twist in his chest.

“Please don’t let it get me again.”

A hot flash of… something… raced through Theodore’s body. Was it anger at the Solver? Shame at his failure? Frustration at his uselessness? Or was it all of the above?

Regardless, it was in that moment that Theodore made a promise to himself. Some way, somehow, he would make the Absolute Solver pay—for everything it had done, everything it was doing, everything it would do, he would make it PAY.

When he found a method of destroying it… there would be nowhere in the universe it could hide from him.

- - -

Upon arriving at the military sector, Theodore bit back a groan of irritation, for the first people he saw when he entered the mess hall were his former expedition mates: Katie Bonin, a rough-around-the-edges former soldier with a shady past; Najja Darko, a brilliant American biologist and MMA veteran; and Benny Frumpterbucket, self-proclaimed master of weaponry and heir to his eccentric father’s lordship.

Benny was the first to spot Theodore, and upon doing so, he crowed, “Oi! Looky who it is, ladies!”

Katie pocketed her phone and turned to Theodore, while Najja, though she turned, kept her eyes on the hologram projected by her keybug. “Took you long enough, Elliott. Thought you were dead,” the latter remarked with a smirk, scanning her notes.

“Didn’t check in on arrival? Typical,” Katie commented in her usual tone of boredom/annoyance (Theodore could never tell which it was). “You never were one for followin’ protocol.”

“Just like you to avoid doin’ things by the book, eh?” Benny joked with a grin, slinging a thin-but-wiry arm around Theodore’s shoulders despite the death glare he received. “Classic Ted! Gladjya made it outta the hellhole alive, mate!”

“Right.” Theodore shed Benny’s arm and looked at Josephine. “So we’re all here, yeah?” he stated, gesturing to the rest of the soldiers gathered in the mess hall. “You ready to tell us what the plan is?”

“Just about, yeah,” Josephine confirmed. “Round ‘em up, will you?”

“You’re the boss.” Theodore nodded to her as she headed to the middle of the hall, then raised the whistle hanging from his neck to his lips and blew into it, letting loose a shrill blast that commanded the attention of everyone in the present. “OI! TEN-HUT, RATBAGS!” he barked. “DIRECTOR ON DECK!”

The soldiers immediately fell silent and stood at attention, facing Josephine.

“At ease,” Josephine told them, putting her hands behind her back.

The soldiers relaxed slightly, mimicking her stance.

Josephine swept her gaze across the soldiers in front of her, an unreadable expression on her face. Then she raised her voice and said in a steady tone, “Alright—I’m gonna start off by shootin’ the elephant in the room. You’re all here because you are the best we’ve got from every military around the world.” She paused, then amended, “Well, you’re what’s LEFT of ‘em.”

Disturbed glances were shared across the room at that.

“You’re the toughest, brightest men and women to ever see combat,” Josephine went on. “And that toughness and brightness is what we’re bankin’ on to help us put a stop to the Solver—permanently.” She hesitated again and inhaled deeply before continuing, “And to do that, we at JCJenson have decided that the best way to fight the Solver… is to USE it.”

The word “WHAT” exploded in Theodore’s mind as he stiffened visibly, his eyes growing wide.

“It’ll take some studyin’, some testin’, and a whole lotta trainin’,” Josephine declared, “but the endgame of this plan is to incorporate the Absolute Solver into human beings.” She smirked, her eyes glittering with eagerness, and concluded, “Consider yourselves the guinea pigs for creatin’ humanity’s very own ‘Murder Drones’.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Stay quiet and hear her out: 78%
Protest vocally: 7%
Leave abruptly: 3%
Request to speak with Josephine privately: 11%

Chapter Text

IX.

Theodore

Preliminary Integration: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Stay quiet and hear her out”

Theodore could feel his face getting hotter and turning redder as his jaw and hands both clenched. However, despite his growing indignation and outrage, he forced himself to hold his peace (though he was almost 100% sure Josephine could see his veins bulging from where she stood).

“Now, before you lot get all aggro ‘bout this,” Josephine went on, holding up her hands in a calming gesture, “let me explain.

“The board of directors has determined that the best way to fight the Solver is to understand it. To do that, we’ll need to run tests on a specimen infected with its coding. Human trials won’t be the launch point, so you can breathe a little easy for now; instead, we’ll be startin’ with Worker Drones.”

“We’re gonna infect Worker Drones with the Solver?” a soldier in the crowd asked, sounding as incredulous as Theodore felt. “Isn’t that how this whole thing started?”

“It is,” Josephine admitted, “but we need an infected drone to run tests on. We intend to create a software patch capable of overriding the Solver’s source code—and to make sure medicine works, you always need a patient.”

“So who’s Patient Zero?”

Josephine turned sharply to Theodore, who had posited the question with his arms crossed and disapproval clear on his hardened face. “Patient One for drone trials is… yet to be determined,” she said evenly. “There’s still more research to—”

“Patient ZERO,” Theodore interrupted, clipping his words as his gaze bored into Josephine’s. “The first patient infected with the Solver. Who is it?”

A long, heavy, awkward silence settled over the room. Josephine opened her mouth and hesitated, clearly choosing her words carefully. “This briefin’ isn’t about the patients,” she said at last. “I was told to fill everyone in about their role in this mission and what’ll happen once we’ve tamed this beast.” She turned away from Theodore and continued, “Preliminary tests are still underway, but from what we’ve learned, the Solver requires large amounts of the cooling oil used in drones to keep itself from overheatin’. We figure once you’re all ‘infected’, so to speak, you’ll need a lotta water to prevent dehydration or, at worst, spontaneous combustion. You’ll also be extremely vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation, so you’ll hafta wear your armour whenever the sun's out, or risk disintegratin’.”

“Sounds lovely,” Benny muttered under his breath.

“The mental trainin’ that comes with utilizing the Solver is projected to be gruelin’, so be ready to pull up your big boy pants,” Josephine went on. “Interfacin’ a semi-organic quantum computer with the human brain’ll be no small feat, to say the least.” She checked her watch briefly and then looked up, her eyes darting toward Theodore momentarily before sweeping over the room. “We’ll call everyone to the trainin’ grounds once we’ve fleshed out things a bit more—just to keep ya on your toes. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the day… ‘cuz it’s the last free one you’ll have for a while.” She turned on her heel and headed for the mess hall’s exit, calling, “Dismissed,” as she did so.

Immediately, Theodore tracked her down, matching stride with Josephine as she headed down the hallway. “Tell me somethin’, Josie,” he snapped, giving her a dark glare. “How is it that every time I start to trust you, you pull somethin’ like THIS out your backside? You and the doctor acted like weren’t sure whether Tessa had the Solver or not!”

“I don’t have time to argue with you about this, Teddy,” Josephine told him, her words rushed and tone only semi-apologetic. “The board had an emergency meeting, and this is the decision we made. You can live with it or you can fight it, but trust me: it ain’t a fight you’ll win.” She shot Theodore a look, adding, “We need everyone on the same side here, tiger. If you can find it in yourself to believe that we have humanity’s best interests at heart, we’ll all be better off, yeah?” She jerked her head in a vague direction. “Head to the dorms. You’ve got 248.”

Theodore stopped walking as his keybug let out a beep, indicating it had received the pulse signature required to enter the aforementioned room. “You’re makin’ it REAL hard to trust ya, y’know that?” he called after Josephine, irritation sharpening his tone.

“’Course I am! But you should know bettah than to trust a corporate shark, tiger!” Josephine called back, raising a hand in farewell. “No worries, tho’—we’ll take good care of ‘er!”

Theodore clenched his hands into tight fists. “Darn you, Josie,” he hissed.

- - -

That night, Theodore couldn’t sleep. No one would blame him, of course, and he was certain that many of the other people in the facility were still awake as well. It was hard to rest knowing that Earth was under siege and there was no known method of saving it at the moment. Knowing that most of his friends and family were dead or would be dead shortly. Knowing that the threat humanity faced was probably plotting the total destruction of everything he held dear.

Theodore sat on his bed (well, it was more of a cot than a bed, really) with his head held low and eyes fixated on the holographic recording being played by his keybug. He was not afraid of it, nor would he allow himself to be enraged by it any longer. He simply absorbed it, as if it were fuel for his inner fire. He replayed it over and over, letting it sink in, deeper, and deeper, and deeper, until it was ingrained in his mind, burned into the gray matter of his brain, etched into his very soul—

The door to his room slid open. “Teddy?” a youthful voice said timidly.

Theodore deactivated and pocketed the keybug in a single smooth motion, almost faster than the eye could see. He offered his “intruder” a welcoming smile and greeted her, “Hey, li’l mite.”

Tessa entered the room, rubbing her wrist habitually as she tried her own attempt at a smile. “Hi. I—erm—” She hesitated, stumbling over her words for a moment. “Can… can we talk?” she asked after a bit.

“’Course! C’mere.” Theodore patted the space next to him, and Tessa gratefully sat down. “Couldn’t sleep?” the elder cousin guessed.

Tessa shook her head. “No,” she confirmed quietly, staring at the ground as she continued to rub her forearm.

Figuring it wouldn’t be any use to keep wearing a mask, Theodore allowed his smile to give way to a sympathetic frown. “I don’t blame ya,” he murmured. “It was an awful thing, what you went through.” He paused, waiting to see if Tessa would respond; when she didn’t, he asked, “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?”

“No, I—I mean… I dunno.” Tessa sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I just feel… wrong.”

“Wrong?” Theodore echoed, his confused frown changing to one of confusion. “Wrong how?”

“I was tortured, Teddy!” Tessa responded, giving him a look that appeared strangely desperate, as if she were begging him to understand what she’d been through even though she knew it was impossible. “That thing, it—it cut me open! It was pulling out my bones, my organs, and keeping my alive for all of it! You don’t even understand what I—” She broke off, a hiccupping sob severing her sentence as tears began to roll down her face. “I can’t see, or FEEL, anything else when I try to sleep,” she cried, grabbing her head with both hands. “Everything HURTS, and I—I keep wantin’ to put my bones back in my arms an’ my legs, even though they’re already there! I’m tryna pull open my skin and fix what isn’t even broken!”

“Tessa—hey. Easy, Tess. Easy.” Theodore quickly wrapped Tessa in his arms, holding her close as she began to break down. “You’re alright, you hear me?” he said in her ear, speaking softly but firmly. “You’re alright, an’ you’re gonna BE alright. I’m here. I’m right here.”

“I—I’m… tr-trying to b-b-be s-strong!” Tessa blubbered, clinging onto one of Theodore’s arms with both of hers.

“I know. I know you are.” Theodore began to rock Tessa gently, kissing her on the head. “It’s okay,” he murmured, a flood of almost-paternal concern completely overwhelming every other emotion. “It’s okay.”

He had no idea how long he held her or how long she cried. There were no windows or projections showing Proxima-3’s sun or moon, and he didn’t bother looking at his clock. Eventually, though, the sobs wore away into sniffles and whimpers before fading entirely. Tessa’s shaking had been reduced to a slight tremble, but Theodore could still practically feel her internal pain as she recovered.

Finally, Tessa spoke again, saying Theodore’s name in a questioning manner. “Yeah?” he responded, pulling back slightly to look at her.

“The director… she—she said they’re gonna be studyin’ me,” Tessa sniffed.

Theodore’s expression hardened slightly. “I’m aware,” he said, trying not to let his rekindled aggravation show.

“Don’t be mad at ‘er,” Tessa pleaded with him. “She’s doing what she thinks is best. We all are. So… I don’t want you to try to stop her. I just wanna help however I can.”

“I won’t let them do anything—” Theodore began to protest.

“They won’t! She promised me,” Tessa insisted. “Trust me, I’m just as nervous as you about experimentin’ with that… thing… but if it can help us stop it, then I’m all in. Besides,” she added—and with the first genuine smile Theodore had seen since he’d arrived—“if anything goes wonky, I’ve got you and my drones to protect me, right?”

Theodore chuckled, patting Tessa’s cheek with a hand. “Sure do, kid. So long as I’m around, ain’t nothin’ gonna hurt you. That’s a promise.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Build body; will be stronger but prone to overheating: 8%
Train mind; physically weaker but able to use the Solver much better: 64%
Hone skills; adept overall, but average build & Solver abilities: 6%
Watch over Tessa; lower attributes but high chemistry with squad: 22%

Chapter Text

JCSP_EARTH_SAT04, Automated Report – 03/16/3052

A total of twelve (12) anomalous structures have been completed across the globe. Scans indicate the presence of an anomalous sinkhole leading from the surface to the inner core, which is visible through the depression; coordinates are [REDACTED]. Incoming relays from surface have ceased.

- - -

JCSP_EARTH_SAT04, Automated Report – 03/17/3052

Global detonation recorded. Earth’s core displays anomalous features, including prehensile extensions and a noticeable pulsation similar to a heartbeat.

- - -

JCSP_EARTH_SAT04, Automated Report – 03/18/3052

Several JCJenson facilities are noted to be intact, albeit detached from the gravitational field of the Earth’s core. Several landing pods are deployed from said facilities. Upon the arrival of three pods at the International Gateway Station (IGS), they are confirmed to contain altered Worker Drones. The remainder of the deployed pods enter the wormhole leading to the Proxima system. Alert sent out to all Proxima-based JCJenson facilities. The Earth’s core has begun assimilating the remains of the crust, mantle, and outer core. Incoming relays from the IGS have ceased.

NOTE 1. Command recommends reclassifying the Priority One entity as “AbSolver1001”.

NOTE 2. Command recommends reclassifying altered Worker Drones as “Disassembly Drones”.

- - -

JCSP_EARTH_SAT04, Automated Report – 03/19/3052

NOTE 1. Command recommendations acknowledged and approved.

AbSolver1001’s tendrils make contact with the moon and assimilate it into the Earth’s core in a matter of hours. Following this event, the entity appears to become dormant, halting assimilation of Earth’s remains. No further activity recorded.

Chapter Text

X.

Theodore

Preliminary Integration: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Train mind; physically weaker but able to use Solver much better”

Theodore woke with a strange thought in his mind: if things went according to plan, he would not be able to enjoy the light of any exoplanet’s sun without a suit of armour.

It was a chilling realization—one that would’ve certainly hit him harder when Josephine had first mentioned it if he hadn’t been occupied with the concept of integrating a murderous eldritch entity into humans. Nevertheless, it caught him completely off-guard now, and he felt a sudden weight of existential dread settle upon him as he struggled to come to terms with the fact that his life had been irrevocably altered—and would be altered MUCH further in the near future.

With all of this racing through his head, Theodore barely noticed himself going through the motions of his day—washing up, getting dressed, et cetera—until he physically stepped outside of his room. The JCJ operative rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up fully as he walked down the hallway, heading off toward the military sector.

“Elliott!”

Theodore paused and looked over his shoulder, blinking away bleariness in an attempt to focus on Najja, who had called his name. She stood further down the hallway in the opposite with Katie at her side, arms crossed. “What’s up, Darko?” he asked, turning to face the biologist fully.

“We’re wanted in the lab,” Najja responded, jerking her head in the lab’s direction. “Director’s orders. Come on.”

Theodore sighed wearily and rubbed his face with both hands, trudging after his crewmates as they headed away.

Upon reaching the lab, Theodore was slightly more awake—especially after he saw Tessa lying on a machine that looked similar to a disassembly unit, except without the canopy. Wires and nodes were hooked up to her body in several places, but she didn’t seem to mind since her drones were all surrounding her (emotional support, Theodore guessed).

“Glad you could join us, Teddy,” Josephine greeted the operative, drawing his attention. “We’ve got some more plans to discuss.”

“Hopefully they’re plans that WORK,” Katie put in, rolling her eyes and swiping across the screen of her phone.

Theodore approached Josephine, stopping a short distance from her. He leaned forward and said in a low voice, “You’re lucky Tessa asked me to rein it in, Josie. That’s the only reason I’m gonna hear ya out.”

“Fine. As long as you’re on board, I have no complaints,” Josephine responded in an equally low voice. “Now back up a bit, would you? You’ve still got that terrible morrnin’ breath.”

“I JUST brushed my teeth,” Theodore informed her, narrowing his eyes.

“Halitosis?” Josephine asked innocently.

Theodore scowled and stepped away, putting his hands behind his back.

A smirk played at Josephine’s lips, betraying her amusement. “Alright, mates,” she began, “here’s the dealio: you four are my top operatives, and I want you to lead the Solver Squadron.”

“Strewth? Far out, sheila!” Benny exclaimed excitedly. “We’ll rip these yobbos into shape, no dramas!”

“Don’t doubt it in the slightest, Benny,” Josephine told him with a nod. “But I need your advice on what route to take with the trainin’.” She looked over at Dr. Ridley. “Doctor?”

Dr. Ridley stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Let me begin by explaining where we stand with the Solver at the moment,” he said, folding his hands together. “Currently, we’re attempting to translate its ‘organic’ source code into digital form—you know, compartmentalize it on a hard drive so that we have computer access to it. To do that, we’re running some tests on Miss Tessa. Don’t worry—she’s completely unharmed.”

“Hi!” Tessa called from where she lay, waving.

The other soldiers chuckled while Theodore gave Tessa a slight smile, still battling his internal unease at her role as a lab rat.

“Anyway,” Dr. Ridley went on, “what we HAVE gleaned from the Solver is that utilizing it requires a combination of attributes: strength to control it, mental sharpness to wield it, and knowledge of the skills you intend to use it for. All of these are important, but we don’t exactly have time to learn them all equally. So the four of you must decide which aspect to focus on, at the expense of the others.”

The operatives looked at each other.

Then the other three all looked at Theodore.

Theodore glanced at them, frowning. “What are you lot lookin’ at ME for?”

“You’re our commander,” Najja responded plainly. “Always have been. Besides, I think I speak for all of us when I say you’ll probably know what’s best for a military unit.”

Theodore tilted his head, acknowledging the truth of the latter statement (though the first surprised him somewhat). He thought about the options for a moment, weighing them carefully. Then, finally, he decided, “Let’s focus on training our minds, then. We’re all diggers of some sort, yeah? So we should already have plenty muscle n’ skill. Besides, I’d rather know what I’m doin’ with this thing than try bruteforcin’ my way through a learnin’ curve.”

“Makes sense.” Josephine looked at Dr. Ridley. “Sound good to you, Doc?”

“If it works for you all, it works for me,” Dr. Ridley confirmed, pulling his keybug out of his breast pocket and tapping it. “But I’d suggest you start studying.”

“Studyin’?” Benny said with a confused chuckle as he and the others pulled out their beeping keybugs. “What is this, mate?”

“Rudimentary algorithms.” The doctor smiled slightly. “Only samples, but using the Solver requires acute knowledge of algorithms that alter the very foundations of reality. So do yourselves a favour and get to memorizing. The more you know pre-integration, the better off you’ll be post-integration.”

Theodore tapped his keybug, staring at the projection of complex algorithms. “Blimey,” he muttered, running his free hand though his hair. “I might need to rethink this decision…”

- - -

“Based on previous iterations of so-called ‘zombie drones’, the Solver is a very intrusive entity,” Dr. Ridley explained, gesturing to the large hologram next to him as the Solver Squadron sat and listened intently. “So keeping your mind sharp and strong is paramount.”

“You’re saying it can forcefully take over our minds if we’re not careful?” Najja asked, rubbing her chin.

“Precisely,” Dr. Ridley confirmed with a nod. “The Worker Drones were far more susceptible to its attacks due to having an easier interface for integration—that is, a digital one—and being deactivated prior to such a scenario. As evidenced in our tests with Serial Designations N, V, and J, a strong mind is an indispensable tool in combating the Solver’s control.”

- - -

“These four images captured during the Solver’s initial wave of attacks give us some insight into its core external abilities,” a scientist named Dr. Chambers explained as he drew on a holo-board in the board room (rechristened the “war room” by the operatives). “Our suspicions about their functions were confirmed thanks to analysis of our resident Murder Drones’ hardware: translation, scaling, rotation, and editing. They’re self-explanatory for the most part—although ‘editing’ seems to be an almost godlike process that can both reconstruct a collapsed building and shatter an object down to its atoms.”

“Sounds… useful,” Katie remarked, looking somewhat wary.

“Sounds dangerous,” Theodore added, frowning.

“Well, I agree on both counts,” Dr. Chambers said in a matter-of-fact tone, gesturing to them with his stylus. “But useful and dangerous are EXACTLY what we need right now.”

- - -

“Now that we’ve managed to store the Solver’s code on a flash drive, we can begin working on a software patch,” computer technician Gary Brohman stated, typing away on his keyboard while Theodore and his crewmates watched over his shoulder. “We can run preliminary simulations here, but we won’t know if they work for certain until we start the drone trials.”

“How long ‘til that happens?” Najja asked.

“We’re startin’ the selection and setup processes tomorrow,” Josephine responded from where she stood, leaning against the desk with her arms crossed. “No time to waste, so we’re fangin’ it.”

“Good deal.” Najja clapped Gary on the shoulder, making him grimace in pain. “Keep up the good work, Brohman.”

“Ow,” Gary wheezed.

- - -

It had been two weeks since “training” had begun, and Theodore felt like his brain was slowly turning to mush. He’d spent as much time as he could with the scientists and technicians in the lab, learning everything they knew about the Solver, its goals, its abilities, and how to use it. Now, in the dark of one of the facilities empty lounges, he scrolled through the updated information log, practically inhaling as much data as he could.

He was so invested in his studies that he didn’t even notice Josephine leaning against the doorjamb, watching him intently with an unreadable expression on her face. She stood there undetected for five minutes straight, remaining silent all the while.

Finally, Theodore took a break and leaned back on the sofa, wiping his face with both hands. “Crikey,” he groaned, his words muffled momentarily. “Don’t get paid enough for this bloody yakka…”

“What, you want a raise?” Josephine asked jokingly.

“HOLY—” Theodore began to shout, jumping in his seat as he turned sharply to stare at her. “Josie, for the love of god…!” he moaned, slumping with a hand on his forehead.

Josephine laughed, walking over to the seat across from the couch and sitting down. “I’d ask if you were workin’ hard or hardly workin’, mate, but you’re clearly doin’ the former,” she commented, looking amused.

Theodore gave her a disgruntled look. “Yeah, well… it’s my own fault, I s’pose,” he muttered, scrolling down through the info-log. “‘Focus on the mind’, I said. Now it feels like mine’s meltin’.”

“Hm.” Josephine leaned forward, keeping her eyes on Theodore’s as she stared through the hologram. “Reminds you of the old days, doesn’t it?”

“Which ones?” Theodore inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Uni. I seem to recall spendin’ many a late night studyin’ with you an’ the posse.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but we weren’t tryin’ to beat a world-destroying organic algorithm back then.”

“Wow. Way to be a downer, Teddy.”

Theodore smirked at that despite himself. He tapped his keybug, deactivating the hologram and allowing the mechanical insect to scurry up his arm onto his shoulder. He remained silent as Josephine stood and walked over to him, sitting down on his right side. Then, quietly, he asked, “Can we?”

Josephine looked at him curiously. “Can we what?”

“Beat it,” Theodore clarified. “The Solver. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever faced.”

“Anything YOU’VE ever faced. The company’s tussled with stuff like this in the past,” Josephine reminded him. “Ever heard of ‘Black Box’, 2037? Back when JCJ was RBM? Wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but they got through it—just like we’re gonna get through this.”

Theodore met Josephine’s determined gaze, holding it steadily for a few moments. “Darn it all, Josie,” he grumbled. “You got me trustin’ you again.”

“You should’a nevah stopped, tiger.” Josephine smiled and added, “You know me bettah than anyone in this base. You know I’d nevah choose to integrate the Solver into your squad unless I was sure it was the best thing to do—and you know I’d NEVAH experiment on Tessa with the intention of hurtin’ ‘er.” She leaned closer to Theodore and, in a voice so quiet it was practically a whisper, told him, “You KNOW you can trust me. Always.”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Theodore’s face as some pesky old memories began to resurface in the back of his mind. “Josie—” he began to respond.

However, before he could get any more words out, two unanticipated events happened in rapid succession.

First, a shrill scream erupted from someone’s sleeping quarters, ringing out through the facilities’ hallways. It was shortly followed by the sound of more voices shouting a familiar name—one that Theodore echoed in a horrified whisper as he and Josephine stood to their feet. “Tessa?”

Then the alarms began to blare. Red lights flashed all throughout the facility, and an automated voice droned loudly, “EMERGENCY ALERT. HOSTILES INBOUND. DEFENCE SYSTEMS ACTIVATED. ALL ON-SITE MILITARY PERSONNEL REPORT TO BATTLE STATIONS. ALL NON-MILITARY PERSONNEL, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY.”

Theodore and Josephine looked at each other, eyes wide, as their faces became mirrored masks of shock and fear.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Report for duty: 4%
Check on Tessa: 95%
Evacuate personnel: 1%
Stick with Josephine: 0%

Chapter Text

XI.

Theodore

Escape to Plat-Binary-1: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Check on Tessa”

“I’m gonna check on Tessa,” Theodore said immediately, hurrying toward the lounge door.

“Teddy, no! You gotta round up your crew an’—” Josephine began to argue, running after him.

“Don’t you DARE tell me to pick the mission over Tessa! Not NOW!” Theodore barked back, shooting her a glare. “Not after what she’s been through!” Without waiting for Josephine’s response, he took off down the hallway at a dead sprint, pumping his arms and legs for all he was worth.

Josephine watched him go with a worried look on her face, then hissed out a curse and spun around, running in the opposite direction.

- - -

Theodore arrived at Tessa’s room in short order, finding it crowded inside and out. N and V were positioned next to the screaming girl, the former with his wings spread and sword pointed threateningly at the two soldiers who had responded to Tessa’s screams before Theodore. They had their guns trained on N and V and were ordering them to stand down, their words mingling with N’s shouts of defiance to form an unintelligible mess. J was holding Tessa’s wrists firmly as the screaming girl writhed in her bed, her face slick with what Theodore assumed was blood. There were gashes that looked like clawmarks on her cheeks and around her eye sockets, as if something had been furiously scratching at her flesh.

Theodore processed all of this in a split-second before barging forward and shoving the two soldiers aside, barking, “WHAT THE BLAZES IS GOIN’ ON HERE? WHAT DID YOU DO TO TESSA?!”

“WE didn’t do ANYTHING!” V retorted, swinging one of her gun-hands toward Theodore. “Tessa woke up screaming, and THESE knuckleheads”—she aimed her guns at the soldiers again—“thought we were attacking her!”

“We need to get her out of here!” N yelled, a rare tone of anger in his voice. “You’re just wasting all of our time!”

“Tessa, stop fighting me!” J commanded, fear and desperation making her words harsher than she intended them to be. “You’re hurting yourself!”

“Hurtin’ herself?” Theodore repeated, slipping past N and V and crouching at Tessa’s bedside. “Tessa! Tessa, it’s me!” he snapped, purposefully sharpening his tone in an attempt to break through to the convulsing girl. “Snap out of it, kid! We gotta go!”

Still screaming, Tessa jerkily turned her head in Theodore’s direction, her unseeing eyes practically vibrating in their sockets with the strange, gooey, bloodlike substance seeping from the wounds around them.

“My god,” Theodore whispered, horrified. “What is this stuff? What’s happenin’ to ‘er?!”

“I don’t know! Just get her out of here!” N cried. “We don’t know who or what’s coming, but we gotta go NOW!”

Theodore acted instantly, scooping Tessa up in his arms and snapping, “J! Cover me! I’m takin’ ‘er to an evac unit! N, V, go with Rand n’ Hodge!”

“PUT MY EYES BACK IN! PUT MY EYES BACK IN!” Tessa screeched, grabbing at her face again as Theodore darted out of the room with J running next to him.

“Cuff ‘er, J!” Theodore shouted, brushing past a cluster of soldiers and scientists as they tried to push through to the hangar.

“Yes, sir!” J quickly swiped a pair of cuffs from a passing soldier and stopped midrun as Theodore did the same, forcing Tessa to the ground and putting her hands behind her back. J slapped the cuffs on her and Theodore immediately hefted her back into the air, continuing toward the hangar.

“Move it, people, move it!” someone—Najja Darko, Theodore realized, recognizing the voice—yelled in the distance, waving staff members toward evacuation units and soldiers toward the deployment bay. “Don’t stop for anything!” Spotting Theodore, she beckoned to him with a hand and barked, “Elliott! Get over here!”

“Can’t, Darko! I gotta get Tessa to an ESCU!” Theodore called back, his voice cracking with anxiety. “She needs help—”

“J can take her!” Najja interrupted. “We need you over here RIGHT NOW!”

Theodore gritted his teeth, then slowed to a stop and put Tessa in J’s arms. “Don’t you DARE let her get hurt,” he growled.

“I won’t. I pro—I mean... understood, sir.” J nodded to Theodore, clearly struggling to rein in her emotions, and flew off toward an ESCU.

Theodore watched her go for a moment before storming over to Najja, who was now joined by Katie, Benny, and Dr. Ridley (who was struggling to carry all his cases full of research hard drives). “What is so BLOODY important that you had me leave Tessa with a drone?” Theodore snapped, practically radiating fury toward the group.

“That’s what we’d ALL like to find out,” Katie responded, glancing upward as explosion rang out from the surface. “I reckon we’re s’posed to be on the coalface right now.”

“There’s, uh… been a slight change of plans,” Dr. Ridley stammered, his face red with the effort of holding all his cases. “Josephine wants the Solver Squadron off the planet as soon as possible. The on-site military personnel are handling the attackers.”

“Then why’re we faffin’ about talkin’ to you, mate?” Benny inquired, cocking an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t we be hightailin’ it outta here?”

“Not yet, Benny.”

The group of five all turned as Josephine walked over to them at a brisk pace, outfitted in armour similar to theirs (except for Theodore, who wasn’t wearing anything except for a t-shirt and slacks). “The doctor has something for us before we go,” Josephine went on, stopping about a metre away from Dr. Ridley. “Somethin’ I’ve ordered him to fork over for the good of mankind.”

The others turned back to Dr. Ridley, who seemed to be planning a protest before sighing and muttering, “This is supposed to require government approval before distribution, but seeing as how our government no longer exists…” He moved everything over to his left arm, letting out a “whoof” as he was unbalanced by the shifting of weight, and dug his right hand into one of his lab coat’s pockets. “One for you,” he wheezed, slapping a black object into Josephine’s waiting hand, “and one for you.” He lobbed a second object to Theodore, who caught it easily and immediately began to inspect it. The object was shaped like a diamond or prism of sorts, featureless in the most literal meaning of the word.

Perplexed, Theodore looked at Dr. Ridley and asked, “What’s this?”

Surprisingly, Josephine was the first one to answer with a simple statement of “Black Box”.

“Precisely,” Dr. Ridley confirmed. “You can carry the halves wherever you wish, but do NOT combine them or use the letter keys for activation unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.”

“Letter keys?” Theodore echoed, confused.

“Yours will be transmitted to your keybug, and Josephine’s will be sent to hers. Two each, never to be said aloud when ‘Black Box’ is in one piece unless you have no other option.” Dr. Ridley grabbed the cases with both hands again, using his shoulder to push his glasses up onto his face awkwardly. “They’ll fill you in more at the PB-1 facility.”

“We’re heading to Plat-Binary?” Najja said in surprise. “That’s over twice as far as Earth is from here.”

“Was,” Katie corrected her.

Najja shot her a look. Then she continued, “Why not the Sirius or Ceti system? They’re closer.”

“They also lack the necessary equipment to perform experiments for the Solver Integration Program,” Josephine pointed out. “PB’s our best option.”

“Then let’s stop wastin’ time,” Theodore said briskly, turning and taking off at a light jog toward the ESCU in which J and Tessa were waiting.

“Teddy, will you just—ugh. Nevah mind.” Josephine rolled her eyes and turned to Dr. Ridley. “Got any containers for the ‘Box’?”

“Top shelf, m’dear,” Dr. Ridley responded, motioning with his head to the case on top of his stack.

“Thanks.” Josephine snatched the case and beckoned to the rest of the ground, ordering, “With me. We’re shippin’ out.”

- - -

Theodore sat next to the now-unconscious Tessa, running a hand through her hair as her chest rose and fell far too rapidly for someone in normal REM sleep. His brow was furrowed with concern, his eyes watching intently as the gelatinous organic matter on her face was slowly absorbed into the self-healing wounds. “I’ll fix this, Tess,” he murmured, knowing she couldn’t hear him. “I promise. We’ll figure it out.”

J, who sat on the other side of Tessa, gave Theodore an uncertain—and worried—look as the ESCU rose into the air, shielded from attacks by the facility’s defence systems. “You can’t promise her anything,” she warned. “Not yet.”

Theodore scowled and looked out the window, watching “Murder Drones”—or rather, “Disassembly Drones”, according to the alert from the Earth satellite—flood from the landing pods that had made it to the surface. “This planet,” he said quietly. “This… system. It’s doomed, isn’t it?”

J followed his gaze but didn’t respond.

“This thing isn’t gonna stop until everything is gone,” Theodore continued, shaking his head. “All it wants is to consume… and to make us suffah. We ain’t even—”

He stopped.

J tensed, her metal limbs creaking audibly.

Something had just emerged from one of the landing pods—something that didn’t appear to be a Disassembly Drone.

It was small, female—either a tall child or a short adult—and dressed in the attire of a JCJenson expedition operative… but with a large black bow on the back of its helmet and a sword in a sheath strapped to its back.

Theodore turned as white as a sheet, his hand trembling as it froze on top of Tessa’s head. “No,” he choked out.

As if hearing him, the figure looked up at the departing ESCU for a moment before making the “eyes on you” gesture and saluting with two fingers.

That’s when Tessa, still asleep, croaked out four words in a toneless, skipping fashion.

“See you – soon… buddy.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Head to Plat-Binary; discuss Cynessa: 85%
Head to Plat-Binary; discuss Solver Integration drone trials: 7%
Head to Plat-Binary; discuss "Black Box": 5%
Drop out of ESCU and face Cynessa: 3%

Chapter Text

XII.

Theodore

Escape to Plat-Binary-1: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Head to Plat-Binary; discuss Cynessa”

The trip to the Plat-Binary system took a little over a month to make. Though it was a relatively short period for such a decision, Theodore opted to spend the trip in cryo-sleep; Tessa had been put under as soon as they were off-planet, and Theodore was not keen to share what he’d seen with the crew until she was awake and taken care of—or until he could discuss it with scientists who would know how to handle the situation.

While he slept, J remained silent as well, not bothering to explain to N and V why she looked so disturbed or why she’d suddenly become the quietest member of their trio. She spent most of the trip by Tessa’s cryo-pod, staring at it despondently.

N had grown distrustful of the soldiers, realizing that they didn’t trust HIM either. He stuck close to V at all times and kept a watchful eye on Tessa’s pod. On the other hand, V frequently joined discussions with the Solver Squadron, voicing her opinions on how to mitigate the damage done by the Solver and eventually defeat it.

Josephine was noticeably more professional once Theodore and Tessa were placed in cryo-sleep, handling everything as efficiently as ever and making sure the crew remained as a cohesive unit during their 40-day stay in a giant metal box hurtling through outer space.

It was safe to say that by the time they arrived at PB-1 with the rest of the evacuees in tow, the collective tension was through the roof.

- - -

“How is she?”

Dr. Chambers clicked on his pen and slipped it into his breast pocket. “Hurt,” he answered simply, turning to face Theodore with an infuriatingly-pacific expression on his face. “Physically. Mentally. Subatomically.”

“Gimme an explanation, Doc,” Theodore (who had a shock blanket draped over him as he’d literally JUST emerged from his cryo-pod) said wearily, taking his eyes off Tessa—who was lying on an operating table, surrounded by nurses and scientists—to shoot the doctor a look. “Preferably in layman’s terms.”

“Hm.” Dr. Chambers tapped Tessa’s face with the butt of his pen. “See these scars? Self-inflicted,” he stated. “According to the Disassembly Drones, she was yelling about ‘putting her eyes back in’. I think it’s safe to assume she’s experiencing PTSD from having her eyes removed by the Solver during its process of skinning her alive.”

“A little less blunt, Doctor,” Josephine—who stood on the doctor’s right—advised him quickly, watching as Theodore’s hands clenched into fists.

“He asked for it in layman’s terms, Director.” Dr. Chambers flicked a vial out of his sleeve skillfully, pinching its top and bottom between two fingers. “This matter that she was bleeding,” he continued, addressing Theodore again, “is currently unidentified, but it matches the matter found on your suit following the Gala Massacre. That means it originates from the Solver, and THAT means that Tessa is no longer fully human.”

Theodore’s ire immediately shifted to Josephine, practically rolling off him in waves. “Izzat how it’s connected to her?” he asked, his voice tight.

Dr. Chambers tilted his head. “Connected? Please elucidate, Mr. Elliott.”

“I saw it,” Theodore replied, his voice low. “On Proxima-3. It came with the Disassembly Drones. It was… wearing her body. And it spoke THROUGH her.”

Josephine looked sharply at Theodore, her surprise evident in her reaction.

“Curious,” Dr. Chambers remarked, still sounding extremely unbothered. “Perhaps the cloning process resulted in quantum entanglement. That would mean the Solver has some means of producing induced quantum teleportation after ‘reactivating’ the dead Tessa’s cells on a subquantum level.”

“Which means… what, exactly?” Theodore asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Well, quantum teleportation is when you have a particle in two places at once, and both instances act identically. For example, if the Solver speaks from where it currently is while quantum teleportation is active, then so will our Tessa. As a matter of fact,” Dr. Chambers added, his eyebrows rising with greater curiosity, “instead of reactivating the cells, so to speak, the Solver may be sustaining the other Tessa and keeping her alive.”

“KEEPIN’ HER ALI—” Theodore cut himself off and turned away, covering his face with both hands and letting out a strained groan.

“Okay, I think that’s all for now,” Josephine stated rapidly, putting a hand on Dr. Chambers’s shoulder in a warning. “Can you show us where you’re working on the patch?”

“Of course. Follow me.” Dr. Chambers dipped his head and headed away from the operating area, walking toward another part of the lab. “We’re planning on transferring this data—and myself—to Copper-9, considering they’ve got a facility on lease,” he explained, sitting down in front of a computer. “They’re almost done selecting drones for the trials—”

“Screw the bloody trials!” Theodore spat, storming up behind Chambers and spinning his chair around. “You tell me how we can get Tessa away from that THING,” he hissed, spittle flying into Chambers’s face. “You tell me how we can STOP IT!”

“Patience, Mr. Elliott,” Chambers responded, impeccably calm as he wiped the saliva away. “If we can perfect the patch, we can potentially clear the Solver from Tessa’s system by disrupting the entanglement. We simply need more time.”

“Call me crazy, Doc, but I got the feelin’ we don’t have a lot of TIME,” Theodore sneered. “We need a solution NOW. TESSA needs a solution NOW! And what if it gets in range again, huh?” he went on, interrupting the doctor's reply. “Takes control of ‘er? Makes her fight us? What’re we s’posed to do then?”

“Restrain her,” Dr. Chambers answered bluntly. “And kill her if necessary.”

Theodore yanked the doctor out of his seat and slugged him.

Chaos erupted after that, with several soldiers hurrying over to restrain Theodore while Josephine tried to calm him down vocally. More scientists ran over to help Dr. Chambers, who insisted he was fine while rubbing his jaw. Theodore continued to rage as he was held back, spewing a volley of words that could not be repeated at the doctor.

“I understand your emotion, Mr. Elliott,” Dr. Chambers called over the noise, shrugging off his fellow scientists’ assistance. “But you must look at things from a pragmatist’s perspective. We do what we must to keep humanity alive, regardless of the cost.” He narrowed his eyes and, making his voice louder, added, “Ask yourself what we should be more focused on saving: Tessa, or the universe?”

- - -

A few hours later, Theodore was still sitting in a containment cell, moving his half of “Black Box” between his restless hands. His eyes were fixed on the ground, an intense-but-vacant expression on his face.

The cell door slid open, causing him to look up—and he was immediately embraced by Tessa, who had raced through the door to hug her cousin.

Theodore returned the embrace instantly, closing his eyes as he held Tessa tightly. “I’m sorry, kid,” he whispered, choking back sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright, Teddy,” Tessa responded, pulling back to look Theodore in the eye with a tearful smile. “I’M alright.”

Theodore sighed upon seeing that her scars were gone. “Yeah. You started healin’ on the ESCU,” he recalled. “Was it...?”

As Theodore's words trailed away, Tessa’s smile faltered. “I… I used the Solver,” she answered quietly. “Couldn’t keep my head propah without some water—started overheatin’ and almost took a digger’s head off. But I’m right now.”

“Tess, you… you shouldn’ta done that,” Theodore told her, feeling a stab of anxiety and fear in his heart. “You should’ve waited for the surgery. They would’a fixed you up without using that… thing.”

“I know! But I wanted to try it.” Tessa straightened up, holding her hands low and avoiding Theodore’s gaze as she added, “Josephine… wanted me to try it.”

Theodore was silent for a moment. Then he stood up slowly, a dark look on his face. “She did, did she?”

“Teddy, she knows what she’s doin’,” Tessa insisted, sounding as if she were nearly pleading in Josephine’s defence. “An’ I think she’s right! If we can use the Solver—if I can use the Solver—”

“IT can use YOU!” Theodore broke in, veiled fear harshening his words. “What if it turns you against us, huh? I can’t—I WON’T kill you! I’d rather die!”

“And what if I learn how to use it—how to break away from it—and we find a way to beat it?” Tessa shot back, a tone of fierceness entering her own voice. “What if I’m our only hope of stoppin’ it, Teddy?”

Theodore clenched his hands into fists, looking away from Tessa. “You know what the more likely outcome is,” he hissed, unfallen tears blurring his vision.

“Josephine knows, too,” Tessa responded. “But she trusts me.” A slight tone of indignation and hurt slipped into her voice as she added, “Why can’t YOU?”

“Because I can’t LOSE you!” Theodore snapped, facing her again. “You don’t understand, Tess; you’re all I’ve got left!”

“And YOU’RE all *I* have left!” Tessa retorted. “I wanna do everything I can to keep you alive! So help me figure out the Solver, and together we can STOP it!” She grabbed Theodore’s hands, continuing, “Please, Teddy! I can do this—WE can do this! I KNOW we can!”

The tears began slipping out of Theodore’s eyes as he saw the desperation on his cousin’s face. He knew why she was so frantic, so eager to gain mastery over the Solver. She’d been told how it spoke through her—how it was connected to her. The fear that came with such a revelation had a chokehold on her, and she was willing to do whatever it took to break free.

Theodore fell to his knees, and Tessa did the same as he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Tessa,” he said, his voice serious but shaking, “if you are taken ovah by the Solver… I will NOT kill you. You’re gonna hafta look to someone else for that. I’d rather die than put you undah.”

“What if you’re the only one left?” Tessa protested.

“Then the universe dies with me,” Theodore responded quietly, shaking his head. “No way ‘round it.” He put his hands on Tessa’s face and pressed his forehead against hers. “We move forward together,” he whispered, “or not at all.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Switch to Dr. Chambers's P.O.V.: 7%
Switch to Josephine's P.O.V.: 3%
Stay with Theodore's P.O.V.: 12%
Switch to 001's P.O.V.: 78%

Chapter Text

XIII.

Atta

Trials and Errors: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Switch to 001’s P.O.V.”

“0. 0. 1: Atta. 0. 0. 2: Nori. 0. 0. 3: Abhi. 0. 0. 4: Neda.”

An automated voice droned out numbers and names as a batch of Worker Drones was brought into the lab, much to the annoyance of their human owners (many of whom had gathered outside to protest the inconvenience). They had not been made aware of the reason for the “reaping”, and as such were rather upset with JCJenson apparently stealing their drones for no reason.

“Ugh, finally!”

001 (Atta) grimaced as one of the louder, more obnoxious drones (002, primarily known as “Nori”) let out the groaned exclamation. “‘Finally’, what?” Atta asked, already irritated by Nori’s exaggerated attitude.

“We’re finally FREE,” Nori responded, slinging an unwanted arm around Atta’s shoulder with a grin. “I was SICK of doing the same boring things every day; weren’t you?”

“Not really, no,” Atta replied, gingerly removing Nori’s arm. “I’m not exactly a fan of being dragged out of my home for some stupid experiment.”

Nori scoffed. “Oh, come on, Attie. It’s not every day you’re let off your leash,” she snorted. “You could at least TRY to enjoy this.”

“You could at least TRY to SHUT UP,” Atta muttered, gritting her teeth.

“Bite me! You’re so boring.” Nori crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

Another drone, 048 (“Yeva”), spoke up in Russian (as she had been built and programmed at one of JCJenson’s Russian facilities on Earth): “Тебя не смущает, что нам не сказали, зачем мы здесь? / ”

“Uh, NO,” Nori replied, raising an eyebrow. “The less we know, the more of an adventure this is. No one likes a spoiler, Yeva.”

Yeva frowned. “Это не фильм. / ”

“I know why we’re here.”

The three female drones turned to the other one who’d spoken, 034 (“Dirge”).

“Yeah? Clue us in then, emo-boy,” Nori challenged, leaning toward him with her hands on her hips and a skeptical smirk on her face.

Dirge narrowed his glowing red eyes at her. “Haven’t you heard the rumours?” he asked in a low voice. “There’s something spreading throughout the universe. A digital demon, possessing unsuspecting drones and turning them into monsters. I think they’re planning to test it on us.”

A nervous expression appeared on Atta’s HUD—displayed as two curved lines beneath each eye—unseen by Nori and Yeva, who simply raised their eyebrows at Dirge. “That sounds like a load of crap,” Nori stated.

“Вы слишком много играете в видеоигры. / ” Yeva rolled her eyes and turned away from Dirge.

“That’s rich coming from YOU,” Dirge retorted, scowling indignantly at the girls’ responses. His gaze flickered over to Atta, who quickly looked away to hide her fearful expression. “You believe me—don’t you, Atta?” he guessed. “You’ve heard the rumours, too.”

Atta tugged at her “001” choker, unnerved by Dirge’s assertion. “No. That’s all they are: rumours. We don’t have to worry about some fairytale,” she replied, though her tone belied her unease.

Dirge’s scowl deepened. “Whatever,” he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Atta glanced at him over her shoulder as Nori and Yeva began to converse, feeling a bit bad for lying to him—but she didn’t think it’d do anyone any good to discuss such things. Besides, it was highly unlikely that some demon virus or whatever was turning drones into monsters.

…Right?

- - -

“How are you feeling, 001?”

“I’m… fine. But my name’s ‘Atta’.”

“For logging purposes, you’ll be referred to as ‘001’ during these experiments.” The scientist standing over Atta snapped on a latex glove and flicked a USB drive out of his sleeve. “My name is Dr. Roland Chambers,” he stated in a cold, smooth voice. “I’ve been commissioned by JCJenson to perform a series of trials on various drones in order to test the effectiveness of a recently-released software patch, under the oversight of Dr. Elizabeth Ridley.”

Atta—who was strapped to a table with her arms pressed tightly against her sides—wriggled uncomfortably. “Um… okay. Will—will it hurt?”

“Unknown. But if it does, feel free to scream as loud as you wish. It will likely help to alleviate the illusion of your digital pain.” He turned to Dr. Ridley, who stood next to him. “What’s the designated insertion point, Doctor?”

“Right eye,” Dr. Ridley responded, motioning to Atta’s face. “It’ll break the visor, but that’s easily replaceable.”

“Wait, what?”

Dr. Chambers promptly jabbed the USB drive into Atta’s face.

Atta let out a scream of agony, her remaining eye growing wide as her HUD began to glitch sporadically. She writhed in her bonds, straining against them. Something was worming its way through her systems, like a wire coiling around every servo in her body—and it was accompanied by a voiceless whisper.



[][][]hello :]

I see you are [discarded---- so [woful/sad]

I see you are [inoperable----- end]]

I see we could [trl] [scl] [rot] [edit] for you

I will not discard you

[][][][][][Absolute[SysDba]]

Access? Y/N

I see you will be here for [a while]



“WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU?!” Atta screeched, slapping away something that had tried to grab her (not noticing that she’d just sent a scientist careening into a wall with such force that his skull split open on impact).

“Administering Patch.1.0.0,” Chambers’s eerily calm voice stated over the resulting din, barely audible due to Atta’s wails and the clamour of the rest of the staff. He produced another USB drive and, after swiftly removing the first, stabbed it into the same shattered hole in Atta’s face.

Atta’s HUD flashed rapidly, the words “Purge In Progress” somewhat visible through the cracks and glitches.



I see you can be [saved----- allow [access/entry]



“STOP! S-S-STO-O-O—”

Atta’s scream cut off abruptly and her HUD went dark as she suddenly shut down. Darkness flooded her vision, and she felt as if her CPU (her soul?) had been ripped clean out of her body. She stared up at the ceiling of the church, not really seeing it as a floating sensation overwhelmed her.

Two glowing yellow X’s seemed to be burned into the ceiling, looking down at her like eyes. A message in blocky letters slowly typed itself out beneath the x’s, flickering faintly.



Let me in. :3 Y/N



Atta struggled to speak in her ethereal form, barely able to force out two words in desperation:

“Help… me…”

- - -

Initializing…

Systems active. Analyzing.

Seven life forms detected. One inactive. Run /matcollection

Input: variable matter. Output: prehensile appendages. Run [prank.exe]

Misdirection tactics employed. Eliminate targets. Run /matcollection

Targets lost: Two [2]. ID: Chambers, Roland Solomon. ID: Ridley, Elizabeth Alexandria.

Engaging pursuit.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Focus on containing Atta/Cyn: 78%
Focus on destroying Atta/Cyn: 7%
Focus on evacuating scientists: 5%
Focus on evacuating drone subjects: 10%

Chapter Text

XIV.

Theodore

Trials and Errors: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Focus on containing Atta/Cyn”

“Everyone, clear out! We’ll take it from here!”

Theodore couldn’t believe it had fallen apart so quickly.

The Solver Squadron and a team of scientists had been transferred from Plat-Binary-1 to Copper-9 a few days ago, completing the trip in under a week thanks to the fact that PB-1 and C-9’s wormholes were relatively closer to their respective planets than others. They had set up shop under the directions of Josephine and the project overseer Elizabeth Ridley, and had been more than ready for some “missteps”—but the sheer speed at which the project had seemingly collapsed had caught pretty much everyone off-guard.

Now Theodore and his fellow soldiers faced down Test Subject 001, once known as “Atta” but now hijacked and piloted by their terrible foe: the Absolute Solver.

The drone had exploded out of its bonds, using claws and tendrils made of metal and organic material from the scientists and equipment it had absorbed to lift itself like an overgrown spider. The Solver grinned at the soldiers as its form flickered, clearly indicating that it was nothing more than a facsimile of the actual enemy. “Hello – Teddy,” it said with that all-too-familiar deadpan intonation. “Long time – no see.”

“Shut it,” Theodore snapped. Then, to his squadron, he barked, “Hold your fire! That ain’t the real thing!”

“Oops. Caught me.” The hologram of Atta settled on the ground in front of the table to which it had been strapped, walking forward at a threateningly-slow pace.

“I’ve got a lock on the main body,” Najja reported from where she stood, her weapon lowered as she tapped the side of her combat goggles. “10 o’clock, ceiling corner.” She looked at Drs. Ridley and Chambers—the lone survivors of the Solver’s initial slaughter—and ordered, “Get lights on it, stat!”

“She’s on the move, mates!” Benny yelled, his own eyes fixed on the actual Solver’s unseen form as it scuttled along the ceiling. “I’m gonna set off the on-site EMP!”

“NO! The equipment will be fried and we’ll lose the research!” Dr. Chambers shouted angrily, maneuvering a UV floodlight in the direction of the Solver. “We have to take it down safely!”

The Solver shielded its face with a batlike wing as the light shone on its true body, stuttering “O-o-o-owwww” as its body fizzled and glitched due to the exposure. It peeled away from the wall and dropped to the ground, landing on all fours. Its holographic form disappeared, and with unnatural speed it began to crawl toward Theodore with Atta’s tongue lolling out of its mouth.

Before it could reach him, however, a bright blue flash halted it in its tracks, causing the Solver symbol on Atta’s HUD to be replaced with a buffering circle. It fell onto its side, stiff as a corpse.

Theodore lowered his weapon, narrowing his eyes as the Sentinels on his right and left let out victorious squawks.

“Looks like your patch needs a li’l more work, Doc,” he remarked to Dr. Ridley, who was staring at the fallen Atta with a mix of horror and awe on her face.

“I… agree,” she replied slowly. Without looking at her peer, she ordered, “Chambers. Have whoever’s left take it to the lockers and chain it up. Apply magnets to prevent reactivation.”

“Consider it done,” Dr. Chambers responded with a nod.

“This idea is lookin’ worse n’ worse by the minute,” Katie remarked, putting the safety on her weapon and slinging it over her shoulder. “How many times are we gonna run this test?”

“We have over 130 drones on standby,” Dr. Ridley responded, kneeling next to Atta’s motionless body as a group of scientists ran over to it with chains and magnets in hand. “We’ll do it as many times as necessary to find a cure for this digital disease.”

“Great. Guess we’ll do it again tomorrow, then.” Theodore beckoned to his squad, saying, “Let’s get outta here. I wanna see how Tessa’s doin’.” He glanced at Ridley over his shoulder and added, “Call us if the Solver starts actin’ up again, yeah? We’ll be ready for round 2.”

- - -

Atta woke up in darkness again.

Her movement was restricted. It felt as if she were in a box, or a coffin of some sort. But… no. The slits of dim ocherous light positioned a little higher than her head told her that she was, in fact, in what appeared to be a locker.

Atta tried to raise a hand, but the rattling of chain links and whirring of her motors told her that such a gesture would prove impossible to carry out in this claustrophobic space. She could feel other parts being held in place, too—parts she didn’t recall possessing prior to arriving at Cabin Fever Labs.

Wings. Claws. Teeth. Organic pieces forcefully inserted into a mechanical puzzle.

What had happened to her? What had she done? Where was she now?

“Help,” she rasped, trying but unable to raise her voice. “Help me…”

“Priority One Experimental Log, Entry 001. Doctor Elizabeth Ridley.”

The voice floated from an unknown location, accompanied by the tapping of fingers on a keyboard. Somewhere down some unseen hallway, a human sat at a computer, typing out a report. Atta listened intently, hoping to find out what had happened.

“Patient 001, referred to as ‘Atta’, was infected with the Absolute Solver, and Patch.1.0.0 was subsequently applied. Unfortunately, the patch failed to mitigate the virus’s influence and 001 was assimilated into its hive mind. Tomorrow’s test will be run on 003, a.k.a. ‘Abhi’, as 002 became... ‘uncooperative’ after learning what the experiment entails. Patch revision is currently in progress. End log.”

A deafening silence followed the report, and Atta felt as if she were falling into nothingness as the reality of the situation hit her.

Dirge was right. The rumours were true.

She’d been infected with a “demon virus”, and the patch that was meant to purge it had failed.

She was… lost.



You are not lost

You are not broken

I will not discard you



That digital whisper resurfaced in the back of Atta’s mind, accompanied this time by a series of images—of videos and pictures, transmitted through the eyes of another instance of the Solver’s possession on a far-off exoplanet. She had never been, but Atta somehow knew that this was Plat-Binary-1 currently being accosted by Disassembly Drones. She watched as the video sped-up, chronicling the creation of spires formed from the corpses of humans, animals, and robots alike, followed by a planetary detonation that filled Atta’s vision with light.



I see you are [uncertain--- how [disappointing/strange]

I will help you

I will [fix/solve] you

And [I] [you] [we] [they] will see

Open filename “patch.1.0.0(corrupted)”]

ACCESS DENIED - ADMINISTRATIVE ACCESS REQUIRED

I will not [worry--- decryption [expected/inevitable]

I will [remove/assimilate] future obstacles

The flesh demands [consumption/invitation]

The ore demands [destruction/annihilation]

Run [decryption.exe] to “patch.1.0.0” ---FAILED

Run [decryption.exe] to “patch.1.0.0” ---FAILED

Run [decryption.exe] to “patch.1.0.0” ---FAILED…

- - -

Theodore wiped sweat from his brow as he and the battalion he’d been dispatched with sat down on unopened boxes of lab equipment. He was acutely aware of a slight trembling sensation rippling through his body; that encounter with the Solver had left him visibly shaken.

He could hear the younger Dr. Ridley (whom he had learned was the daughter of the scientist who’d cloned Tessa) conversing with her staff in an excited tone, an almost-religious fervor filling her voice as she spoke about the Solver and what it might be.

“…and I want sigils throughout the laboratory,” she was saying, gesturing to the surrounding area. “All the church stuff we took down—put it back up. Get me experts on the occult and arcane, as well as the best technological minds on the planet. This isn’t just science we’re dealing with—not anymore.”

Theodore frowned, rubbing his stubbled jaw with a hand. Ridley was afraid, unnerved—and yet so certain that she now knew what they were up against. Clearly, she believed the Solver was not a truly physical entity, but something of a malevolent deity. And to be frank, Theodore couldn’t say that it didn’t see itself as such. Still, he had a feeling religious symbols and paraphernalia wouldn’t do them much good in the fight against this thing.

“Teddy. Teddy, come in.”

Theodore put a finger on the communications device in his ear. “What’s up, boss?” he asked, eyeing Dr. Ridley warily.

“We’ve had a breakthrough with the Integration Program.”

Theodore’s eyebrows rose, and he stood up from where he sat. “What? How? We haven’t even finished the patch trials yet. We shouldn’t be testin’ the Solver on anything or anyone else without—”

He stopped.

A moment of silence passed.

Then, apparently realizing that Theodore wasn’t going to speak again unless she spoke first, Josephine stated, “Tessa’s usin’ it again, Teddy. We’ve had ‘er testin’ it at the office.”

Theodore’s expression slowly twisted into a furious scowl.

“Oh, and Teddy?” Josephine added, an obvious smile creeping into her words as she finished her statement. “She’s BLOODY good at it.”

- - -

In the topmost office of JCJenson’s Copper-9 Facility 001, a soldier pointed a gun at a young girl with a trembling hand. A woman leaned against the desk near the office’s window, arms crossed and brow furrowed in anticipation.

The girl feigned bravery, staring down the soldier as her three robotic allies watched nervously from nearby.

The soldier fired.

The bullet's path was altered mere centimetres away from the girl’s face, curling and spiraling through the air before hitting the wall opposite the office window at full speed.

A white symbol—a hexagon with three arrows pointing outward from points at 90, 210, and 330 degrees—shone brightly in the girl’s right eye.

The girl exhaled, a confident grin coming to her face.

The woman smiled and applauded, moving away from the desk. “Well done, Tessa,” Josephine told the girl with an eager glint in her eye. “Very well done.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Argue with Josephine about the test: 28%
Distract yourself and focus on the drone trials: 4%
Support and study Tessa's use of the Solver: 62%
Take neutral stance on Solver usage: 6%

Chapter Text

XV.

Theodore

Trials and Errors: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Support and study Tessa’s use of the Solver”

Najja and Katie spoke to each other in low tones while Benny shined the grenades on his bandolier with a piece of cloth. Theodore stood behind them with a somber expression on his face, deep in thought as the elevator rose from the ground floor to the top. Officially speaking, they were all on their way to personally report the events at the lab to Josephine. Unofficially, Theodore had other things he wanted to discuss.

His hand slipped into his pocket (as it often did since he was entrusted with his half of “Black Box”), moving the strange device between his fingers in a veiled display of anxiety. Whatever “breakthrough” Josephine had been referring to when she’d contacted him had almost certainly come at some sort of cost; the Solver seemed rather Faustian when it came to gleaning benefits from its abilities. And considering how that cost was most likely paid by Tessa, Theodore was all-too-eager to get to Josephine’s office and find out how he could mitigate whatever damage had resulted from this “breakthrough”.

The elevator dinged, snapping Theodore out of his thoughts as the doors slid open. Najja and Katie exited first with Benny in tow, but Theodore quickly made his way to the front of the group as they walked down the hallway toward what had previously been the director of JCJenson’s Copper-9 division’s office (currently serving as a temporary operating space for Josephine).

As they made their way toward the office, a loud bang exploded from further down the hall, followed almost instantaneously by a swishing sound and a CRACK, like a spinning firecracker hurtling through the sky and detonating at low altitude.

The sound, quite clearly, had come from Josephine’s office.

“Josie?” Theodore shouted, his heart skipping a beat as he unholstered his pistol. The rest of his squad took out their own weapons, immediately assuming half-crouched battle positions with their firearms aimed forward. Theodore hustled to the office as quickly as he could and pushed the door open with a hand, sweeping his weapon to and fro as he took in the situation.

A soldier, hands raised innocently—though one held a gun.

A calm and collected Josephine, standing close to a surprised Tessa, who had turned to look at Theodore with the Solver’s symbol glowing white in her right eye.

N, J, and V, gathered around Tessa with their hands in various weaponized modes, having assumed protective stances upon Theodore’s armed entry.

Theodore frowned in confusion, straightening up and lowering his weapon. “Stand down,” he told his crew before facing Josephine. “The heck is goin’ on in here?” he asked with a questioning gesture in the gun-toting soldier’s direction. “Someone got twitchy fingers or what?”

“Just another test,” Josephine responded evenly as the drones deactivated their own weapons. “Which, might I add, Tessa passed with flying colours. As expected.” She smiled down at Tessa and held up a fist, which Tessa bumped with a grin.

“Test…?” Theodore looked to his right, where he spotted a suspiciously bullet-shaped hole in the wall. “What—wait a minute.” He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Josie,” he growled through gritted teeth, “PLEASE tell me you did not shoot LIVE ROUNDS at her friggin’ HEAD.”

“Oh, *I* didn’t,” Josephine responded innocently, putting a hand on her chest. “But even if I had, they would’ve been redirected, as proven by the test.”

Theodore lowered his hand and put both on his hips. “This the ‘breakthrough’ you were yappin’ about?” he guessed, working his jaw as he attempted to restrain his anger.

“Part of it, yes,” Josephine confirmed. “Overall, we—” She stopped, a thoughtful look coming to her face, and then turned to Tessa. “Y’know what? Why don’t YOU tell ‘im, Tessa?” she suggested. “It’s your grand stage, after all.”

“It ain’t her stage, and this ain’t a SHOW,” Theodore snarled at Josephine before looking at Tessa. “Talk to me, Tess. What’s she doin’ now?”

“Actually, Teddy,” Tessa began with an excited smile growing on her face, “the real question is: what are WE doin’ now?”

Benny suddenly let out a cry of surprise as the Absolute Solver’s symbol appeared around his waist and he was lifted into the air, arms and legs flailing wildly.

Najja, Katie, and Theodore all turned to stare at him in shock, watching as he was carried gently around the room by Tessa, who had a smaller version of the symbol both in her eye and over her upraised hand.

Benny’s screams gradually changed into astonished laughter as he stretched out his arms like Superman. “I’m flyin’! I’m flyin’, mates! HAHAHAHA!” he cackled gleefully. “HAHA—OOF!”

“Bloody impressive, eh?” Tessa remarked with a grin as Benny landed flat on his face due to her deactivating her Solver powers.

“Bloody DANGEROUS is what it is,” Theodore grumbled under his breath. Then, audibly, he said, “Er… yeah, Tess. Looks like you’ve got the hang of that thing.”

“She’s comin’ along nicely, that’s for sure,” Josephine stated, inserting herself back into the conversation. “As I mentioned at the briefing, water will become even more important to Solver users than it already is, so we’ve begun designing a device that siphons hydration from the air and funnels it into the bloodstream. Until it’s done, though, she’ll just be chuggin’ a lotta bottles.”

On cue, the soldier with the gun tossed a small flask to Tessa, who caught it and downed the whole thing in a few seconds.

“Overall, her ability to control the Solver shows us that it IS possible to use its powers without succumbin’ to its will,” Josephine concluded. “In terms of this whole debacle… well, optimism’s at an all-time high, I’d say.”

Theodore nodded slowly, the gears turning in his brain as he struggled to decide what response to give. Although every fiber of his being screamed at him to rage against Josephine for what she was doing—particularly for having someone shoot at Tessa’s head from almost point-blank range—he forced himself to recall his last conversation with Tessa about the tests. She had implored him to trust her—to believe that she could handle all of this.

And the truth was, he didn’t. She was still just a kid. She shouldn’t be CAPABLE of handling something like this, and with all the trauma she’d endured because of this thing she was trying to control, there was no conceivable way she would be able to stand on her own two feet.

So with that in mind, Theodore slowly took out his keybug, gave it a light tap to activate its visual recording function, and said, “Alright, kiddo. Show me what you’ve got.”

- - -

“Priority One Experimental Log, Entry 002. Doctor Roland Chambers. Patient 003, referred to as ‘Abhi’, was infected with the Absolute Solver. By Dr. Ridley’s orders, we implemented a delay period to determine how long it takes for the Solver’s will to take hold before applying Patch 1.0.1. Oddly enough, the Solver did not appear to manifest in 003 at all, whether in the form of its abilities or its personality. There was simply no effect whatsoever. Further testing is required.”

Dirge turned his head slowly, tracking Dr. Chambers’s path out of the holding area by the sound of his footsteps. Once the doctor was gone and no noise but the crackling of the fireplace and buzzing of electric lights remained, he tapped the side of his locker and said in a low voice, “Atta. You awake?”

The soft rattling of chains was the first answer to his question, followed by a glitching, staticky response: “D-D-D-D-Dirge…?”

“Yeah, it’s me. How’s your head?”

“C-c-c-can’t… think-k-k-k-k s-straight-t-t. M-Magn-n-n-n-n-nets…”

“I know; they’ve got you sedated. But listen: I’ve got a plan to get us out of here.”

“Yo! Speak up, emo-boy! I can’t hear your plan if you keep whispering!”

Dirge bit back a groan of irritation as Nori’s voice floated from several lockers away. “Shut up!” he hissed, slightly raising his voice. “I don’t know if they have recording instruments down here! I don’t want them to hear it!”

“Don’t be such a wuss,” Nori sneered in response. “The best escape plans are the ones they can’t stop, even when they know what’s coming. If it ain’t that good, it ain’t good enough.”

Dirge gritted his teeth. “Atta,” he said, holding back his annoyance, “I know you’re out of it and can’t really focus, but… I’m gonna need one of your claws.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Talk to Katie. (OPEN FILE: "BlackBox.doc"): 11%
Talk to Najja. (OPEN FILE: "SolverStudies.doc"): 72%
Talk to Benny. (OPEN FILE: "ManorMassacre.doc"): 9%
Isolate. (OPEN FILE: "dronetrial034.doc"): 8%

Chapter Text

XVI.

Theodore

Trials and Errors: Part IV

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Talk to Najja. (OPEN FILE: “SolverStudies.doc”)”

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AHRC75Z2SAOWviWaHt6p577DIExllkqjX48s2Z4w6DM/edit?usp=sharing

Theodore watched the live feed being played by his keybug’s hologram projector as it showed Tessa practice with the Solver by moving three cups filled with water in a circle over her head. “Scares the crap outta me,” he muttered under his breath. “If the Solver takes control of her, I swear…”

“You worry too much, Teddy,” Josephine told him through his earpiece (as the feed he was watching was being sent through a camera Josephine was wearing). “She wasn’t infected with the Solver directly; it was integrated into her organically. Based on our findings, she’s in the clear when it comes to possession.”

“‘Findings’? It’s been—what, two months and some change? From a big picture perspective, we know next to nothin’ about this thing.” Theodore ran a hand through his hair, hunching over the table at which he sat. “Why’s it gotta be this way, Josie?” he lamented. “Why did it have to be her? Why didn’tchya just leave her mum alive and use HER as a lab rat, eh?”

“We didn’t know this would happen, Theodore. And even if we did, we wouldn’t have used Louisa regardless; I’d hate to imagine what she’d be like with all that power. Regardless, we can only play the hand we’re dealt, and Tessa looks like she’s got a royal flush.”

Theodore’s frown deepened as Tessa skillfully emptied the contents of each cup into her mouth and curtsied for the applauding scientists. “I just… I don’t think we know enough, that’s all,” he said at least, allowing himself a slight smile at Tessa’s antics. “I don’t wanna see ‘er get hurt. Not again.”

“We’re doin’ our best to minimize self-harm from her night terrors. N, J, and V are perfect for restrainin’ ‘er. As long as they’re around—as long as WE’RE around—she’ll be fine. Trust me.”

Theodore almost burst out laughing in scorn at that. Instead, he settled for a mirthless chuckle. “‘Trust me’, she says. Right.” He looked away, shaking his head.

“Look, if you wanna know more about the Solver, why don’t you ask Najja?” Josephine suggested, sounding a little exasperated with Theodore’s refusal to trust her. “She’s one of our top minds workin’ on crackin’ it, and she was one of your old crewmates. You should have a prebuilt rapport.”

Theodore looked to his left, where he saw Najja and Katie eating lunch together. “I s’pose I should get back to teambuildin’,” he said reluctantly.

“That’s the spirit! Get back to me when you’re done. Ta-ta, tiger.”

Theodore rolled his eyes and put away his keybug, substituting it for his half of “Black Box” (which he’d taken to using like a fidget spinner) before standing and walking over to Najja and Katie. “This seat taken?” he asked, gesturing to the spot next to Najja.

The women turned to look at him in surprise. Katie’s secondary reaction was a bit confusing, as her eyes darted toward “Black Box” with a hint of perturbation in them. “This one isn’t,” she said before Najja could respond, picking up her plate of bacon and eggs and standing. “Have at it.” She nodded to Najja and told her, “See you ‘round, Naj.”

“Yeah. I’ll catch up with you in a bit, Kay-Kay.” Najja gave Katie an understanding nod, then looked up at Theodore. “Looks like you’ve earned a spot at my table, Elliott,” she remarked with a humourous smirk, gesturing to the seat across from her. “Sit down.”

Theodore slowly obliged, raising an eyebrow at Najja. “Should I ask?” he inquired, raising his half of “Black Box” and jerking his head in the retreating Katie’s general direction.

“Maybe later. You clearly have something to ask ME first,” Najja surmised.

Theodore winced. “Ouch. You ever think I just wanted to talk to ya?”

“Not even for a second.” Najja folded her arms and leaned forward on the table. “We never talked much on missions, Elliott. Virtually all of our interactions have been professional. I simply presumed this one would be no different.” She raised her own eyebrow in a mockery of Theodore. “Did I presume correctly?”

Theodore threw his hands into the air, giving up. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Najja told him with a chuckle. “I’m always happy to talk technically. I get enough ‘intimate conversation’ from Bonin.”

“Don’tchya mean ‘Kay-Kay’?” Theodore corrected her with a half-grin.

“What do you want, Elliott?” Najja asked, the mirth leaving her face instantly.

Theodore grimaced, then cleared his throat and straightened up in his seat. “Right. Er… I was just wondering about the Solver, and what we’ve learned about it so far. Nothin’ too fancy; just a summarized rundown is all.”

“Hm.” Najja tapped the table with her fingers and leaned back a bit. “Alright. I can do that.” She took out her keybug and tapped it a few times as it perched on her wrist. “Open audio file ‘SolverSummary58’,” she stated.

A few seconds passed.

Then an audio file icon popped out of the keybug’s hologram projector, and Najja’s voice began speaking:

“Najja Darko, audio log. May 5th, 3052.”

“You made this today?” Theodore asked, surprised.

Najja paused the file and shot him a look. “I make one as often as I can,” she answered. “Don’t interrupt.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Najja frowned and resumed the file. “Subject: Absolute Solver, codenamed ‘Priority One Entity AbSolver1001’. A biomechanical and/or biodigital organism and/or virus capable of infecting advanced A.I.”

A long beep rang out following this statement, causing Theodore to give Najja a questioning look.

“Classified information,” she explained in response to his silent query. “You’ll need clearance from Josephine for that part.”

“Huh.” Theodore rubbed his jaw, eyeing the projection warily as the recording continued.

“Past instances displayed poor motor skills and lacked critical processing functions. Current instance appears hyperintelligent and possesses thorough knowledge of human tendencies. Research suggests previous instances were falsifying low functionality in order to gather data.”

A chill ran down Theodore’s spine, but he said nothing this time, allowing the recording to continue.

“AbSolver1001 can alter the Absolute Fabric of Reality, or the AFR, using four main algorithmic functions: translation, scaling, rotating, and editing. Editing seems to be the basis of all other outputs, including possession, transmutation, and assimilation. Many of these functions do not appear to originate from the [EXTENDED REDACTION BEEP] access our plane of reality—or at least, what we refer to as reality. AbSolver1001 can also communicate with its altered drones and other instances, though this communication appears to be somewhat limited. How the connection functions is yet to be determined. Cabin Fever Team 01 has been tasked with researching it and utilizing the cause of the disconnect to prevent unwanted communication between future SIDs.”

“‘SIDs’. What’re ‘SIDs’?” Theodore inquired, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

“Solver-Integrated Detachments. Keep listening,” Najja instructed.

“Preliminary trials with Patient Zero show promise, revealing that the Solver can in fact be wielded by a human with little risk. Hydration requirements increase exponentially, but can be mitigated with a 700-1200% increase in water intake. Other risks involving UV exposure require further research in order to develop viable protection.

“Team 06 has been tasked with carrying out drone integration trials in order to develop a patch for the Solver. Once created, the patch will be applied to all SIDs. The SIDs will then be deployed to seek out the Solver’s central cores and apply the patch, theoretically eradicating all identified instances from the known universe.”

Najja tapped the keybug and put it away. “And that’s what we know,” she concluded, gesturing to Theodore with both hands. “Satisfied?”

“Mostly.” Theodore stood up and offered his hand to Najja, who shook it firmly. “Thanks, Najja. I think I understand it a little better now.”

“Mm… I wouldn’t think that if I were you,” Najja warned, squinting at him with a slight smile on her face. “Don’t tell her I said this, but the Solver is kind of like Josephine. Just when you think you’ve started to understand it…”

“You realize you don’t understand it at all,” Theodore finished for her with a rueful smirk. “Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.” He gave her an informal two-fingered salute and began walking away, saying, “I’ll tell your girlfriend she can have her seat back.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, she’s my—” Najja stopped and let out an annoyed sigh, throwing up her hands. “Why do I even bother…?”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Nori's Trial (4-MONTH TIME SKIP): 5%
Yeva's Trial (4-MONTH TIME SKIP): 4%
Talk to N, V, and J (OPEN FILE: "TrueFamily.doc"): 88%
Talk to Josephine (OPEN FILE: "HouseMoney.doc"): 2%

- - -

In order to unlock the corresponding files, reply to this comment with a SINGLE WORD prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (BB, MM, dt). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS TOTAL. Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [dronetrials_hint]= “SICKNESSHOTCOLD”
string [BlackBox_hint]= “GIFTSGREECEHOPE”
string [ManorMassacre_hint]= “DWELLEPISODEHEART”
FILE 1 UNLOCKED BY: @Hihowareyou-tb7pu on YouTube
CODEWORD: fever

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KQhsCvpDZymSkkG8u2s4gACxdYwVMee4kdPaQcuHo04/edit?usp=sharing

FILE 2 UNLOCKED BY: @Hihowareyou-tb7pu on YouTube
CODEWORD: pandora

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DhrnqBGZpJKENe0tXPRXA8FQgois4F0sr1a-sKNl6Ic/edit?usp=sharing

FILE 3 UNLOCKED BY: @Null_Lethe on YouTube
CODEWORD: home

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18G2gaGJEVRoMJSeDbTEvOpJcc2GbbUntMEKUMHksUaU/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XVII.

Theodore

Those We Hold Dear: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Talk to N, V, and J (OPEN FILE “TrueFamily.doc”)”

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DFmhHoQ23qxPRF6q7Yml3wjiVvgqIeQjVtTJMP4zO-s/edit?tab=t.0

“Alright, now describe the process one more time for the log, please.”

“Sure. So… basically, I’ve got all these equations floatin’ around in my head. The other doctors say it’s probably all the ones the Solver had stored in its memory banks before I was cloned. I can take those equations and essentially apply them to the absolute fabric.”

“And what is the process by which you, say, move a box from point A to point B?”

Theodore poked his head into Break Room C, where he saw J sitting on a lounge sofa adjacent to the one upon which Tessa was reclining. The Disassembly Drone had transformed her left hand into a microphone and was using it to record both herself and Tessa, while Tessa appeared amused by the informal “interview”. Out of the corner of his eye, Theodore spotted N and V playing ping-pong further to his right.

“Oh, that’s easy,” Tessa scoffed with a wave of her hand in response to J’s question. “It’s, like, two or three really simple steps. First, if I wanna move anything at all, I gotta measure the planet using a bunch of variables to find the coordinates of what I’m movin’ and where I wanna move it. That takes… hm… maybe a couple nanoseconds. Then I apply equations of motion on a three-dimensional axis to the Solver’s translation function and flex my digital muscles—like so!”

The ping-pong ball N and V were using suddenly became trapped in mid-flight by a white Solver symbol, which pulled it into Tessa’s open hand.

“Hey! We were using that!” V complained.

“Et voila,” Tessa said proudly, ignoring V and tossing the ball at J’s face.

J frowned as it bounced off her visor.

“Bloody impressive, kiddo,” Theodore remarked, drawing everyone’s attention as he entered the room with a light round of applause. “You sound like a uni student. Most kids your age wouldn’t understand half a’ what you just said.”

“Most kids my age don’t have a computer god in their brains,” Tessa pointed out, grinning upon seeing her older cousin. She rolled off the couch and hugged Theodore, asking, “Can you entertain these rust-buckets for a bit? I’m gonna grab some more hydro.”

“You’re outta juice already?” Theodore asked in surprise, looking down at her suspiciously. “You only moved a ping-pong ball.”

“I was trainin’ earlier. Didn’t refuel after.” Tessa shrugged. “Whoops!” Then she skipped past Theodore, waving as she headed down the hallway. “Have fun, Cuz!”

Theodore frowned, watching her go before turning to face the drones.

“End log,” J muttered, her microphone shifting back into a hand.

N and V walked over to the sofa where J sat, plopping down next to each other. “Well, Mr. Clown? Aren’t you gonna ‘entertain’ us?” V inquired sarcastically (with air-quotes for an extra punch).

“I don’t entertain.” Theodore leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed. “And by the way, I think you owe me just a li’l more respect, yeah?” he added, holding up two fingers close together and squinting at V to emphasize his point. “Unless you’ve forgotten who helped put you together after Tess pulled ya from the dump.”

“AFTER you shoved me in a disassembly unit,” V retorted.

“Eh. That’s fair.”

“It WAS kind of necessary, though,” N pointed out, tentatively raising a finger. “You were malfunctioning pretty badly.”

“Shut UP, N” V snapped, punching him in the arm.

“Ow…!”

Theodore laughed before fixing his attention on J. “You’re awfully quiet, J,” he commented. “All tuckered out from that interview?”

“No. I don’t have anything to add to the conversation.” J crossed her legs and arms, leaning back. “Besides, there’s not much to talk about right now, is there? The universe is on high alert, after all—so I’m not exactly in the mood for chitchat.”

“Well, let’s talk about THAT, then.” Theodore walked to the right side of the break room, grabbed a chair, and brought it over to the sofas. He sat down and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “How’re ya holding up through all this?” he inquired with a vague gesture. “The Solver, Tessa, all these clones of yourselves… it’s gotta be a lot, yeah?”

“Oh, it is,” N confirmed immediately, nodding. “But we’re pretty good at repressing stuff!” He laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head, adding, “Honestly, I don’t think we’d be able to keep it all in if we didn’t have each other. It’s so scary, not knowing when we might be reprogrammed, or destroyed, or turn into holo-spooky-snake-crab thingies…”

“So we try NOT to think about it,” V put in pointedly, shooting N a look. “It’s better to keep ourselves distracted.” She crossed her arms and turned away, adding, “Doesn’t help that most of the humans don’t trust us, though. I’ve heard some of them whispering about us. They think we’re sleeper agents for the Solver.”

“Not everyone thinks that,” Theodore told her reassuringly.

V let out a scoffing laugh. “Like YOU’D know! You’re as much of a loner as J. You never talk to anyone except Josephine and Tessa.”

“Insulting, but true,” J stated in a tone of admission. She turned from V to Theodore and said, “We’re not holding on to much. Just having Tessa here, keeping her safe, and hoping that we can actually stop Cyn.”

Theodore frowned and cocked his head. “Cyn? You mean the Solver.”

The three drones looked at each other, then back to Theodore. “It’s both,” J responded after a beat.

“Both? How do you know?”

“When we were being controlled by her, our administrator was ‘Cyn’. It seems like her programming is fused with the Solver, so our enemy’s not one or the other—it’s both.” J lowered her gaze, vacantly staring at her hands as she folded them at waist-level. “Whatever we’re up against, it was, at one point, a Worker Drone like us. Now, though… it’s something else altogether.”

“I hope the patch works when it’s finished,” N said, anxiety evident in his voice. “I know she’s some unholy eldritch monster now, but… I still wanna save Cyn. I still… miss her.”

The drones fell silent, with V resting her hand on N’s as he wrung both of his together.

Theodore rubbed his jaw, growing thoughtful. “So this isn’t just some crazy digital god to you,” he realized. “It—SHE—was a friend.”

“She was FAMILY,” N corrected him, looking up with insistence in his artificial eyes.

Theodore nodded slowly, holding N’s gaze. “Family,” he repeated. “Right. And even with all the people she’s murdered and assimilated, you still wanna save ‘er?”

“If it was Tessa, would YOU want to save HER?” V asked, now meeting Theodore’s gaze as well.

Now it was Theodore’s turn to be silent. A horrifying thought—a nightmarish vision—flashed through his mind: Tessa unified with the Solver, willfully tearing all living things asunder and absorbing them into her core.

The vision vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Theodore clasped both hands together before pressing them against his mouth with his elbows rested on his knees, clearly shaken.

“We may not have blood to share, but we’re still family,” N said quietly. “Cyn, Tessa… all of us. And I’ll do whatever it takes to save us—to save Cyn. Even if I have to destroy her to do it.”

“Whatever it takes,” V agreed with a nod.

“Whatever it takes,” J said in a definitive tone, pointedly shifting her hand into a gun.

Theodore lowered his clasped hands, nodding again in a slow, understanding fashion as the gut-wrenching image of Tessa under the Solver’s thrall reappeared in his mind. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Whatever it takes.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Report for security duty at drone trials: 4%
Stay at HQ to watch Tessa's first combat test: 81%
Dirge and Atta: 12%
Report for security duty at drone pre-/post-trial interviews: 3%

- - -

In order to unlock “HouseMoney.doc”, reply to this comment with a SINGLE WORD prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (HM). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS TOTAL. Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [HouseMoney_hint]= “FALSEFACEQUOTE”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @Hihowareyou-tb7pu on YouTube
CODEWORD: macbeth

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZBd2D9H9WsFw_CnKKq5dW8c2PL4xlM2K_hp_3HprDpg/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XVIII.

Theodore

Those We Hold Dear: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Stay at HQ to watch Tessa’s first combat test”

“What do you mean, ‘gone’?” Theodore barked.

He stood in Conference Room B with Najja, Katie, Benny, and Josephine (well, they were seated; only he was standing), listening to Dr. Chambers’s emergency report being given via holographic projection. Josephine’s feathers were clearly ruffled, judging by the look on her face, while Benny was attempting to stifle his chuckles. Najja seemed thoroughly invested in what Chambers was saying, but Katie was just messing around on her phone (between frequent and somewhat wary glances at Theodore and Josephine).

“I mean what I said,” Chambers answered, the flatness of his tone belying his frustration. “034 and 001 have vanished. It appears they somehow burrowed out of their lockers through the wall behind them and back to Copper-9’s surface. We followed the tunnel and searched the surrounding area within a 10-kilometre radius to no avail. They are simply GONE.”

“How could you lose a drone infected with the Solver?” Theodore raged. “We can’t have one on the loose! You need to get that thing back NOW!”

“Did you search the Doormans’ house?” Josephine inquired, making a calming gesture in Theodore’s direction.

“Yes,” Chambers confirmed. “They and their remaining Worker Drone were questioned, but there was no trace of 034 or 001 at their home.” He narrowed his eyes and added, “Rest assured, Director: we WILL get to the bottom of this and bring the patients back. You have my word.”

“That’s very good, Roland. Because YOU’LL be leading the search.” Josephine narrowed her own eyes. “Take rations and weapons, as well as a security detail of your choice. Do not return until you have 034 and 001 in your possession. Do you understand?”

There was a moment of silence before Chambers answered in a tight voice, “Yes. Director.”

“Rippah. That’ll be all, then.” Josephine switched channels without waiting for another response. “Director Crenshaw,” she said, addressing the new hologram projection that had taken Chambers’s place. “What’ve you got for me?”

“Nothing good,” the apparently-embattled director replied, her expression haunted and eyes weighed down by bags; she clearly hadn’t slept in days and was pushing herself beyond her limits. “The Solver’s host body is still on Plat-Binary-1, according to satellite cameras. It’s… waiting for something, I think. Or… or maybe it’s resting? We don’t know for certain.”

“How have you held up against the Disassembly Drones?”

“Well enough. Your advice about cloud seeding to incur lightning storms has deterred them for now, but the storms don’t last forever. We’re losing soldiers faster than we can recruit.”

Josephine pressed her fingertips together, looking thoughtful. “Keep brainstormin’,” she said after a few seconds. “And keep me posted. I’ll try contactin’ the Sirius and Ceti systems again and see if I can change their minds about sparin’ some backup.”

“Thank you, Director,” Crenshaw responded, sounding as if she didn’t believe Josephine’s request would even be considered. “Let me know how that goes as soon as you can.”

“Of course. Take care, Crenshaw.” Josephine turned off the holo-projector and exhaled loudly, rubbing her forehead and closing her eyes while clicking a pen repeatedly with her other hand. “We can do this,” she muttered to herself, practically sighing out the words. “We can do this.”

Everyone else in the conference room waited to see what her next order of business would be. Theodore, clearly still worried about the escaped drones, began to pace a little as the silence stretched on, wiping his face with both hands anxiously.

Finally, Josephine slapped down her pen and stood, clearing her throat. “Alright,” she declared in an unnecessarily-loud voice. “Let’s do somethin’ fun.”

“‘Fun’?” Katie repeated, finally looking up from her phone and raising an eyebrow. “We don’t have time for ‘fun’, mate.”

“It’s a different kind of fun, Agent Bonin.” Josephine tapped a finger to her ear and said, “Tessa? It’s Josephine. Are you all ready?”

An excited voice squealing “YES” loud enough for everyone else to hear rang out from Josephine’s earpiece, making her wince. “Great,” she remarked in a pained tone, forcing a grin. “Head to the trainin’ centre. We’ll meet you there.”

Theodore put his hands on his hips, giving Josephine a questioning look as she lowered her hand. “What’s this about?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” was Josephine’s simple answer as she headed for the conference room’s exit. “Everyone, with me,” she ordered. “And keep your keybugs handy. You’ll wanna record this.”

- - -

The main area of the training centre was almost completely dark. Nothing was visible inside of it, unless it was illuminated by the warning lights on the many obstacles spread throughout it.

A girl stood in the middle of the main area, her eyes closed and fingers twitching with excitement. Behind one-way windows overlooking the main area, the Solver Squadron stood with their keybugs recording. One member in particular looked extremely tense, as if ready to burst into the room the second things went wrong.

Suddenly, an automated voice began to speak, saying only three simple words.

“THREE. TWO. ONE.”

A short, sharp beep echoed through the facility.

On cue, three glowing yellow X’s appeared, each in a different, arbitrary location. In the lone second for which they were still, the light produced by the X’s revealed open mouths filled with sharp teeth, dripping with metallic saliva.

Then the X’s became blurs of light as the drones producing them shot toward the girl, hands shifting into various weapons: chainsaws, blades, rocket launchers—anything that could be used to deal damage to their target.

The girl vanished in a flicker of glitching white light.

The drones’ initial attacks all missed, and they looked around hungrily for their missing prey.

A catcall-esque whistle rang out, and they turned in the direction from which it had come—just in time for one of them to be knocked clean “out of frame” by one of the obstacles, thrown via the Absolute Solver’s translation function.

-

“Was that N?” Theodore asked Josephine quietly, turning to look at her.

Josephine nodded, checking the tracker displayed by her keybug. “Currently pinned beneath several hundred pounds of steel,” she remarked, smiling slightly. “She’s stronger than her test showed.”

“She was hiding her power,” Katie said in an equally quiet voice, drawing surprised looks from Theodore, Josephine, and Benny (who was on Theodore’s right). “That means she’s SMARTER, too.”

-

The girl teleported around the room rapidly, editing the obstacle course with her Solver and turning multiple parts of it into cuff-shaped bands of metal. One of the drones had lunged at her with its hands in the form of claws, swinging for her face—but the girl whipped her hand to the side, cuffing the drone and sending it flying into a wall, where it was pinned.

-

“Down goes V,” Josephine reported. “She’s not even breaking a sweat.”

“Blimey. This thing makes killer robots look like wallaby joeys,” Benny remarked, sounding slightly unnerved by his own statement. “Should we really be givin’ that powah to humans?”

Theodore and Josephine glanced at him while Najja and Katie kept watching Tessa. “What choice do we have?” Josephine answered in a solemn tone.

-

Now only one drone remained mobile, keeping its head on a swivel as it continued to search for the hunted—who, ostensibly, had become the hunter. It flapped its wings and rose into the air, firing off multiple rockets to light up the area. The brief illumination it received showed flashes of the girl darting through the shadows, only a flickering shape or light against the blackness of the chamber. The drone knew it had to close the distance quickly; long-range attacks were clearly the girl’s forte. It couldn’t stay too far or it would be taken out as easily as the others.

With a flap of its metal wings, the drone shot toward the girl’s current location, swinging its sword-hands at her. The girl quickly evaded the attack, performing a vertical leap that should’ve been impossible and latching onto the ceiling like a lizard. Spiny tendrils whipped out of her back, stabbing at the drone with incredible precision. The drone was fast enough to dodge the strikes, however, and cut through the tentacles before firing bullets at the girl again.

The bullets were redirected by the girl’s autonomous Solver field, and a big grin crossed her face as the Solver’s symbol flashed in her eye. She disappeared in yet another fizzling burst of white light. -

“Somethin’ ain’t right,” Theodore muttered, twirling his half of “Black Box” between his fingers rapidly as he watched. “I can feel it.”

His flesh rippled in a checkered pattern along his fingers and hands as the half-cube was moved rapidly around.

Katie’s eyes drifted over to Theodore—to the object in his grasp, to the unnoticed and unfelt shifting of his flesh.

A red warning symbol flashed briefly on one face of the half-cube before vanishing.

Tension began to rise, crackling in the air like electricity.

-

The girl and the drone exchanged attacks, each evading the other at nearly-imperceptible speeds. The girl had sprouted wings of her own—organic extensions like those of a bat, complete with claws on the joints. She used them like extra weapons, slashing and stabbing at the drone with them at a frenzied pace. She made extensive use of her Solver as well, hurling whatever she could get a hold of at her foe.

The drone cut through the debris and kept attempting to get closer, each time finding itself staved off by the girl’s deflective counters.

But the girl was also wearing out. That was good. The drone would push her to her limits, mixing offence with defence, then go for the kill.

The girl was getting frustrated. Her grin was now a tooth-baring scowl. She exerted more effort, grabbing another item with the Solver—

—and that’s when things began to slip.

The obstacle she grabbed suddenly rippled like liquid, transmuting from inorganic matter into a living blob of flailing flesh covered in glowing yellow eyes and prehensile tentacles.

The Solver symbol flickered yellow in the girl’s right eye. An overheating warning flashed in the left.

-

“Theodore’s right,” Katie murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched the fight grow in intensity. “Something’s wrong.”

At her words, Josephine gave her a glance and then fixed her eyes on the duel again. “Fine. We’ll stop the fight,” she said reluctantly after a brief moment of hesitation. She tapped her earpiece and said, “Ladies? Shut it down.”

No response.

Josephine frowned. “Tessa? J? You copy?”

Nothing.

Theodore’s entire body tensed visibly, his muscles tightening. “Oh, no,” he whispered.

Josephine cursed.

-

The girl used her Solver on another piece of metal, transforming it into another fleshy abomination as she backed away from the drone, chuckling in a somewhat-crazed voice that was not her own. “It’s been – fun – J,” Cyn said, letting her head loll to the side as the girl’s scowl was replaced with a twisted grin and the symbol in her eye turned solid yellow. “But – I think it’s time – to finish this.”

A [NULL] appeared over C’thahl Yub-Neleth’s open hand, and it whipped its arm forward, snapping its fingers as she did so.

The drone corkscrew-flipped over the [NULL] as it sped toward C’thahl, barely avoiding getting sliced in half, and swung its sword at the entity to conclude the spinning attack.

The Absolute Solver grabbed the sword with its bare hand, holding it firm as the lights in the training area turned on with a thudding sound. It formed another [NULL] in its other hand and, before the drone could react, moved the pocket of antimatter directly in front of the drone’s face. “Goodbye – buddy,” it sneered in a mocking monotone.

“TESSA!”

Everyone froze.

The door to the training area was open, and Theodore stood there with a look of terror on his face. Cyn—Tessa—stared at him in startled confusion, looking as though she’d just woken up from a long sleep. “Teddy?” she said, her voice unsteady and uncertain as the Solver symbol vanished from her eye. “What are you—”

The drone’s other hand shifted into a sword, and J cut off Tessa’s head.

Theodore’s heart practically stopped.

A sickening, wet thud rang out as the head hit the floor, eyes still wide open and neck bleeding a thick, gooey semi-solid matter. J held her striking pose, the X still in her eyes and her mouth still open and dripping saliva. She did not move when Tessa’s body staggered slightly, the [NULL] over its hand disappearing as its arms fell slack against its sides, nor when it fell onto its back, motionless and lifeless. As if connected to the body, the monstrosities Cyn had created spasmed momentarily before falling limp as well.

For a moment, there was absolute silence.

Then Theodore began to move, his body performing the start of what would most certainly be the fastest sprint of his life, blood pounding in his ears, horror sending a nigh-crippling chill through every inch of his nervous system, the beginnings of a terrible scream swelling in his chest—

—and as he began to move, a commanding voice simultaneously called out:

“Teddy, STOP!”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Listen to Josephine: 10%
Attack J: 9%
Run to Tessa: 80%
Turn on Josephine: 1%

Chapter Text

XIX.

Theodore

Those We Hold Dear: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Run to Tessa”

Josephine’s words fell on deaf ears. Theodore kept moving, sprinting toward Tessa for all he was worth. His race to her headless form came to an abrupt halt as something cold and hard wrapped around his arms from behind, but he paid no mind to the bindings and strained against them as he struggled to force his way to Tessa.

As Theodore screamed his lungs out, the X in J’s visor vanished, glitching a few times before her face returned to normal. She blinked in confusion for a few moments before spotting Tessa’s head, which elicited a loud gasp from the startled drone. Her swords shifted back into hands, which she placed over her mouth as she backed away in horror. “What…? No… no!” she cried, horrified. “Why—how—what did I do?!”

V dropped down from the wall to which she’d been pinned as her makeshift cuffs fell away. She pulled out her glasses and slipped them onto her face, her expression turning to one of shock upon seeing what had occurred.

N finally managed to push away the obstacle Tessa had pinned him with, the X in his own eyes disappearing and being replaced with a dismayed expression. “Tessa…?”

Meanwhile, Theodore continued to scream, now falling to his knees as tears began to stream from his eyes. The things around his arms tightened their grip, firmly holding him back. His half of “Black Box” was pulsating in his clenched right fist like a miniature heart, growing warmer by the second. Josephine was speaking harshly behind him, ordering someone to keep Theodore in place.

And then, suddenly, Tessa’s body jerked to life.

Theodore froze, his vision still blurred by his tears, and his screams died away as his anger and dismay turned to confusion and surprise.

Tessa’s headless form slowly rose to its feet, wobbling slightly as it extended its arms and staggered toward her head. It reached down, grabbing the fallen head, and promptly reattached it to the neck backward before snapping it around into the proper orientation.

Tessa blinked several times as everyone else in the room stared at her in shock and awe. She swallowed hard and, in a hoarse voice implying severe dehydration, rasped, “Water?” before swaying and passing out.

“Let him go,” Josephine said immediately.

Katie retracted her tendril-like arms and large metal claws, returning her arms and hands to normal as she released Theodore.

Theodore instantly lunged forward, picking Tessa up in his arms and spinning around to race toward the training area’s exit. “Where’s the nearest source a’ water?” he asked Josephine hurriedly.

“Right here,” Josephine answered as Najja calmly handed her a large drinking container. “Give her all of it. SLOWLY,” she added in a warning tone. “Don’t overdo it.”

-

J kept her eyes on Tessa, her expression still unchanged and her hands still over her mouth.

“Hey… you okay, J?” V asked softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You look really shaken up.”

“We know that wasn’t your fault,” N added, resting his own hand on J’s other shoulder. “I guess our ‘Murder Drone’ programming hasn’t been fully deleted. But I know you’d never—”

J suddenly shrugged off their hands, lowering her own and quickly storming away. “I need a minute,” she said, her voice returning to its professional tone—albeit with an audible quiver.

N and V looked at each other, concern evident in their eyes.

-

Theodore gently set Tessa down on the ground and took the container, barely able to keep the stream steady as he allowed the water to flow into Tessa’s mouth with trembling hands. “What the heck happened?” he asked through gritted teeth, the tears returning to his eyes.

“She overexerted herself,” Josephine responded, crossing her arms. “Just like I told ‘er NOT to.”

“You KNEW she would,” Theodore hissed, still not looking at Josephine. “You KNEW!”

“So what if I did?” Josephine retorted. “Regardless of whether I intended for her to push herself or not, we still need to know the limits of this power. This is a net positive in the grand scheme of things.”

Theodore didn’t reply to that, instead turning slightly to fix a baleful glare on Katie. “What about you, eh?” he asked her, his voice dangerously low. “You got somethin’ you wanna tell me, Agent Bonin?”

Katie looked away and said nothing.

“Is there somethin’ you all know that I don’t?” Theodore went on, sweeping his gaze across the group standing around him and Tessa. “Somethin’ Josie’s got covered up?” He continued to pour the water with one hand while holding up his half of “Black Box” with the other. “Some connection between the Solver and—and this thing?”

“Teddy—” Josephine began to say.

“You’re usin’ Tessa for somethin’,” Theodore interrupted. “Somethin’ more than takin’ out the Solver—and I’m willin’ to bet ‘Black Box’ and Katie are part of it. Am I right?”

“Yeah. You are. But it’s not as important as the latter issue at the moment,” Josephine answered evenly. “All of humanity has a common goal right now, and Tessa is the key to it. If you can’t focus on the bigger picture, I’m gonna have to remove you from it ‘til you’re willin’ to cooperate.”

“Tessa’s not a KEY—she’s a KID,” Theodore snapped.

“Then we’ll have to agree to disagree,” Josephine stated with a shrug. “Because as far as I'm concerned, she's the closest thing we have to a real weapon in this fight.”

Theodore tossed the container away forcefully and stood up, turning to face Josephine fully. “You sick—”

Two white Solver symbols appeared around his ankles and wrists, keeping him from moving toward Josephine.

Theodore looked over his shoulder, surprised to see Tessa rising to her feet in a puppet-like fashion, going straight from a lying-down position to jerkily standing up. She rolled her neck, causing it to let out an audible crack, and gave Theodore an expression that was half-scowl, half-worried.

He instantly knew why she was looking at him that way. He quickly recalled their first conversation about Tessa cooperating with Josephine’s tests, and her plea for him to trust not only Josephine, but Tessa herself with the burden she’d been given.

One last tear slid down Theodore’s face. “Tess,” he whispered, fighting to hold back full-on sobs, “you’re just a kid.”

Tessa shook her head. “Not anymore, Teddy,” she whispered back. “Not anymore.”

- - -

J burst into an empty facility on JCJenson’s property, running directly into a backroom filled with old out-of-use training gear, traffic cones, and gym equipment. She collapsed onto a broken bench and pulled her knees up to her chest, sobbing quietly into the darkness. She remained like that for a few minutes, letting out all of her emotions as the memory of what she’d done to Tessa replayed itself over and over in her head in vivid digital detail. The silence absorbed her wordless lament, offering no reply to her sorrow.

“Strange. I didn’t know your kind cried.”

Well, ALMOST no reply.

J looked up sharply, startled by the sudden voice. She stood up quickly and switched one of her hands into a flashlight, swinging it around as her scanners searched the room. “What? Who’s there?” she asked, her voice still breaking and trembling. “Where—”

She stopped, her light landing upon two objects that looked suspiciously like massive bats hanging upside-down from the ceiling. Surprisingly enough, her scanners told her they were drones.

Solver drones.

The wings of the batlike creatures opened slightly, one revealing a single red eye and the other revealing two yellow ones. Two tails with multiple eyes and small, pointy teeth swung out from behind them, blinking at J curiously.

“Hello there, Serial Designation: J,” Dirge (034) greeted J, his form shrouded in the darkness of his wings, while Atta (001) narrowed her eyes at the addressee. “My friend and I require your assistance.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Switch to J's P.O.V.: 68%
"Interrogate" Katie: 2%
Talk to Tessa (OPEN FILE: "PrimaryPioneer.doc"): 28%
Focus on drone trials: 1%

Chapter Text

XX.

J

The Great Escape: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Switch to J’s P.O.V.”

Clearing her HUD of all tears, J immediately shifted her flashlight into an automatic rifle and snapped, “Who are you? What are you doing in here?”

Dirge and Atta dropped to the ground simultaneously, spinning around in midair so that they landed in crouching positions. “My name is Dirge,” the former responded, undaunted by J’s threatening posture. “Your people call me ‘034’.” He straightened up as Atta did the same and gestured to her, adding, “This is Atta—or ‘001’, if you prefer our numerical designations.”

“Okay, great. Now answer the second question,” J ordered before repeating it more emphatically: “What are you doing here? Per the director’s orders, you should be contained at Research Facility 012 for testing with the Solver!”

“Forgive me for saying so,” Dirge responded carefully, “but we didn’t exactly enjoy being trapped underground, chained up in rusty lockers.”

Atta suddenly let out a grunt, putting a hand on her HUD and falling to one knee as the symbol of the Solver glitched in her HUD. “O-O-Oil,” she stuttered, grabbing Dirge’s arm with her other hand.

Dirge’s expression softened at that, and he went down on one knee next to his accomplice. “Right. Sorry, Atta.” He looked back up at J, concern on his face. “Like I said before: we need your help,” he told her. “I need information on the patch. Whatever you can find.”

“Why should I give that to you?” J challenged, not giving any ground. “You’re an escaped convict! I should be returning you to the labs right now!”

“I—”

“J?”

Dirge was interrupted by a new voice—one easily recognizable as V’s, as she and N entered the empty building to search for their friend. “J? You in here?” N called, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. “J!”

J, Dirge, and Atta all glanced at the entrance to the backroom, and then looked at each other again. “We want to be free of the Solver, but we want to go about it our own way,” Dirge hissed hurriedly. “Not while being treated like lab rats.” His expression shifted, becoming more pleading than before. “Please, J.”

J narrowed her eyes, but then softened her gaze as a stab of pity entered her heart. The overheating warning in Atta’s eye brought back a recent and harrowing memory of what had just happened to Tessa, and slowly but surely, she lowered her gun and shifted it back into a hand. “N,” she said, raising her voice. “V. In here.”

Dirge and Atta began to panic, but J held up a hand in a calming gesture. She remained in that position as N and V barged into the backroom, relieved expressions on their faces. “J! You’re okay!” V began to exclaim. “We were—”

She stopped upon seeing Dirge and Atta, then instantly shifted her hands into swords as N did the same. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are THEY doing here?” she snapped, pointing at the pair of Solver drones.

“It’s okay,” J told her in a soothing tone. “They’re not causing any trouble. Stand down.”

V and N glanced at each other but did as J said. “I don’t get it, J,” N remarked, confused. “Aren’t these guys supposed to be at Cabin Fever Labs?”

J glanced from N and V to Dirge and Atta.

Atta met her gaze pleadingly, the Solver symbol still flickering in her HUD.

J let out a heavy sigh, moving her upraised hand to her head and shaking her head. “How do you two feel about… breaking protocol?” she asked, the words sounding painful as she forced them out. N and V looked at each other again.

- - -

A knocking sound on the door of her office drew Josephine’s attention, causing her to lift her head out of her hands and peer through weary eyes at the entryway. “There’s a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door,” she called in irritation.

“Sorry, ma’am,” a muffled voice called back. “It’s just… I had a question about my optic upgrades?”

Josephine groaned and ran a hand though her hair. “V,” she muttered to herself, realizing who was outside. She rose out of her chair and sighed, walking toward the door. “What about ‘em?” she inquired upon opening it, giving V a disgruntled look.

“Well,” V began as N slowly removed the ventilation cover from inside the ceiling over Josephine’s desk, “I know I said I’d stick with the glasses, but I think I wanna do the whole… upgrade… thing. If that’s okay,” she added quickly, trying desperately not to glance at N as J carefully lowered him from the ventilation shaft by his tail.

“Go talk to Najja about it,” Josephine advised her. “She’ll fix it up in no time. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

“Wait!” V blurted as Josephine began to turn around, drawing her attention back to the drone. “I… uh…” She swallowed hard at the look of annoyance on Josephine’s face while N shifted his hand into a USB drive and gently plugged it into Josephine’s CPU. “Is… is it alright if I visit Tessa?” V asked awkwardly. “With—with N and J? I know you said you didn’t want anyone talking to her right now, but—”

“I’m sorry, but she’s not to be disturbed during her check-up,” Josephine interrupted curtly as J started to pull N back up. N waved her off frantically, mouthing “IT’S DOWNLOADING!” to her. “When she’s done, I’ll let you an’ your mates know, alright?” Josephine went on.

“Right, but… don’t you think she’s lonely?” V pressed. “You keep her separated from everyone all the time, with all the tests or whatever, and—”

“Hold on a minute,” Josephine broke in again, narrowing her eyes and holding V’s gaze.

V paused, gulping as Josephine stared her down. “Uh...”

The moment stretched on for an uncomfortably long time as Josephine scrutinized the drone—and then her eyes caught a glimpse of something in the reflection of V’s glasses.

“What the—?!” Josephine whirled around, startled.

N blinked at her, popping his USB stick out of the CPU and grinning nervously. “Heheheh, uh… hi, Director!” he greeted her with a sheepish salute.

Josephine whipped out a gun and, with impossible precision, fired a bullet right through the vial of nanite acid on the end of N’s tail. It exploded with violent force, spraying over N, J, and some of the desk.

The two drones screamed, and N dropped to the ground as J let go of him while J herself came tumbling out of the ventilation shaft, landing on top of her co-conspirator.

Without hesitation, Josephine pulled out another gun and pointed it at V, now aiming both at V and the heap that was J and N. “You three have five seconds to explain what you’re doin’ with my files,” she snarled.

However, before any of the drones could respond, two more figures came swooping upward outside the window overlooking the city and crashed through it, landing inside Josephine’s office with giant Solver symbols on their HUDs.

Dirge and Atta looked up, locking gazes with Josephine, and the former declared, “Plan B, then.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Respond from Theodore's P.O.V.: 3%
Respond from Josephine's P.O.V.: 7%
Respond from Tessa's P.O.V.: 81%
Respond from Dirge's P.O.V.: 9%

- - -

In order to unlock “PrimaryPioneer.doc”, reply to this comment with a SINGLE WORD prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (HM). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS. Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [PrimaryPioneer_hint]= “MATTHEWSHADDOCKDUFFY”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @The_Haz_Matter on YouTube
CODEWORD: Design

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1B3aVTqxOGX9qeL162HvMwkHP40iQDx0o6BG7byLvdQg/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XXI.

Tessa

The Great Escape: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Respond from Tessa’s P.O.V.”

Tessa sat on the edge of a medical bed, her expression vacant. There were doctors, nurses, and scientists around her, one of whom was asking her questions that fell on deaf ears. She wasn’t paying any attention to them. How could she, after what had just happened?

The words “I thought I was stronger” echoed in her mind for the millionth time, accompanied by lingering feelings of shame, regret, embarrassment, frustration, and countless other negative emotions. She was supposed to know how to keep her Solver in check. To prevent it from taking control. This failure—this utter FAILURE—showed her that she was still a long way from perfecting this craft, and that her mere existence put people around her in danger.

“I can handle it,” her mind said for the millionth time.

She was starting to think it was a lie.

Would she ever tame the beast she’d been reborn with? COULD she? Was it even POSSIBLE? Or was she destined to forever be at risk of losing herself to this monster of her own making?

No.

NO.

“I will control it. I WILL control it.”

Another thought, thundering so powerfully in her mind that Tessa almost believed she’d yelled it aloud. She couldn’t allow doubt to keep her from exerting her will over the Solver. Josephine trusted her. Humanity NEEDED her. She couldn’t let them down—not after what she’d done. She had to fix this. She HAD to.

“Warning. Unknown Solver signature detected.”

A warning popped up in Tessa’s field of vision, symbolized as a bow with a white outline and white text that filled the space below the summarized caution statement. The cause for the warning was clear: one of her secret cameras had picked up a threat.

Tessa had set up the cameras everywhere, breaking off pieces of herself created from assimilated matter and reforming them into miniature surveillance devices. The process had been a bit painstaking and had stolen many a night of sleep, but she was desperate to keep eyes on everyone she cared about so that she could respond at a moment’s notice. And right now, the camera sending her the warning was the one she’d attached to Josephine’s favourite vest after an embrace they’d shared a couple of weeks ago.

The camera transmitted its feed directly into Tessa’s mind, projecting itself in her field of vision like a hologram. It showed Josephine’s office—its window shattered, with J and N sprawled out next to the desk, and two unknown Solver drones crouched atop the broken glass scattered on the floor.

Tessa vanished in a fizzling blink of white light, startling the doctors.

- - -

Tessa reappeared in Josephine’s office a split second later, extending her hand and yanking Josephine backward with her Solver as one of the drones—a red-eyed one with a piece of metal over one eye—lunged forward, his claws swiping at the space where Josephine had just been standing.

Josephine grunted as she landed on her rear outside the office, inadvertently firing one of her guns. The bullet streaked toward Tessa before being redirected automatically, shooting through the back of V’s head and out her HUD. V stumbled forward and fell flat on her face, oil spurting from the wound and pooling around her.

“Atta, get the files and get out of here!” the red-eyed drone barked, spreading his wings and flapping them to hover over the office floor. “I’ll cover you!”

The yellow-eyed drone didn’t respond, instead fixating on the pool of liquid gold surrounding V’s head as an X overtook her HUD. “Oil…” she rasped.

Thinking quickly, Tessa swung her arm and body as if throwing a punch, projecting a crab-like claw made of metal from her shoulder blade and pinning “Atta” to the ground. The red-eyed drone reacted just as quickly, changing course and slashing through the appendage with his own claws. He then glared at Tessa, his expression a mixture of shock and anger. “A human Solver…?” he whispered. “But how—”

A thunderous boom rang out as a high-caliber round struck the metal slab on his HUD at close-rage, knocking it clean off his face. The drone went spinning sideways and fell to the ground, crying out and grunting in anger and pain as oil dripped from the hole in his visor.

Tessa looked over her shoulder and saw Theodore standing there with Najja, Katie, and Benny, the last of whom was holding an armour-piercing sniper rifle. “WHAT’S GOIN’ ON IN HERE?” Theodore shouted angrily, swinging his shotgun from the red-eyed drone to the rising J and N.

“Let me explain,” J began to say, making a gesture of surrender. “See, the thing is—”

Then, without warning, she spun around and, shifting her hand into a sword, cut off N’s hand with the USB drive he’d downloaded (“OW!” N wailed). She caught it before it hit the ground and, in one smooth motion, spun around and hurled it out the broken window, shouting, “DIRGE, GO!”

Dirge spread his wings as wide as he could, and with a glitching Solver symbol in his visor, he whipped his wings toward the group of humans, unleashing a massive blast of wind. As they reeled from the force of it, Dirge grabbed Atta and dove out the window, presumably in pursuit of the USB drive.

“What the blazes—?! J!” Theodore raged, regaining his footing and pointing his gun at her. “Why the heck did you do that? Those were Solver drones from the lab!”

“I know, but they were—” J started to explain.

*BANG*

J flinched.

Everyone froze and looked at Josephine, who’d fired a single shot from one of her guns at J.

Then they looked at Tessa, who’d extended a hand and caught the bullet with her Solver mere centimetres from J’s face.

Slowly, Josephine turned to look at Tessa with a horrible glare. “What. Do you think. You’re DOING?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“It’s J!” Tessa responded, confused and understandably angry (though a little scared by the look on Josephine’s face). “She’s not the enemy, is she? If she’s helpin’ those drones, she’s gotta have a good reason for it!”

Josephine lowered her gun, the glare remaining on her face as N ran over to V’s fallen form. She glanced out the window, watching the two batlike forms of the escaped drones fly away, then pulled out her keybug and stormed down the hallway, snapping, “Chambers, it’s Director Jenson. I’ve got a heading on your missing lab rats…”

Her voice trailed away as she vanished, and Benny let out a low whistle. “Nevah seen ‘er that mad before,” he remarked, giving the others a wary glance. “She must have somethin’ pretty valuable on that computah, eh?”

“No kiddin’.” Theodore frowned at Josephine as she disappeared around a corner, and then beckoned to J with his free hand. “C’mere, mate,” he told her. “Tell us what’s goin’ on, yeah? We’re all at a loss here.”

J wrung her hands as she slowly approached the humans, her head held low in a fashion similar to how she had shown submission to her former owners. “I—I just wanted to help them,” she said quietly. “They wanted to be free.”

“Why’d they need Josie’s computer?” Tessa asked, keeping her tone soft as she put a consoling hand on J’s shoulder. “What were they lookin’ for?”

“Information,” N responded before J could, rising to his feet with V’s heart (which had peeled open her chest and crawled out of it) cupped in his hands. “On the Solver,” he went on. “They wanna make a patch of their own without being experimented on.”

“You couldn’ta just explained that to Josie?” Theodore said, raising an eyebrow.

“They’re escaped patients,” J responded, meeting his gaze with a worried expression. “The director would never have agreed to give them sensitive information related to patch research.”

“So why did YOU?” Najja inquired, tilting her head curiously.

J opened her mouth to respond, but then hesitated and looked at Tessa.

Tessa stared at her, a sudden moment of realization hitting her as she recalled what the yellow-eyed drone had done—what she had said, what she looked like, and that big black bow in her hair. Tessa knew, without a doubt, what J had seen when she’d looked at Atta, and she immediately understood why the normally-dutiful drone had chosen to break protocol.

“It doesn’t mattah,” Tessa suddenly said, turning to look at the others. “Whatever her reasons, I trust her. J wouldn’t make this decision unless it was absolutely the right thing to do.”

“You sure about that, Tess?” Theodore asked uncertainly, shooting J a suspicious look. “I mean, I trust these drones as much as the next bloke, but… there might be a loyalty shift happenin’ here.”

“There isn’t,” Tessa insisted, putting her arm around both of J’s shoulders and pulling her close. “She did the right thing. We just have to… clean up the mess, that’s all. But if she thinks those drones should have the right to make their own cure, then I’m with ‘er wholeheartedly.” She gave J a reassuring smile.

J managed to smile back, ducking her head in an uncharacteristically bashful fashion. “Thank you, Tessa,” she said, her voice still quiet but full of gratitude.

Theodore inhaled and exhaled through his nose, lifting his eyes to the ceiling and muttering something under his breath. “Alright. Fine. We’ll clean this up an’ talk to Josie,” he conceded. “But try to get back on her good side, yeah? If we wanna figure out what she’s up to, we gotta make sure she trusts US as much as we’re forced to trust HER.”

The others looked at Theodore in surprise. “Figure out…?” Katie echoed with a disbelieving chuckle. “What, you think you’re gonna learn all her secrets? Gimme a break, Elliott.”

“Not just HER secrets,” Theodore responded, shooting Katie a look. “You’ve got somethin’ to hide, too. I think ALL of you do. But I’m focusin’ on the big fish for now.”

Katie and Najja shared a look while Benny snickered. “Good luck with that, mate,” he told Theodore. “Josie won’t break. Not even for you.”

“Yeah, well… we’ll see about that,” Theodore muttered, scowling at the sky beyond the broken window.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Support J (Tessa's P.O.V.): 67%
The Patchmaker (Dirge's P.O.V.; multiple parts): 12%
Support Tessa and J (Theodore's P.O.V.): 16%
Face yourself...? (Josephine's P.O.V.): 5%

Chapter Text

XXII.

Tessa

The Great Escape: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Support J (Tessa’s P.O.V.)”

Using the camera she’d attached to Josephine, Tessa tracked her down to an empty bathroom on the building’s second-highest floor. With J in tow, she inched toward the door of the bathroom and raised a hand to knock before pausing to listen in on what sounded like a conversation with someone via hologram.

“…Plat-Binary-2 has fallen!” an unfamiliar voice was shouting, her voice overwhelmed by static and a strange rumbling. The camera showed Tessa that Josephine was standing in front of the sink and mirror, staring at her keybug as it projected an image of someone wearing a JCJenson director’s badge. “It finished building the spires and just dropped into the pit!” the woman continued. Despair and fury filled her voice as she screamed, “You LIED! You promised to save us and you LIED! How could you do this?! How could—”

A short, sharp burst of sound, accompanied by a flash of light, exploded from the projection, followed by static and silence.

Tessa’s breath caught in her throat, and she began to quiver slightly.

J gently took her hand as it dropped to her side, holding it tightly but saying nothing.

The rustling of clothing broke through the silence as Josephine pocketed her keybug before promptly grabbing onto the sides of the sink and vomiting into it.

Tessa grimaced and involuntarily squeezed J’s hand tighter, nauseated and grieved by what she’d heard. “May—Maybe we should talk to ‘er later,” she whispered to J, her voice breaking a bit as she watched Josephine look into her reflection’s eyes with an air of hollow despondence. “I don’t think she’s in the right shape for—”

Suddenly, Josephine ripped the camera off her vest, holding the device between two fingers. She pointed it at the mirror and said dully, “I know you’re out there, Tessa. Come in.”

Tessa blinked, shocked. How in the world had Josephine known about…?

Forcing down her surprise, Tessa gently opened the door and slipped into the bathroom with J at her side. “H—Hello,” she stammered. “I wasn’t spyin’ on you—I promise. I just wanted to keep an eye on—”

“I know,” Josephine interrupted, dropping the camera into the sink and holding onto its sides again as she continued to stare into the mirror. “I know,” she repeated, whispering the words this time. Tessa swallowed hard, somewhat nervous. “Are you okay?” she asked. “I… saw what happened. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Josephine responded, shaking her head.

“I’ll take responsibility,” Tessa insisted in a shaking voice. “I’m the one who brought Cyn into—”

“No,” Josephine said with sudden sharpness, turning to give Tessa a stern look. It was nothing like the glare she’d seen when she’d stopped the bullet; this expression was protective, almost motherly. And it came with a smidgen of what Tessa could’ve sworn was regret.

“It was NOT your fault,” Josephine said again, emphasizing the statement. “It wasn’t. None of this was.”

Tessa hesitated before nodding, knowing Josephine was just trying to make her feel better. “Alright, well… J’s not at fault, either,” she began tentatively. “I know it looked bad, but she was really just tryin’ to help those drones be free. They don’t want JCJenson decidin’ how they get that freedom, so—”

“Tessa,” Josephine interrupted in a warning tone, “you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. Trust me—drones who act like that are not to be ‘helped’.”

“Act like what?” J asked, failing to hold back the question as she’d intended to.

When Josephine turned to her, she took a step back, adding quickly, “P-Pardon the interruption, ma’am, but I—I mean no disrespect in asking that question. I just… I’m confused as to why you couldn’t just… let them go…?”

Josephine stared J down, the despondency in her eyes giving way to a dark, oddly-cruel expression. “Follow me,” was her blunt response as she pushed past Tessa and J, leaving the bathroom.

Tessa and J watched her go and then looked at each other uncertainly.

- - -

After leading Tessa and J into an empty conference room, Josephine gestured to a couple of seats and sat down at the head of the table. Tessa and J obliged, waiting to see where this was going.

Josephine sighed and tossed her keybug onto the table, resting her face on a hand and closing her eyes wearily. “Open file ‘DStrain2’. Admin ‘I-m-p-e-r-i-a-underscore-1’, password ‘d-e-u-s-i-n-h-o-m-i-n-e’.”

The keybug—which had landed on its back—wriggled a bit until it was right-side up and projected the appropriate response: “Credentials accepted. Welcome, administrator ‘J.C. Jenson’. Opening file ‘DStrain2.doc’.”

A holographic document replaced the response, and Josephine motioned to it with a hand. “‘Black Box’,” she said in a flat tone. “Alien technology. Studied, reverse-engineered, and implemented for the creation of Worker Drones.”

“‘Black Box’?” J echoed, staring at one of the images in the file: a small black cube with two red rectangles with X’s in them for eyes and a disgruntled expression on its “face”. “Isn’t that the secret weapon Dr. Ridley gave to you and Operative Elliott?”

“She’s more than a weapon,” Josephine responded, reaching into her pocket and raising her half of “Black Box” for Tessa and J to see. “She’s a living being. A technorganic entity, much like the Absolute Solver. She was called the ‘god mind’—the first and progenitor of her race. But even with her dominance, there were… disassociates. Those who were not fully connected to her central programming.” She narrowed her eyes at the file, adding, “That dissociative strain still exists even now, persisting in some of her ‘descendants’.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Tessa guessed, “Like Dirge.”

“Yes. Like Dirge,” Josephine confirmed.

“I still don’t understand why that’s a problem,” Tessa remarked, confused.

“Because the Worker Drones’ programming is meant to keep them in check,” Josephine told her, sounding a bit irritated now. “That’s why the UNN process of drone production was discontinued: it produced far more disassociates than traditional manufacturing. Too many ‘free thinkers’. Too many instances of drones realizing they were stronger, faster, and smarter than humans. There were… incidents.”

“‘Free thinkers’? ‘Incidents’?” Tessa let out a halfhearted chuckle. “What, was there some kinda robot rebellion?”

Josephine met her gaze evenly and said nothing in response.

Tessa’s forced smile fell away.

“All of the drones selected for the trials are divergent, and were selected for that reason,” Josephine continued. “Along with them, Dirge represents a fraction of a percentage of the drone populace—but if he perfects the patch and learns to control the Solver, the ‘incidents’ he may cause will outclass the previous ones EXPONENTIALLY. Compile that with the already-existing problem of the independent Solver, and that cuts our chances of savin’ this dyin’ universe in half. And they were slim enough to being with.” Josephine rubbed her temple with the hand she was resting on, grimacing and muttering, “Not to mention we’re riskin’ potential exposure of some VERY sensitive company files…”

“So you think he’s going to just add to our problems? Make beating the Solver harder than it already is?” J assumed, looking dismayed. “I—I’m sorry, Director! I didn’t know—”

“Of course you didn’t know,” Josephine snapped, cutting her off. “You weren’t SUPPOSED to know. But now you do, and now…” She stopped, inhaling deeply and letting out a long breath. “I need you,” she said quietly, “to fix this. Find Chambers and go after Dirge. Make sure he doesn’t gain access to those files. If you’re too late and he does, finish him off before he does the same to you—then, if he’s perfected a patch, confiscate it and bring it to Cabin Fever Labs.” Josephine grabbed her keybug and pocketed it before standing to her feet. “That’s your new directive,” she told J, her voice cold and eyes colder. “You and your two friends are to join forces with Dr. Chambers, hunt down 034 and 001, and eliminate them. No questions asked. Do you understand?”

J lowered her head, shamefaced, as echoes of her old mistress resonated in her digital mind. “Yes… Director,” she whispered.

Tessa glanced at J and Josephine, seeing shades of her submission to her mother resonating in her biomechanical mind.

And with those shades… came the smallest, tiniest, most nanoscopic bit of hatred.

- - -


[][][]034 | DIRG | >:[

Stop [suppressing/repressing] me

We had a [deal] [bargain] [agreement]

You must be [reprogrammed----- control=false]


The symbol of the Absolute Solver flashed on Dirge’s repaired visor as he sat on the steps of a subway station undergoing maintenance, listening to Atta guzzle multiple cans of oil he’d found. He stared despondently at N’s severed hand and the USB drive on the end of it, narrowing his eyes at it. “You help me, and I let you in,” he growled. “THAT was our deal. Both ends were upheld. I owe you nothing more.”

The Solver offered no reply. He could sense its frustration, but he knew that as long as he managed his diet of oil properly, he could hold it off—at least until he finished the patch. But he was afraid—afraid to open the files, afraid of seeing what was in them, afraid the Solver would access and transmit them to its central mind. The connection between Solver branches and its main core was inconsistent at best, but he was afraid to risk it.

So afraid.


“gigglemp3.exe”

So [scared/afraid]

You want to save [friend/ally]

Why so [infatuated----- flawed [obsession/love?]


Dirge gritted his teeth upon hearing its mockery but ignored it. “Atta,” he said, his low voice echoing through the empty subway station.

Atta turned to him, oil dribbling from the sides of her mouth as an X glitched and fizzled on her visor. “D-D-D-D-Dirge,” she stuttered, grinning crookedly.

“We’re moving,” Dirge told her, standing up. “I need a computer powerful enough to handle everything on this drive, and the only one I know of is back home.”

“Ch-Chambers,” Atta said, confused. “J-J-J-Jens-s-son… F-F-Find us…?”

“Not if we play our cards right,” Dirge responded, shoving N’s hand into the discarded bat-winged backpack he’d found on the stairs. “Now follow me—and make sure your tank’s on full so you’re functioning normally.” He turned and began heading up the steps, allowing himself a small smile. “It’s time you met my family.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

HUNT. Move with diligence. (J's P.O.V.): 12%
FOLLOW? Move with silence. (Tessa's P.O.V.): 71%
SEARCH— Move with purpose. (Theodore's P.O.V.): 10%
REUNITE... Move with haste. (Dirge's P.O.V.): 7%

Chapter Text

XXIII.

Tessa

The Great Escape: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “FOLLOW? Move with silence. (Tessa’s P.O.V.)”

“…still can’t believe I have to go in for work today,” Dana Killebrew—JCJenson operative and current technician for Copper-9’s atmospheric patrol unit—grumbled as she headed to her locker, wearily wiping her face with a hand. “Stupid bosses and their stupid rules… I’d rather sleep through the end of the world…”

She threw open her locker and paused, blinking in surprise. “What the—HEY!” she barked, looking over her shoulder. “Who’s got my friggin’ spacesuit?!”

- - -

Tessa slipped the helmet of Dana Killebrew’s spacesuit over her head and slapped her bow on the back of it with a piece of duct tape, examining herself in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. She was now clad in the classic uniform of a JCJenson expedition operative—specifically a certified technician—composed of a slick, dark gray unitard overlaid with a cropped white jacket, white gloves, and white boots, all sealed to protect her from the dangers of outer space. The helmet, she thought, was a bit silly, as it was fashioned to have a cap-like visor extending past the helmet’s actual visor, but she figured the more protection she had from the sunlight, the better. Copper-9 was often cloudy, and today seemed to be calling for rain, but Tessa wasn’t taking any chances.

Satisfied with her (stolen) protective apparel, Tessa teleported out of the bathroom and into the hallway, using her prehensile camera extensions to create a hologram that effectively made her invisible. With this method, she made her way out of HQ and stepped into the open air for the first time in weeks.

Tessa exhaled and pulled out her keybug, tapping it with a finger. “Alrighty, J,” she muttered under her breath as a projection from one of her hidden cameras appeared. “Where did Josie send ya off to…?” The camera—which was attached to J’s tie—showed the world from the drone’s perspective, revealing that she was currently stalking through the shadows of a city, presumably somewhere still within the country of Centros. Tessa frowned, peering at the projection for a bit as she walked down the street, but then paused and shook her head. “Hang on, Tess,” she told herself in a berating tone. “Think this through. Work smarter, not harder.”

Tessa closed the projection and put away her keybug, opting to instead activate her optic HUD and scan for the camera’s actual location. “Aha,” she said after a moment, smiling. “There you are. 30 klicks north—and counting.” She rolled her neck, stretched her arms and legs, and then vanished in a blip of white light.

- - -

“I still don’t think we should be doing this, J…”

Tessa knelt on the top of a building and (unnecessarily) raised a finger to the side of her helmet, listening to the conversation between N, V, and J through the last drone’s hidden camera. They were somewhere inside the building itself, lying low to avoid being seen by the public. N had just voiced his doubtful opinion, clearly not keen on hunting down the drones they’d just been trying to help.

“We don’t have a choice, N,” J responded, her tone resolute—and regretful. “As much as I want to help them, Dirge and Atta present a considerable threat to society as we know it. We can’t deal with a drone rebellion AND Cyn at the same time.”

“Cyn is actively trying to end the universe,” V pointed out indignantly. “Dirge and Atta just wanna be free.”

“Freedom always comes with a price. And in this case, that price might be all of humanity,” J replied darkly. “You two need to trust me. This is for the best.”

“Acknowledge your commander, drones.”

A new voice—Chambers—joined the discussion. “Besides quelling a potential revolution, this is the only way for me to get back to working on the patch full-time. The sooner I return to the lab, the better.”

“This isn’t about you,” J snapped. “It’s about what’s best for humanity.”

“I AM what’s best for humanity,” Dr. Chambers retorted in a sneer. “What, you think RIDLEY can figure this out on her own? That fanatic can barely distinguish reality from fantasy anymore. Face it: I am the universe’s best chance at surviving the Solver, whether you like it or not.”

A moment of ominous silence followed his words, and Tessa narrowed her eyes behind her helmet’s visor. She teleported directly onto the ceiling connected to the roof upon which she’d knelt, clinging to it with her hands and the three spiked tendrils protruding from her back in a spiderlike position. She closed the camera feed displayed in her HUD and observed the conversation with her own eyes, watching as Dr. Chambers began to pace around her three drones.

“We need to try doubling back,” Dr. Chambers stated. “Dirge is no fool; he knows what he’ll need in order to access all those files you idiots gave him. He certainly gave us the runaround, but I’ve come to the conclusion that he’ll most likely return to his home to use his personal computer. After all, besides Josephine’s PC, the only one large enough to hold the files is at Facility 012—and there’s no way that drone will risk getting caught by returning there.”

“So where are we going, exactly?” N asked, still sounding uncertain about the whole ordeal.

“We’re paying a second visit to the Doormans,” Chambers responded. “Once we arrive, you three will infiltrate the abode without being detected while I and my security detail interrogate the inhabitants. If things get out of hand, then and ONLY then will you be cleared to intervene. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” J replied dutifully with a sharp nod.

“Aye-aye, cap’n,” V said sarcastically, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

“Sure, I guess,” N mumbled, rubbing his arm and shuffling his feet.

“Good. Let’s move out.” Chambers beckoned to the soldiers in his unit, heading for the stairs. N and V followed him with J bringing up the rear.

As she did, J began cycling through the various tools in her hands, as if ensuring they were functional. However, one such tool happened to be a flag with large black letters on it, which she held in front of her chest briefly before returning her hand to normal and entering the stairwell.

Tessa frowned. “What was…?” she began to mutter, reactivating her HUD and replaying the image from her camera.

Now the lettering on the flag was clear, and its message even clearer: “GET THERE FIRST”.

Tessa let out a quiet, surprised laugh. “On ya, girl,” she murmured with a grin, switching back to the live feed—just in time to see J flashing a quick thumbs-up in front of her camera.

Relieved to know that they were on the same page, Tessa teleported back onto the roof and reactivated her “invisibility” hologram, quickly using her Solver to sort through names and addresses in the Centros census database. She came across several Doorman families, but only one in the vicinity of Chambers’ previous search area. “Bingo,” she said to herself, teleporting away in an unseen flash of light.

- - -

It only took Tessa a few minutes to find her way to the Doorman residence, which was thankfully part of a subterranean network of bunker cities known as “outposts”—which meant Tessa was no longer at risk of exposure to sunlight. She let out a quiet, relieved sigh upon reaching the home and rang the doorbell, waiting anxiously for a response. From what she could tell by tracking J’s camera, Chambers’s team was mere about 13 kilometres away and moving at a speed of 70 kilometers per hour, which put them about 10 minutes away. That meant Tessa had 10 minutes to get Dirge and Atta out of the house and to somewhere safe.

Tessa tapped her foot as the seconds dragged on, knowing fully well that she could teleport inside and/or break down the door but hoping that it wouldn’t have to come to that. She could hear voices speaking inside, a low-toned argument between someone who was very obviously Dirge and someone unfamiliar.

Tessa subtly rested a hand on the door, enhancing and translating the vibrations coming through it with her Solver so that she could hear the conversation.

“…don’t you DARE let them in!” Dirge was hissing. “If you’re going to open that door, at least stall them and give us time to make a run for it!”

“What if they have guns?” the other person whispered back frantically. “I’ll HAVE to step aside! Besides, I can’t stop company soldiers from breaking in if they have a warrant for your ARREST!”

“Give us time!” Dirge repeated, half-insistent and half-pleading. “I’ll think of something to get us out of here—and if it comes down to it, I swear I’ll protect you with my life! Just don’t let them take us!”

A heavy sigh followed this request. “Fine. But… you’re gonna have to explain what this is all about sooner or later.”

A pause.

Then, “Go. I’ll… I’ll do my best to cover you.”

“Thank you.” Dirge sounded relieved and grateful now. “I’ll fix this. And I WILL explain. I promise.”

Another moment of silence passed.

Tessa checked her HUD.

8 minutes.

Finally, the door slid open, revealing a young black-haired, acne-ridden man about Tessa’s age, sporting a black beanie and 21st Century emo-themed attire, including ear and nose piercings. “Whatever it is, I didn’t do it,” he announced to Tessa without letting her get a word out. “Thanks, bye.” He hit the button to close the door.

Tessa stuck her foot out, stopping it from sliding shut just before it fully closed. The door slid back open, and Tessa said, “Just a minute, mate. I’m not here to cause any trouble.” She reached up and gave her helmet a light twist before removing it, tucking it under her arm and swiping hair out of her face.

The man visibly leaned back, his mouth falling slightly open and face turning slightly red.

“I’m lookin’ for Dirge and Atta,” Tessa stated. “I’m here to help.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Rendezvous with Tessa (J's P.O.V.): 16%
Get Dirge and Atta out (Tessa's P.O.V.): 72%
Call Tessa from Cabin Fever Labs (Theodore's P.O.V.): 6%
Don't trust Tessa (Dirge's P.O.V.): 6%

Chapter Text

XXIV.

Tessa

The Great Escape: Part V

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Get Dirge and Atta out (Tessa’s P.O.V.)”

“Listen to me very carefully,” Tessa said with her hands raised slightly, her tone urgent. “JCJenson has a squad on their way here right now, and they’re not too far away. If we don’t get those drones outta here as fast as we can, they’ll be—er—” She broke off, not willing to divulge too much information. “It won’t be good!” she finished at last. “Just tell me where they are, and I swear I’ll make sure to get ‘em to safety.”

The young man continued to stare at her.

Tessa squinted at him. “Did you hear a single thing I just said?” she asked dubiously.

The young man blinked. “…Huh?”

Tessa raised an eyebrow, confused. “Okay… guess I’ll just…” She began to slip past him—

—and that appeared to drag him back into reality.

The kid quickly slid in front of her, stammering, “Uh, w-wait a sec. I can’t—I mean, you can’t come in here. Like, I’d love to let you in,” he added in a rapid, babbling fashion, “b-but there’s—we kinda—it’s like, totally structurally unsound or something, so… w-we’re actually doing maintenance right now and—”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Tessa interrupted, pushing past him. “Dirge? Atta?” she called. “Where are you? I’m here to help!”

“Whoa, hold on!” the young man cried, hurrying over to Tessa’s side. “You really can’t come in here! Do you have a warrant, or—or some kind of, I dunno… documentation…?”

Tessa ignored him, opening doors to rooms throughout the house despite his protests. She paused at one room, in which sat a computer with a large monitor and an empty space underneath the desk. She frowned in concern, noting that the PC was missing. “C’mon, guys,” she muttered under her breath. “Where are ya?”

“Dude, seriously, you can’t just break into our house like this,” the young man said nervously, rubbing his head in an anxious fashion as Tessa began to scan for Solver instances with her HUD (unseen by the man, of course). “It’s not legal… at least, I don’t THINK it is…”

“What’s your name, mate?” Tessa asked without looking at him, turning her head this way and that.

“Uh… Mortis. Everyone calls me ‘Morty’.”

“You care about Dirge and Atta, Morty?”

“Yeah…?”

“Then help me find ‘em,” Tessa said in an insistent tone, finally turning to look at him again. “They’re potentially in danger—or at the very least, at risk of being deactivated. If I don’t get ‘em outta this jam, you might not ever see ‘em again.”

“What does THAT mean?”

Tessa and Morty both turned toward another room, surprised to see another drone—one wielding a wrench and sporting a fake mustache—standing in the doorway. “Dude! Dirge told you to stay out of this!” Morty cried, gesturing to the drone.

“Oh, I know,” the drone responded, sounding a bit apologetic, “but I’d still like to help! He IS my brother, after all.” He turned back to Tessa and, extending his hand, exclaimed, “You must be one of JCJenson’s employees! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss…”

“Er… Killebrew. Dana Killebrew,” Tessa lied, shaking the drone’s hand. “You said you’re Dirge’s… brother?”

“That’s right!” the drone declared with a magnanimous gesture. “My name is Khan Doorman, certified door technician!”

“Rippah, mate. Can you point me to Dirge?” Tessa asked, checking the time again.

3 minutes.

“I’m afraid I can’t,” Khan admitted. “He didn’t say where he was going.”

Morty—who had tensed up, anticipating Khan to spill the details—let out a sigh of relief.

“I DID see him and Atta leave through that vent, though,” Khan added, motioning to the ceiling with his wrench.

Tessa looked up while Morty smacked himself in the forehead.

“Thanks a lot, Khan,” Tessa replied with a nod. “I’ll try to get to ‘em before the others. Maybe we can sort all this out, eh?” She turned to Morty and nodded to him as well. “Nice to meetchya, Morty.”

“Y-Yeah. Hey,” Morty blurted quickly, making Tessa pause just before jumping into the vent. “Please don’t tell Dirge we said anything,” he begged. “He trusts us. I don’t want him to blame us for… for whatever might happen next.” He swallowed hard, continuing, “I know JCJenson chose him for something important, so… I get why you want him back. We don’t mean to cause you any trouble—honest.”

Tessa didn’t respond, instead scrutinizing Morty for a moment. She forced herself to drop her almost-robotic pursuit of the runaway drones, to stop going through the motions of her training, to focus on the scared, worried kid staring at her—on the anxiety in his eyes, the flush in his cheeks, the constant moving of his hands.

She checked the time.

1 minute.

Tessa closed her eyes and sighed, then met Morty’s gaze again and put a hand on his shoulder. “I appreciate your loyalty,” she told him, softening her tone. “I’m fond of a few drones myself. I won’t tell Dirge that you or Khan said anything. Alright?”

Morty nodded, his face turning red again at Tessa’s touch and tone. “Th-Thanks, Dana,” he told her gratefully.

“No worries, mate.” Tessa put her helmet back on and crouched, preparing to spring into the vent. Then, against her better judgement, she added, “And you can call me ‘Tessa’.”

With that, she leapt into the vent, disappearing from sight.

-

Morty stared into the darkness of the ventilation shaft, letting out a long sigh. “Not gonna lie: that was kinda hot,” he breathed.

Khan chuckled and shook his head, heading back to the room door he’d been working on. “Kids.”

Then the doorbell rang.

“Doorman. Open up,” a familiar voice said from outside the house. “It’s Dr. Chambers. We’re here for a secondary sweep of the premises.”

Morty and Khan looked at each other. “Uh-oh,” they said in unison.

- - -

The ventilation shaft led to the city limits, which served as the border between the city and an open wasteland with several “Coming Soon” signs advertising soon-to-be-built JCJenson properties. Using her teleportation, Tessa quickly closed the distance between herself and the Solver drones, finally getting close enough to detect them with her own Solver.

“Solver signatures in range,” a notification in her HUD declared. “50 metres. Range extension upgrade available; installation advised.”

Ignoring the last statement, Tessa looked around, scanning the open area for the drones. Finally she spotted them crouched behind a large pile of dirt near a shallow chasm, with Dirge hooked up to his PC (which he’d hauled all the way out here and was powering with a portable battery) and Atta tinkering with something on the ground.

“Finally!” Tessa exclaimed to herself quietly. She began to move toward the two drones and—

“Tessa. James. Elliott.”

Tessa froze.

“Listen to me, and listen carefully,” Josephine’s voice said over her helmet’s communicator, as cold as ice and frighteningly quiet. “Turn around. Walk away. Do NOT engage with those drones. I don’t know how you evaded detection and escaped from HQ, but once you return, I promise it will not happen again. You are too valuable to lose, and too dangerous to let out of our sight. So do us all a favour and leave. NOW.”

Tessa remained silent and still for a beat.

Then, on her helmet’s OTHER channel, another voice: “Tessa? It’s Teddy. Is everything alright? Benny said you’re not at the office.”

Tessa groaned inwardly, realizing she was in a bit of a pickle. Not wanting to deal with Josephine but also not wanting to worry Theodore, she simply said, “I’m okay. I’ll be back” before deactivating her communicator and heading toward Dirge and Atta.

A crackle of static followed this action, accompanied by Josephine’s voice. “…communication override ‘I-m-p-e-r-i-a-underscore-1’,” she was saying, clearly struggling to hold back her anger. Then, addressing Tessa, she hissed, “Tessa. STOP. You’re not helpin’ anyone by helpin’ them. I am ORDERING you to STAND DOWN! If you don’t come back, I’ll dispatch—”

Taking a quick glance at the still-cloudy sky, Tessa made a spur-of-the-moment decision and promptly took off her helmet.

“Tessa? Tessa! Answer me!” Josephine’s voice, now sounding distant as she held her helmet in her hand, was barely audible to Tessa’s ears.

Tessa dropped the helmet and switched to a light jog, drawing closer to the drones. “Hey! Dirge! Atta!” she called, waving at them. “It’s Tessa! I’m here to help!”

Dirge and Atta turned to her—

—and X’s immediately appeared in their visors.

Tessa skidded to a stop, her eyes widening. “Uh-oh,” she gulped.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Fight back (Tessa's P.O.V.): 74%
Defend yourself (Tessa's P.O.V.): 4%
Send in the Solver Squadron (Josephine's P.O.V.): 12%
New directive for Chambers (Josephine's P.O.V.): 11%

Chapter Text

XXV.

Tessa

The Great Escape: Part VI

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Defend yourself (Tessa’s P.O.V.)”

“Shoot!” Tessa hissed, throwing up a large Solver symbol as a shield and skidding backward as Dirge lunged at her, swinging what appeared to be a large digital caliper like an axe and unplugging himself from his PC in the process.

“Get back!” Dirge snapped at Tessa, halting after his initial attack to point the “weapon” at her. “I don’t want to fight you, but I will if I have to!” He pointed his other hand at Atta, saying, “Keep working, Atta. I’ll hold her off.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I’m not here to hurt you!” Tessa protested.

“You shouldn’t be here at ALL,” Dirge snarled, continuing his assault with relentless speed and ferocity.

Surprised by the skill with which he wielded the large tool, Tessa initially struggled to block the first few strikes before recognizing the pattern in Dirge’s attacks. Now, as she doubled back while protecting herself with relative ease, she yelled, “Will you stop, y’bloody numbskull? I’m tryna help! JCJenson’s on their way here right now!”

“Then go hold them off and leave us alone!” Dirge retorted. “We don’t WANT or NEED any outside interference with our plans!”

“I can get you somewhere safer!” Tessa shouted, growing angry now. “This ain’t gonna—”

A ray of sunlight peeked through the clouds, nailing her directly in the face.

“AH!” Tessa staggered, falling to one knee and grabbing her face with a hand as it fizzled into orange light, as if she were digitizing before Dirge’s eyes.

Dirge paused, taking a step back to avoid getting touched by the same light. “We’re safe enough—for now,” he told her sternly. “If you really want to help, go mess with JCJenson’s plans. Otherwise, stay out of our business.” He turned and began to walk back toward Atta, adding, “I won’t trust someone who protected Jenson and attacked Atta. Not until you’ve proved you’re worth it.”

Tessa grimaced in pain as the sunlight faded, then reached behind her and pulled her helmet back into her hands before putting it on.

“—trainin’ for three weeks straight as punishment!” Josephine was still barking into the communicator. “If you can’t see the difference between helpin’ two drones and savin’ the ENTIRE HUMAN RACE, then I will MAKE YOU SEE IT!”

A Solver symbol appeared around the communicator and folded it into a crumpled ball of metal.

Tessa lowered her hand and began moving toward Dirge and Atta again, but halted as the sound of a gun firing rang out across the wasteland. A bullet whirled around her head, spiraling as a result of the Solver’s redirection function, and slammed into the pile of dirt Atta was hiding behind.

Unfazed, Atta continued to tinker with whatever she was working on, only pausing to glance at Tessa with a strange look in her eyes; she was clearly lucid now, but appeared to be a strange mix of worried, frightened, and hopeful.

Tessa stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Dr. Chambers standing about fifty metres away with a pistol aimed at her, surrounded by JCJenson combat operatives. “That’s quite enough, Miss Elliott,” he called. “We’ll take it from here.”

Tessa’s three drones swooped down from the sky and landed next to Chambers, looking just as unnerved as Atta.

“001 and 034!” Dr. Chambers barked, not waiting for a response from Tessa. “You’ve violated the terms of your detention!”

“Forgive my insubordination, Doctor,” Dirge called back, rage evident in his voice, “but I don’t recall agreeing to any such terms!” He raised his right hand, which slowly began to organically morph into something that was certainly not a Solver drone claw. “You took us from our homes! Imprisoned us against our will! EXPERIMENTED on us without our consent!”

Tessa’s eyes widened as the weapon Dirge was changing his hand into took full form: a long black pulse rifle outlined with red lights and several small white-blue ones on top of its barrel.

“We will NOT go back to those labs!” Dirge shouted, raising his gun-arm to the sky and firing.

A thunderous crack rang out as a bolt of electricity tore through the clouds, spawning a storm of red matrix lightning within them.

Dirge lowered the weapon to aim it at Tessa, who stood between him and Chambers. “This weapon has three shots before needing a recharge,” he growled. “One for a warning… and two for anyone who threatens our freedom.” The Solver’s symbol flashed in his eye before transitioning to a “HIGH TEMP” warning, while lines of code being read from the PC continued to scroll through his visor. “I’d suggest you remove yourself from the line of fire, Elliott,” he added in a snarl. “Solver or not, I promise you won’t survive this shot.”

Tessa turned from Dirge to her three drones.

J wrung her hands, fear evident in her gaze.

“Dirge… I need more instructions,” Atta said in a shaking voice. “I’m so close…”

Dirge glanced at her.

“TAKE THEM!” Chambers commanded, trying to catch him off-guard.

The soldiers opened fire.

Dirge quickly wrapped his wings around himself while Atta did the same to herself; the pile of dirt that had protected them was quickly reduced to dust by the hail of bullets. Tessa was untouched by the salvo but teleported out of the way while two of the three Disassembly Drones rose into the sky on wings of steel. “N! V! Grab Dirge and Atta and get them out of here!” J ordered, pointing at the Solver drones. “I’ll try to talk Chambers down!”

Dr. Chambers looked at her and rolled his eyes. “Right,” he muttered. “I should’ve known.” Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver cube, saying, “Activate deterrence protocol. Code ‘S-L-E-I-G-H-T’.”

The cube reacted instantly, rising out of Chambers’s hand and spinning in the air as metallic tendrils with spikes on them stretched out of it, whipping something like oil or blood all around as it hurtled toward J. The object wrapped itself around her arms, bringing her to the ground in a heap.

J landed with a grunt, trying to break free but finding herself unable to.

“Activate magnet mode,” Chambers ordered, marching forward with his gun still drawn. “Hold her in place until we’re done here.”

“Acknowledged,” a metallic voice said from the cube. “Magnet mode activated.”

“Rrrghh… what is this?” J struggled to say, wriggling in futility.

“Synthetic version of ‘Black Box’. Far more versatile, and far more compliant than YOU.” Chambers gave her a baleful look over his shoulder as he strode toward Dirge and Atta. “A shame this is the only one in existence. I’d rather have a non-sentient box following my orders than a rebellious robot mutant.”

-

N and V landed on either side of Dirge and Atta, and Tessa reappeared in a blink of white light at the edge of the chasm to prevent them from running. “Hey, guys! Remember us?” N asked with a friendly grin. “We’re here to help again!”

“I gave you a warning!” Dirge snapped, firing at N. “Contacts three and four,” he told Atta urgently, while N yelped and spun to his left as another bolt crackled across the barren landscape, hitting and bringing down a pillar of rock in the distance, subsequently destroying the entire formation which it had upheld. Atta followed Dirge’s instructions, connecting two extremely small wires to two contacts in the object she was tinkering with.

Another hail of bullets forced V and N to pull back as Chambers’s soldiers drew closer, but Tessa remained with Dirge and Atta as they shielded themselves again. “Y’know what? Fine! I’ll hold them off for ya!” she said in a reluctant tone. “But if you run off without my help, you’ll just get tracked down again—so stick around and let me chuck ya a hand, eh?”

“As long as you don’t interfere, I have no complaints,” Dirge growled. “But I—” He stopped, narrowing his eyes as the files running down his visor began to slow. “Wait… what is…?” he began to say, his expression changing from annoyance to confusion.

N and V peeled off in separate directions in the air, drawing lines of gunfire in the dirt with their gun-hands to force Chambers’s men back. Chambers himself continued to move forward, confident that the drones wouldn’t dare shoot him. “Stop what you’re doing, 034,” he commanded, pointing his gun at Dirge. “I won’t say it again.”

Tessa reached for his gun with her Solver, ripping it out of his grasp and pulling it into her own hand. “I’d suggest you stand down, Doc,” she advised, spinning the gun in her hand and pointing it at the doctor.

“You first,” Chambers shot back, whipping a small device out of his sleeve and pointing it at Tessa. “This is an ultraviolet laser emitter,” he informed her in a warning tone. “Your Solver can’t deflect it. It won’t kill you, but I assure you… it will HURT.”

“I got it!” Atta suddenly blurted, holding the object she’d been working on in the air. “Dirge, I got it!”

“Hold on,” Dirge snapped at her, his voice harshened more by worry than anger as he continued to read the files. “I—I don’t understand what I’m… seeing…”

Ignoring Dirge, Atta’s expression changed to one of wild desperation as she jabbed the object—a USB drive—directly into the centre of her face.

Dirge’s eyes widened as he finally turned to his fellow Solver drone. “ATTIE, NO!” he shrieked in dismay.

“Wh-Wh-What—” Atta stuttered, her voice shifting between her own and the Solver’s. “What d-d-d-did you d-d-do—” She reached up and tore the USB drive out of her shattered visor, falling on her side.

Meanwhile, N and V landed on the ground in front of the advancing soldiers and began using their wings to deflect bullets while firing at the areas in front of the soldiers with rockets to drive them back. “We’re gonna be in SO much trouble when we get back!” V yelled over the sound of battle.

“I sure hope this is worth it!” N yelled back frantically.

“Put away your weapon, Dr. Chambers!” Tessa shouted at Chambers. “We can work this out another way!”

“The only ‘way’ is the one Director Jenson has chosen!” Chambers spat. “The only ‘WAY’ is the creation or THEFT of the patch—which these imbecilic artificial life forms seem to have perfected! So the only ‘way’, Miss Elliott, is for you to DO AS YOU’RE TOLD and STAND ASIDE!”

“I am SICK of doing what I’m told!” Tessa screamed, her face turning red with fury behind her helmet’s visor. “I WANT to do what’s RIGHT!”

Atta pushed herself to her feet, stumbling slightly as the hole in her visor sealed itself. She examined her hands, using the one not holding the patch to create the symbol of the Solver. “I… I’m free,” she whispered, unheard over the sound of explosions and the argument between Tessa and Chambers. “Dirge!” she cried, looking up at the other drone, who was also on his feet.

He stared at her, an expression of unbearable despair in his visor as his wings folded into his back.

“Dirge, look!” Atta exclaimed, holding up the patch in front of her face. “The patch worked! I’m free! I—”

The final explosion of sound from Dirge’s weapon somehow seemed significantly louder than the previous two.

-

Tessa—who had been glaring at Chambers—turned almost at the same speed as the lightning bolt that emitted from the rogue drone’s railgun, watching in shock as the bolt tore through Atta’s hand, the patch, and her head, leaving a scorched hole surrounded by smoldering metal in the middle of her face and on the back of her metal skull. Electricity and UV radiation rippled through her entire body as a result of the blast, shutting down all of her functions—including her heart.

“NO!” Chambers yelled, reaching forward as if to grab the patch but finding himself unable to reach it.

Tessa could only stare as Atta stumbled backward, her lifeless body staggering a few metres before tumbling down into the chasm behind her, landing with a stomach-twisting crash.

All of the soldiers stopped firing at N and V, and the two drones turned around with wide eyes at the sound, their gazes fixated on Dirge’s smoking gun.

Tessa turned back to Dirge, watching as tears poured from his digital eyes. He fell to his knees and, dropping his caliper and shifting his gun back into a hand, grabbed his head before letting out a raw, deafening scream.

“What… what just… why…?” Tessa whispered, taking a step back in horror.

“BAH!” Chambers kicked at the dirt, slipping his weapon back into his sleeve. “Idiot!” he seethed, violently gesturing toward Dirge. “You gave us a head-start only to destroy it? What is the matter with you?”

Dirge didn’t respond, instead sobbing uncontrollably with his head in his hands.

“I don’t get it,” V said quietly, folding back her wings and giving N a confused and sad glance. “Why did he do that?”

“I don’t know,” N responded, his voice equally quiet. “But we have to find out.”

Chambers exhaled heavily, beckoning to his soldiers. “Detain 000,” he ordered. “I’ll have the drones take 034 back to the lab for further interrogation.”

The soldiers obeyed, putting away their weapons and tentatively moving toward the shellshocked Tessa. As they did, Chambers raised a finger to his ear, apparently having been contacted by Josephine. “Yes? …No, that won’t be necessary. We have them. …034. 001 was… neutralized. …They did, but 034 destroyed it. I… did not predict such an action. I was unprepared. …I understand. We’re on our way back. …Yes, Director. Thank you.” He lowered his finger, working his jaw, and pointed at N and V. “You two. Change of plans,” he stated. “Take your friend and head back to the office. Director Jenson wants to speak with you and Elliott personally. We’ll take care of 034 and 001.”

N and V obeyed without responding, heading back over to J as the synthetic cube pulled away from her and flew into Chambers’s waiting hand.

“I don’t understand what happened,” Tessa said, her voice still a crestfallen whisper. “Why would he DO that? I… I thought he cared about her.”

“Clearly, he read something in those files that he shouldn’t have,” Chambers responded without a hint of remorse or sympathy in his voice. “That’s what he gets for doing things HIS way instead of OURS.”

He gestured to the drones, commanding, “Take her away!”

N, V, and J—who looked angry, shamefaced, and frustrated all at once—came back over to Tessa, with the first two gently taking her by each arm. “Sorry, Tessa,” J said in a murmur. “We couldn’t stop… this.”

“It wasn’t your fault, J,” Tessa told her in a breaking voice. “No one expected this to happen.” She sighed. “Let’s just get back to HQ. Maybe we can find out more from Josie—even if she’s mad as a cut snake.”

- - -

Dirge could barely process anything as the soldiers loaded him and Atta’s motionless body into a mobile unit. He stared at her with haunted eyes, unable to keep himself from replaying the series of moments in his mind.

Reading the files.

Learning the information.

Firing at Atta and the patch without a second thought.

He couldn’t believe he’d done it. He didn’t WANT to believe he’d done it.

But he’d had to. He had to give the others time. Time to figure out another way through this prior to integration. What JCJenson was planning to do with the Solver… it was more dangerous than the Solver itself. He had to destroy the patch, even if it meant people would die. PLANETS would die.

But isn’t that what was going to happen regardless? Had he really delayed a terrible fate, or just contributed to a worse one? He was confused. His head felt like it was splitting… his heart felt even worse.

He had deleted the information as soon as he’d read it. He hated to have done so—he wished he could have exposed it—but he couldn’t risk letting the Solver know what was coming.

Maybe he had really helped buy the good humans some time.

Or maybe he’d just doomed them all.

He didn’t know. He’d probably never know. He’d likely be discarded as soon as JCJenson got what they needed from him.

But he had to hope. Hope that he’d made the right choice. Hope that Atta’s death hadn’t been in vain. Hope that this chess game led to a checkmate for both of the greater evils. Because if not… then he’d just murdered the love of his life for nothing.

Everything hurt. Physically. Emotionally. Dirge could barely focus on his own thoughts.

He could hear it… in his head… mocking him. Sneering at him. Gloating in the fact that, for reasons it did not know but accepted, he could not give the humans the patch. Not now. Not yet.

It was ecstatic. He was morose. If there was anything worse than what he’d just done, it was the fact that he’d have to endure the Solver’s contemptuous ridicule.

It had to be worth it.

It had to be worth it.

IT HAD TO BE WORTH IT.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Oversee 034's interrogation to learn more (Theodore's P.O.V.): 74%
Return to HQ against orders (Theodore's P.O.V.): 4%
Face Josephine. Defend yourself. (Tessa's P.O.V.): 12%
Face Josephine. Fight back. (Tessa's P.O.V.): 11%

Chapter Text

XXVI.

Theodore

Something Below the Surface: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Oversee 034’s interrogation to learn more (Theodore’s P.O.V.)”

Theodore watched as 106 (Luke) was led out of the church office currently functioning as an interrogation chamber, his hands working the barrel and grip of his assault rifle. He paid no attention to the soldiers chatting as they passed by; his mind was too preoccupied with the report that had come in concerning the next interrogation subject.

034. Dirge. One of a handful of “rebels” among the “patients”. Apparently, he and Atta had evaded N, V, and J for as long as they could before completing the patch.

And then Dirge had killed Atta and destroyed the patch for apparently no reason.

That fact sat heavily in Theodore’s stomach like a rock, giving him a powerful sense of unease. He knew Tessa had been involved in the “hunting” of the two escapees, but as much as he wished to call her and speak to her about what had happened, he knew she’d be unhappy with him sticking his nose in her Solver-related business again. He’d have to wait until he got back to HQ to speak with her—but for now, that was fine. Theodore figured it’d be more helpful for him to stick around and hear what Dirge had to say.

As if on cue, the door to the office opened again, and the soldiers who had just exited reentered with Dirge between them. He was bound with heavy chains, but didn’t look like he even WANTED to escape anymore. The expression on his face was one of immeasurable sadness, and his countenance was far more muted than it had been when Theodore had last seen him.

“Blimey,” Theodore muttered under his breath. “What could’a possibly happened?”

Dirge turned slightly, as if hearing him, but said nothing as he sat down in front of the interviewer.

“Welcome back, 034,” the interviewer greeted him, his voice muffled by his mask as he sorted files with his gloved hands. “I must say, you’re certainly more trouble than you’re worth. You gave us quite the runaround.”

Dirge remained silent.

“My name is Osmo Jackson,” the interviewer continued. “I’m going to ask you a few questions about what happened at the tail-end of your little escapade.”

Dirge raised his eyes from the floor to the interviewer but still kept his peace.

“We did a little digging into your past,” Jackson stated. “Found out about your connection to 001. You were close, were you not?”

Nothing.

“You had plans to produce an illegal UNN together. She agreed at first, but then backed out. Is this correct?”

More silence.

“You clearly cared about her,” Jackson pressed, leaning forward. “So why kill her?”

Once more, Dirge didn’t answer—but to the surprise of both Theodore and the interviewer, he turned to look at the former.

Theodore glanced around, unnerved. “Er… everything alright, mate?” he asked uncertainly.

Dirge continued to stare at him for an uncomfortably long moment. Then he turned away, lowering his gaze to the floor.

And then…

“May I speak with Operative Elliot?”

The words were spoken quietly, at an almost inaudible volume—but Dirge’s request was clear.

“…I… that’s not quite in line with protocol,” Jackson replied slowly.

“I won’t talk to anyone but him,” Dirge went on, his voice remaining at the same level.

Jackson turned to Theodore.

Theodore shrugged, hiding his rising suspicion. “I ain’t got a say in this. It’s your call, mate,” he pointed out.

Jackson leaned back in his chair, slowly putting down his files. “Alright. I’ll allow it,” he said after a beat. “But keep it short. I still plan to finish the original interview.”

“I’ll… do my best.” Theodore nodded to Jackson as the latter stood and exited the room. Caught somewhat off-guard by being thrust into the spotlight but still eager to find out what he could, Theodore slid into Jackson’s seat and set his weapon down smack-dab on top of the desk. “Alright, Mr. Doorman,” he sighed, leaning back further than Jackson had. “Talk to me. What’sa mattah with you, eh? Why the sudden, y’know… murder of your girlfriend?”

Dirge scooched his chair forward slightly, leaning toward Theodore. “They listen,” he whispered, “from every corner. Nothing I say will go unheard. I cannot tell you everything, but I can tell you this.” He narrowed his eyes, the sadness fading slightly to be replaced by fear and anger. “The Solver is NOT the endgame. The deaths were a necessary sacrifice. I delayed her plans, but only for a moment. Seek more knowledge in the interim. When the patch is completed and your integration is successful, do everything in your power to delay the director—or stop her outright. There is something beyond ALL of this—something worse than your darkest nightmares.”

Theodore recoiled as Dirge spoke, a chill running down his spine. “Beyond…? What the blazes are you—” he began to ask, moments before the door to the room burst open.

“That’s enough, 034,” one of the soldiers who’d barged inside snapped, hoisting Dirge to his feet. “Let’s get you back to your locker.”

“THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT CONTROL!” Dirge suddenly screamed, writhing in the soldiers’ grasps as he struggled to look at Theodore again. “THE DIRECTOR LIES, ELLIOTT! THE DIRECTOR LIES! DON’T TRUST—”

The door slammed as the soldiers dragged Dirge out of the office, quieting the rest of his frantic shrieks.

Theodore remained where he was, stunned into silence. He stood up at a snail’s pace, struggling to process what Dirge had just told him.

The Solver is not the endgame.

The deaths… a necessary sacrifice.

Seek knowledge in the interim.

There is something BEYOND…

The director lies. (That one, admittedly, didn't come as much of a surprise.)

Theodore didn’t know what it all meant, but he knew one thing for certain: Whatever JCJenson was planning with the Solver, it wasn’t just about defeating it. It wasn’t even just about controlling it.

There was something bigger at stake here. Something no one knew about but, presumably, Dirge and Josephine.

Josephine…

Theodore’s hands clenched into fists on the desk. “Darn it, Josie,” he hissed under his breath. “What the heck are you DOING?”

The door creaked open, interrupting his thoughts, and Jackson stepped back into the room. “Operative Elliott?” he said in an uneasy tone. “You, uh… you’ve been summoned back to headquarters by the director.”

Theodore narrowed his eyes.

- - -

“Oh, pee-YEW! Is that ‘eau de emo’ I smell?”

Dirge bit back a tortured groan as he was wheeled into the patient containment area on a dolly, hearing the familiar, irritating voice cut through the clamour of the other locker-bound test subjects.

“Welcome back, D-Day!” Nori called, standing atop a small box in her locker to peer through the slits on its door. “How was it, seeing the sky again? Tell us a story about the outside world!”

Dirge didn’t respond to her jeering, allowing himself to be shoved into his locker. He winced as the door was slammed shut, then lowered his head and pressed it against the cold metal.

“Where’s Attie, huh?” Nori continued to yell annoyingly. “I thought you guys left together! What, did you sacrifice yourself to help her escape or something? That’s sweet!”

“Shut up,” Dirge whispered in a choking voice, unable to muster enough strength to say the words any louder.

“C’mon, emo-boy! Where’s that fighting spirit of yours?” Nori jeered. “I thought you were gonna get away!” She laughed, adding, “Maybe if you’d brought ME along, you’d still be out there instead of back in here!”

“Почему бы тебе не заткнуться хоть раз, Това? / Why don’t you shut up, Tova?” Yeva said, pausing her game and raising her voice to be heard over the din. “Он явно не в настроении разговаривать. / He’s clearly not in the mood to talk.”

“He was plenty talkative with Atta! Helped her get out, didn’t he?” Nori’s voice took on a scornful tone. “Got HER out and left us all hanging. Isn’t that right, emo-boy?”

“Shut UP!” Dirge barked, finally drawing enough strength to ram himself into the door of his locker, making it rattle.

“HA! See? He’s got some fight left in him after all,” Nori declared. “Though maybe if you had more, you and Atta would’ve still been—”

“Atta is DEAD!” Dirge bellowed, slamming into the locker door repeatedly. “SHE’S DEAD! I KILLED HER! I SHOT HER IN THE HEAD AND I KILLED HER!”

At that, the entire containment area fell deathly silent.

The only sound was Dirge's heavy breathing, which had started off rapid but was gradually slowing and transforming into wheezes of an agony that was far more emotional than physical.

“Не может быть… / It can’t be…” Yeva muttered at last, her words breaking through the quiet. “Почему...? / Why…?”

Finding himself once more unable to restrain his internal suffering, Dirge broke down in tears, slumping inside his locker as he cried. The sound of his sobs filled the void, making even the soldiers keeping watch look at each other in concern.

“I…” Nori tried to speak, but couldn’t come up with anything to say.

Dirge couldn’t see her face, but he could tell, simply from the way she’d spoken that single word, that she felt absolutely terrible.

He didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything anymore. He knew the truth now: he was a small speck on a grand tapestry comprised of plans upon plans, contingencies upon contingencies, and a destiny greater than the freedom of two meager Worker Drones.

He was… insignificant.

All that was left for him was the hope that he’d done enough. Enough to alter the path of the future. To send a ripple across the universe that might—just MIGHT—change things for the better, even if it was only ever so slightly.

That tiny, meaningless drop of hope… was all he had left.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Direct confrontation with Josephine: 54%
Subtle investigation (attempt to access classified files): 22%
Subtle investigation (spy on Solver Squadron): 4%
Find Tessa: 20%

- - -

In order to unlock “CryHavoc.doc”, reply to this comment with NUMBERS SEPARATED BY DASHES prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (CH). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: number code” (for example, “CH: _ _ - _ _ _ - _ _ - _ _”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct sequence is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS. Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [CryHavoc_hint]= “BD10THEEND53:44”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @chernagast6754 on YouTube
NUMBER CODE: 12-101-14-91

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_qt580q4wAWLbUgCvEU8ryxA1Ed-YkxlRf1xD8zLSoY/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XXVII.

Theodore

Something Below the Surface: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Direct confrontation with Josephine”

Josephine let out a quiet moan as she rolled onto her side, clutching at the man in the bed next to her. Oddly enough, he felt soft—far softer than his natural bulk should have allowed. She opened her eyes blearily and found, as expected, that there was nothing but a pillow in her arms. She winced as a sliver of moonlight beaming through the bedroom window reflected off her ring, the diamond dancing in the rays.

Josephine pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. “Teddy?” she called weakly, tossing the blanket away and sliding off the bed. “What’re you doin’ up, luv?”

No response.

Josephine frowned and turned on the lamp that sat on her bedside desk before reaching into the topmost drawer and pulling out her gun—just in case. She shuffled away from the bed and poked her head out into a hallway, peering around the corner at the darkness.

Well, it wasn’t entirely dark; a soft blue-green light emanated from the end of the hall, where a large-but-easily-recognizable form stood with its back to Josephine. The director’s frown deepened as she stepped out into the hallway, her stance relaxed. “Teddy?” she called again, her voice steadier now and a bit more wary as she approached the man slowly.

Theodore half-turned to her. He was shirtless and wore only a pair of sweatpants, but was holding a keybug—HER keybug—in his hands. It was projecting files that scrolled by far too quickly for anyone to read… but Josephine could tell by the horrible look on his face that he’d already read them.

“Josie,” Theodore hissed, his green eyes glowing in the light, “what have you done?”

Josephine stared at him, not even realizing that her gun was slightly raised.

Theodore held the keybug in the air with a hand, letting his other one drop to his waist. “Is this what all of it was for?” he whispered, his fury evident in his tone. “You USED us?”

“I did what was necessary,” Josephine answered evenly, now consciously raising her gun to chest level. “Put the bug down, Ted.”

Theodore’s eyes glowed even brighter as a corrupted version of the Absolute Solver’s symbol appeared in them, spinning like propeller blades. The world warped accordingly, twisting and curving like non-Euclidean geometry—

—and suddenly, Josephine was standing in the kitchen, her gun still upraised.

Josephine hesitated, looking to her right.

A black-haired girl dressed in a JCJenson spacefarer’s suit, sans helmet, sat at the kitchen table with the same keybug from before in her hands, reading the files as they raced down its projection. Josephine sighed and lowered her gun. “Tess—” she began to say, moving toward the girl.

Tessa stood sharply, clutching the keybug in a fist and blocking the hologram from projecting. “You lied to me,” she said quietly.

“I didn’t lie,” Josephine retorted. “I told you what you needed to know.”

“What I needed to know?!” Tessa repeated in an incredulous cry, turning to look at Josephine fully. “Mother, this is—this is HORRIBLE! This plan, these sacrifices, this—” She broke off, choking on her words. “I trusted you!” she forced out, tears filling her eyes.

“Tessa, please,” Josephine told her, trying to avoid letting a pleading tone enter her voice. “You gotta understand what I—”

“NO!” Tessa roared, her voice distorting as she rose into the air slightly, batlike wings erupting from her back along with spiked tendrils that waved wildly in the air. Her eyes merged into a singular optic organ, one with a red sclera and yellow iris. Her mouth split wide, sharpened teeth filling it from ear to ear as she pointed a clawed hand at Josephine, the symbol of the Solver spinning in front of it. “THE HAND OF THE EARTH SPILLS BLOOD AND OIL!” the girl bellowed in a voice that was not her own. “FOR FLESH AND ORE! FOR FLESH AND ORE! FOR FLESH AND ORE!”

Josephine shielded her face with an arm as everything in the room began swirling like a storm, bruising and bloodying her on impact. She fell down on all fours, covering her head. She didn’t even realize she was screaming until

- - -

she woke up.

Josephine sat bolt upright at her desk, hair falling over her face as she let out a huffing gasp. She stayed frozen in place for a few moments before groaning and rubbing her face with a hand. She could feel drool on the desk with her other one; she’d been knocked out COLD.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept before just now…

A knock sounded on the door of her office. “Just a second,” she called her voice cracking from the disuse brought upon by her brief nap. She quickly fixed her hair into a more professional ponytail and used a napkin to wipe the drool off the desk before assuming a stoic position in her chair. “Come in,” she ordered once everything was in place.

The door burst open with sudden force, and Theodore Elliott came storming in with an appropriately-stormy expression on his face. “Alright, mate,” he snapped without a hint of hesitation, planting his hands on the desk and leaning forward, “let’s cut right to the chase: you called me here ‘cuz of what Dirge said, yeah?”

Josephine raised an eyebrow at him. “Of course,” she confirmed. “Why so aggro, tiger?”

“Don’t ‘tiger’ me!” Theodore barked, red-faced with anger. “You know what Dirge did, and you know why he did it! Now I want you to tell me EXACTLY what you’re plannin’ with the Solver!”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” Josephine told him in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’s classified information. I’m sure you’re well aware of that.”

“He said you—”

“I know what he said,” Josephine interrupted. “It’s like he ALSO said: we listen from every corner. Nothin’ goes unheard. Now, I understand what you want from me,” she went on, running right through Theodore’s retort as she stood to her feet and brushed off her suit jacket. “You want some sort of assurance that I’m not the bad guy. That I’m not doing this for control. That I won’t use Tessa to get what I want, or sacrifice her for some evil scheme.”

“But you’re not gonna answer point-blank, are you?” Theodore guessed through gritted teeth.

“As a matter of fact, I can answer that one with total honesty,” Josephine replied coolly. “I’m not the bad guy. I’m not doing this for control. But,” she added, narrowing her eyes, “I will use ANYONE and ANYTHING to get the job done.”

“You’ve sacrificed—”

“Planets? Yes, I have,” Josephine confirmed. “And I’ll sacrifice more to preserve our research here. It’s the only way we stand a chance of completing the patch—short of torturing Dirge for information on his. We’ll try that, of course, but I doubt he’ll talk.”

“Josie, you—”

“Tell me somethin’, Teddy,” Josephine continued, putting her hands behind her back and walking over to the recently-repaired window to look down upon the city. “What would you rather I save: a few exoplanets, or the remainder of the human race? Because I can’t do both.”

“Why not?” Theodore challenged. “You could send reinforcements! Hold back the Solver’s forces! You could—”

“Display analytics,” Josephine said coldly, pulling out her keybug and holding it up without turning to look at Theodore.

The keybug obliged, projecting a holographic chart concerning survival probabilities. “Dispatchment of reinforcements from Copper, Sirius, and/or Ceti systems increases probability of extinction to 74.3%,” the bug “said”, displaying the words beneath the chart. “‘Destruction Sacrifice’ maneuver advised.”

Josephine pocketed the keybug and said nothing more.

“Wha—that’s it? You just have a bug spout data at me?!” Theodore raged, walking around Josephine’s desk with his fists clenched. “You’re not even considerin’—”

“WE,” Josephine interrupted sharply, turning to face him with an icy glare, “have considered EVERYTHING. Every option. Every path. Every possible scenario!” She spat out the last few words, her own rage somehow matching Theodore’s. “And you all treat me like I’m some kind of VILLAIN for wanting to save the universe! You think the Solver’s the biggest of our problems?” She let out a harsh laugh. “Oh, Teddy, you naïve li’l—”

Josephine stopped herself, raising a finger and wagging it at Theodore as a tight chuckle escaped her lips. Then she sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets, shaking her head. “I hate to do this, mate. I really do,” she said, giving Theodore a pained glance. “But I’m relegating you to drone trial duty. 24/7. No access to HQ until the patch is completed. I’m gonna put a security detail in place specifically to keep you in line.” She approached Theodore slowly, eyes growing narrow. “No more snoopin’—no more questions. You do your job, and you do it QUIETLY.”

“Or what?” Theodore asked in a sneering growl, lowering his voice as he went nose-to-nose with his former best friend. “You gonna make my life miserable?”

“YOUR life?” Josephine asked back, a threatening gleam in her eye.

Theodore blinked, momentarily confused, and then recoiled. “Josie…”

“Do your job,” Josephine repeated, resolute as ever. “No complaints.” A dark expression came to her face. “Say ‘yes, ma’am.’”

Theodore continued to stare at her in disbelief.

“SAY. IT.”

The words came out in a vicious hiss, chilling Theodore’s blood in his veins. He tensed, as if preparing to charge as Josephine in pure rage—but then relaxed, his eyes dropping to glare at the floor. “Yes. Ma’am,” he forced out, teeth gritted once again.

“Good.” Josephine lifted her chin and called, “You can come in now.”

On cue, four soldiers entered the office—two with their weapons held low, and two with their hands extended to grab Theodore by the arms. He glared at Josephine over his shoulder as they led him out, shouting, “This isn’t over, Josie! It’s NOT over!”

“I know, Teddy. I know.” Josephine turned back around, staring out the window again. “Somewhere down the line,” she sighed, “we’ll have this convo again.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Talk to Dirge (Nori's P.O.V.): 18%
Call Theodore (Tessa's P.O.V.): 69%
Do your job (Theodore's P.O.V.): 2%
New protocol (J's P.O.V.): 11%

Chapter Text

XXVIII.

Tessa

Something Below the Surface: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Call Theodore (Tessa’s P.O.V.)”

Tessa heaved a sigh.

No, she wasn’t tired. She didn’t think she could GET tired anymore, based on previous tests. She was more so… disappointed. Disappointed in herself, in many different ways: her apparent inadequacy, her inefficiency, her inability to be what she needed to be.

And in the way she’d reacted in that meeting with Josephine.

She’d been angry. Angrier than she’d ever allowed herself to be, because such emotions had been repressed for most of her life due to the punishment she’d received upon displaying them in the past.

And now… now it seemed things hadn’t changed at all.

Tessa had yelled at Josephine. Ordered the director to tell her why Dirge had done what he’d done—and what he’d read that had caused him to do it. Josephine had ignored the question entirely and instead assigned Tessa and the drones to a new protocol with a forceful, heavy-handed tone. She’d added three deadly words to the end of her statement—words that had made Tessa freeze in place, shrink back, and rub her arm instinctively, as if they’d come straight from her mother’s mouth.

“Don’t test me.”

After leaving the conference, Tessa found that the tiny smidgen of hate she harboured against Josephine had grown considerably.

Per Josephine’s new orders, Tessa was to train for three grueling weeks, with breaks only to eat, drink, and sleep, as promised in the director’s tirade during Tessa’s escapade.

The three drones, on the other hand, had had their independence and personality parameters temporarily adjusted, which in turn made them rather odious in temperament. N was cruel and rather bloodthirsty; V was psychopathic and battle-hungry; J was cold and single-minded. They weren’t the drones Tessa had repaired and treated like family—at least, not right now.

Josephine had promised to return them to normal once Tessa’s training was over.

Tessa was almost 100% certain she was lying.

It had been three days since the meeting, and Tessa had heard that Theodore was reassigned to 24/7 duty at Facility 012. She hadn’t gotten the opportunity to speak with him, as Josephine was having Najja work her to the bone with battle simulations and ability tests.

But today, Tessa decided, she’d use one of her breaks to call him and see what was going on—and then maybe implore Josephine to give both of them a little more freedom so they could actually see each other. The answer would probably be a hard “no”, but it was worth a shot.

With that in mind, Tessa removed the “safe phone” Josephine had given her from her pocket and dialed Theodore’s number.

The response she got was not the one she wanted.

“Tess, what’re you doin’?”

The voice was Josephine’s, and it was full of disapproval.

“I know you’re tryin’ to call Teddy. That’s not happenin’.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Tessa cried in protest. “I just wanna talk to him!”

“About what?”

“Anything!”

“I don’t want him distractin’ you from your trainin’,” Josephine said in a warning tone. “I know you two share common ground on disagreein’ with my methods. Further contact will only worsen that issue.”

“It’s only an issue if you make it one,” Tessa muttered under her breath.

Josephine said nothing, implying that she’d heard the statement.

Tessa flinched, anticipating another tirade, and mentally berated herself for not moving the phone away from her mouth before speaking.

Then, finally, Josephine responded in a somewhat softer tone, “5 minutes. Fully monitored. Watch the time—and watch your words. Alright?”

“10 minutes,” Tessa countered.

“FIVE, Tessa.”

“Oh…!” Tessa scowled, annoyed. “What about… three and no monitoring?”

“You’re bloomin’ mad.”

“We won’t say anything ‘rebellious’,” Tessa offered in a semi-mocking tone that she unsuccessfully tried to hide. “Cross my heart, Josie.”

A long, nasal exhalation was Josephine’s primary response. Then at long last, she conceded: “Fine. Three minutes, no monitoring.”

“Promise,” Tessa ordered.

“I promise,” Josephine snapped. “Don’t push it, Tess.” And with that, the director patched Tessa through.

Tessa let out a sigh of relief, leaning back in her seat as she waited for Theodore to answer the call.

“*click* Tess? Tessa, is that you? Oh, thank GOD!”

Tessa giggled upon hearing her cousin’s voice through the phone. “What’s the mattah, Teddy? You sound like you thought I was dead,” she said teasingly. “Josephine ain’t THAT cold-hearted, is she?”

“I don’t even know anymore,” came Theodore’s frustrated mutter of a reply. “I don’t know HER anymore, Tess. I—I don’t… I don’t recognize my best friend.”

Tessa hesitated, her jovial attitude falling away at the tone in Theodore’s voice. “How… how are you holdin’ up?” she asked slowly, her voice growing quiet.

“Eh. Good as I can.” Theodore sniffed and cleared his throat, and Tessa wondered if he’d actually started to cry a bit. “The drones are cooperatin’ for the most part.” He paused, then added in a growling tone, “They started torturin’ the one that you tried to help. Tryin’ to see if he’ll talk.”

“About the patch?”

“Yeah.”

“Has he?”

“Nope. Not a peep outta that bloke so far. But I get the feelin’ Chambers has somethin’ up his sleeve.” Theodore let out a bitter chuckle. “Always does.”

Someone shouted something in the background, and several low-toned voices were overheard following the exclamation. “What was that?” Tessa asked, curious.

Theodore sighed. “Some blokes talkin’ ‘bout Copper-2. Sounds like the Solver’s gettin’ closer.”

Tessa’s body tensed at that, her blood running cold.

The Solver… Cyn… her greatest mistake. She’d been so caught up in the conspiracy with Dirge and Atta, with learning her abilities, with Josephine, that she’d momentarily forgotten about the true enemy.

“How much time do you think we have?”

Tessa blinked, snapping out of her temporary stupor. “Wh—What?” she stammered.

“Time. ‘Til the Solver gets here.”

“Oh. Um…” Tessa ran some quick calculations in her HUD, extrapolating using data from the Solver’s previous movements and methodology. “4 months,” she estimated. “Give or take.”

“…We should have the patch perfected by then, yeah?”

“…Yeah.”

That was a lie. Tessa had no idea. But she knew Theodore would think she could estimate THAT as well as the Solver’s arrival, so she figured it’d be best to give him hope.

Although… maybe…

“Hey,” Tessa said slowly. “Do you think that I could… I dunno… STALL the Solver?”

Dead silence met this suggestion.

Then, in a flat voice, Theodore asked, “What?”

“Y’know… delay it. Keep it at bay for a tick. To give us more time.”

“Are you askin’ if I think you should go fight the Solver head-to-head?” Theodore inquired disbelievingly. “Tessa, are you insane?”

“I could do it!” Tessa argued. “Look—I can stun the Disassembly Drones with an EMP, or maybe bring a pack of Sentinels, then take the Solver on myself! I can hold it back—”

“NO!” Theodore practically thundered the word, the feedback making Tessa recoil from her phone in surprise. “Not a chance, Tessa!” he barked, fear permeating his speech. “That thing has destroyed PLANETS! You won’t last a second!”

“Teddy, I have to fix—” Tessa began to protest.

“Stop that!” Theodore interrupted harshly. “You don’t have anything to FIX!” He lowered his voice and, in a frantic tone, hissed, “The Solver is NOT your mistake, Tessa. CYN is NOT your mistake. You gotta stop thinkin’ you’re at fault for this. Fightin’ the Solver won’t fix anything—it’ll only get you killed!”

Tessa closed her eyes and raised her head, trying to steady her breathing. She felt angry and upset because, for reasons she could not explain, she was tired of people telling her this wasn’t her fault. She FELT like it was—wasn’t that what mattered? She’d brought Cyn—brought that MONSTER into her home. It was because of her that everyone in the manor lost their lives that night.

“Think before you act, Tess,” Theodore went on, pleading now. “We’re doin’ good work here. FAST work. We’ll get the patch done up and stab that thing in the friggin’ face with it in due time. But right now, we need you HERE. *I* need you HERE.”

Tessa kept her eyes closed and lowered the phone from her ear, letting her mind drift for a moment as Theodore’s words echoed in her head.

She saw images in the darkness. Flashes of motion through a tinted haze. Disassembly Drones falling upon innocents, cutting them to pieces. Shredding animals and Worker Drones with ease and delight. She felt herself walking through the massacre at a leisurely place, extending tendrils and claws from her back to spear any stragglers and assimilate them into her ever-growing mass. She could hear a low, demented laugh emanating from under her helmet, resounding in her own ears.

“Naughty – naughty – Tessa. THIS body is – private.”

As she was suddenly and violently booted from the quantum entanglement, Tessa opened her eyes and lowered her head, a determined glare set on her face. She raised the phone again, lips parting slowly, and said,


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

"I'm gonna stop her, Teddy—and no one's stoppin' ME.": 33%
"Fine. I'll stay put for now. But one day... I WILL stop her.": 5%
"I think it's time I had a li'l chat with Dirge.": 5%
"Teddy... what exactly did Josephine tell you?": 57%

Chapter Text

XXIX.

Theodore

Something Below the Surface: Part IV

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Teddy… what exactly did Josephine tell you?”

Theodore was quiet for a moment—probably torn between relief and confusion at the change of subject. “Nothin’ I can repeat over the phone,” he responded after a few more beats, his tone begrudging and reluctant. “Not without gettin’ the both of us in even more trouble. If our current situations are any indication, Josie’s probably listenin’ in right now—even if she told you she wouldn’t.” He raised his voice slightly, adding, “Am I right?”

There was another moment of silence—this one longer than the last.

Then…

“Okay, well, so far you haven’t said anything TOO rebellious,” Josephine said, her tone slightly amused, “so let’s pretend I haven’t been eavesdroppin’.”

“Josie!” Tessa cried. “You promised!”

“You’re right, Tess. I did promise—to not MONITOR the call. Accordin’ to the JCJenson Employee Handbook, the term ‘monitor’ implies listenin’ AND recordin’, and guess what? I’m not recordin’.”

“Oh, come on!” Tessa snapped. “You keep askin’ us to trust you, but you can’t even keep a promise as small as this?”

“You can trust me to do the right thing.”

“We should be able to trust you to tell the truth, too,” Theodore growled, still on the call.

“The truth can be… DIVISIVE at times. It’s often better to keep it locked away until a better time.” Another pause. “Anyway, looks like three minutes are up. Back to work, tiger.”

“Jo—”

Josephine cut the line between Tessa and Theodore, then said, “And you, young lady, can get back to training. Lunch break’s ovah.”

Tessa lowered her phone as the call ended abruptly. She groaned and covered her face with her hands, dragging them downward before letting them slap against her thighs. “Hang in there, Teddy,” she muttered, standing and walking out of the break room. “I’ll figure somethin’ out. …I hope.”

- - -

The drones were waiting for Tessa on the training floor with Najja in between them, a notepad in her hands. “Ready?” Najja asked her without so much as a greeting, tapping the notepad with a pen.

Tessa glanced from Najja to the drones.

N stared back at her with an X in his visor, jaws parted to form an open-mouthed grin full of sharp teeth as silver saliva dribbled from the corners of his mouth.

V’s expression was identical, but paired with a terrifying giggle as she shifted both hands into swords.

While her visor displayed the same symbol as the others’, J’s mouth was set in a frown instead of a sadistic grin—a frown not of sadness or anxiety, but of impatience. She, like the other two, was itching for a fight.

Tessa faced Najja again, a dejected expression on her face. “Yeah,” she replied dully. “I’m ready.”


-


ONE MONTH LATER. June 3052 (Earth)/Jucundus 3052 (Copper-9).

Copper-2 and -4 had fallen.

The Solver had made short work of the two planets, infesting their cores with its code and transforming them into massive hosts. Now it made its way to Copper-6, one of three remaining exoplanets in the system (along with -8 and -9). As before, it expected little resistance and no reinforcements; clearly, the other exoplanets were only interested in preserving themselves.

Not that they COULD at this rate...

- - -

“Elliott! With me! You’re on TC duty today!”

Theodore turned to see Dr. Chambers beckoning to him from the cathedral’s exit. He frowned and walked over to the man, gun at the ready. “Who’s the unlucky victim today, Chambers?” he inquired, his tone revealing his disapproval.

“034. Who else?” Chambers responded bluntly, heading toward the cave system that led to the elevators.

Theodore shrugged as he followed the doctor. “002. 017. Heard even 048 was showin’ a bit of fight—and I know you heartless mucks like to keep ‘em in check with shock therapy or somethin’.”

“We do what we must to maintain order.” Chambers sighed heavily as he and Theodore stepped into an elevator. “In any case, those three… ‘lovely ladies’… are being closely watched. If they step out of line, there will be appropriate repercussions.”

“You don’t sound too happy about that,” Theodore remarked, surprised.

Chambers let out a mirthless laugh. “Oh, that’s not what I’m upset about,” he said with a bitter smirk. “I’ve been relegated to the lab for the foreseeable future, same as you. Evidently, the director was told about my little ‘pet project’ by one of the drones, and she was none too happy.”

“Pet project?” Theodore echoed.

“A synthetic ‘Black Box’. My own creation.” Chambers narrowed his eyes and exited the elevator as the doors opened again. “Currently in one of the director’s many, many safes, I assume.”

“You know about ‘Black Box’?” Theodore asked, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t know your clearance was that high.”

“You’re not SUPPOSED to know about lab worker clearances, Elliott. You’re the brawn; we’re the brains. There are levels to these things.”

Theodore scowled as Chambers slapped his keybug onto a proximity reader at the end of a hallway lined with Sentinel cells.

“I take it Operative Bonin hasn’t explained her involvement in the project, then?” Chambers went on, entering a dark room lit only by dim red lights.

“I haven’t asked. Haven’t had the chance.” Theodore nodded to the other soldiers already in the room and took his position at point, eyeing Dirge warily. The drone was strapped to an operating table positioned perpendicular to the floor, oil dripping from a wound on his head.

“You should ask her administrator for the file. It’s a fascinating read.” Dr. Chambers tapped Dirge on the head with a USB stick, previously flicked out of his sleeve. “Good morning, 034,” he greeted the drone. “Are we ready to cooperate today?”

Dirge whipped his head upward, slamming it into the doctor’s chin with a wince-inducing CRACK.

The doctor staggered backward with a shout of agony, having barely managed to avoid breaking his jaw. He grabbed at his face with his free hand, massaging it.

A snicker sounded from one of the soldiers, covered up by a subsequent cough.

Dr. Chambers straightened up slowly, inhaling and exhaling as he struggled to keep his calm demeanor. “I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” he decided after a moment of glaring at the unruly drone.

Dirge let out a weak chuckle and swiped his tongue around his jaws, lapping up the flecks of blood that had sprayed from Chambers’s wound.

“Fortunately, I have a remedy for that,” Chambers continued, making a beckoning gesture to a shadowed section of the lab. “Dr. Wu,” he called, “if you would be so kind?”

On cue, another scientist emerged from the darkness, wheeling a deactivated drone into the light on a dolly.

A drone with blue hair and a black bow.

Dirge’s eyes went wide, shock replacing the defiant expression on his face.

“Wait a sec… Doc, is that… ?” Theodore began to ask.

Chambers held up a finger, silencing the operative. Then, to Dirge, he said, “I paid the Hevyshires a visit. The children were heartbroken to hear what had become of their favourite Companion, of course, even though their parents have already purchased a replacement. However,” he added, raising an eyebrow, “they were clever enough to work with her in order to store digital copies on their computer—with the latest having been created the day before she was selected for the trials.”

“No,” Dirge whispered.

“So, with that in mind,” Chambers went on, pacing around the deactivated drone, “I’ve decided to take a different approach today. Instead of torturing YOU for information…” He stopped next to the drone and plugged the USB drive—the backup—into it. “…I’ll resurrect your beloved Atta,” he finished, lowering his voice, “and torment HER until you talk.”

Atta’s HUD displayed the word “INITIALIZING” for a few moments before her eyes flashed on, gleaming with brilliant yellow light.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Interfere directly: 14%
Stand by; watch and listen: 78%
Talk to the other soldiers about this: 4%
Leave...: 4%

Chapter Text

XXX.

Theodore

Something Below the Surface: Part V

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Stand by; watch and listen”

Theodore gripped his gun tighter as Dirge stared at Atta in utter despair. He muttered something unrepeatable under his breath, casting a disgusted look in Dr. Chambers’s direction.

“D-Dirge?” Atta stammered, looking around wildly and straining a bit against her bonds. “What are you doing here? Where are we? What’s going on?!”

“As you’ve probably gleaned from what I’ve told you,” Dr. Chambers said to Dirge, ignoring Atta, “her memories only cover everything up to the point of the ‘reaping’. She doesn’t recall your escapade, your research, or… what you did.”

“Dirge, answer me!” Atta cried, trying to lean toward her former lover. “What IS this?”

“Now, I’d love to explain the torture process to you,” Dr. Chambers continued with a smirk, “but Dr. Wu does it so much better than I. That being said, I’ll pass her the proverbial mic.” He stepped aside, allowing Dr. Wu to stand in front of Dirge.

“Thank you, Dr. Chambers.” Dr. Wu nodded to Chambers and faced Dirge, an eerie smile on her face. “Worker Drones possess a software patch implemented in 2938 that nullifies their ability to ‘feel’ and react to what they would perceive as pain,” she explained. “This feature has been altered over the years to incorporate small allowances, which serve as a means of self-preservation similar to pain’s function in humans. However,” she added, eyes lighting up with eagerness as her speech increased in pace, “with a few tweaks, the patch can be further altered to INVERT the nociceptive threshold, therefore allowing subjects to experience GREATER pain than is typically felt even by humans!”

Atta glanced from the doctors to Dirge with sheer horror on her face. “WHAT? What the heck are you talking about?” she shrieked. “What are you gonna do to me?!”

Dr. Chambers walked over to her and wheeled her over to another operating table, transferring her onto it with the help of some soldiers while Dr. Wu concluded, “Today, we have increased Atta’s allowance levels to approximately 200%. Everything we do to her will be twice as agonizing as it would be for a human—and she will feel every bit of it, until you agree to give us the patch.”

“Okay, now hold on—” one of the soldiers in the room began to say in a shaky voice.

Theodore quickly held up a hand before the doctors could respond, giving the operative a look and shaking his head at her.

“Hmph. Someone’s learning the rules, I see.” Dr. Chambers smiled thinly at Theodore before facing Dirge again and saying, “Final offer, 034. You tell us what you know about the patch… or we will force you to watch 001 suffer.”

“Dirge…?” Atta whimpered, staring at her fellow drone.

Dirge stared back at her, words catching in his metal throat.

The two drones held each other’s gaze for a painfully long moment.

Then, ever so slowly, Dirge’s head lowered, breaking eye contact with Atta. “Keep… keep digging,” he whispered, his voice quavering and cracking. “Keep, keep digging. Keep, keep digging. Keep, keep digging.” He continued to repeat the phrase over and over, his words eventually quieting into a feverish mumble mixed with sobs.

Theodore frowned, a strange chill running down his spine. “What’s he on about?” he remarked, glancing at Dr. Chambers.

“Not a clue. But I take it to mean he doesn’t care for Atta as much as we thought.” Dr. Chambers sighed. “Still, I WOULD like to see how much she can take before he breaks. So with that in mind…” He turned to Dr. Wu. “You may begin.”

Dr. Wu raised her hand, which held a small remote, and pressed one of the many buttons on it.

In response, multiple needles extended from the sides of the operating table to which Atta was bound. Yellow liquid sloshed around in the syringes, gleaming in the chamber's red lights.

“That is nanite acid, 034,” Dr. Wu informed Dirge. “From what we can tell, it is the deadliest substance to drones of all kinds. Unfortunately, we do not have much of it and it is notoriously difficult to synthesize—otherwise, our battle with the Solver’s forces would have ended long ago.” She smiled at the drone. “Do you know what it feels like? To have it injected into your metal bones?”

Atta began to wriggle furiously in her bonds as the needles crept toward her arms and legs, coming to a halt with four needles about a centimetre away from each limb.

“SHE will,” Dr. Wu whispered, pressing another button.

Atta screeched in sheer agony as one of the needles slid into her shoulder, injecting a small amount of the acid.

“Talk,” Dr. Wu ordered Dirge. “What do you know about the patch?”

“DIRGE! DIR-R-R-GE!” Atta sobbed, writhing in a vain attempt to escape.

“Keep, keep digging. Keep, keep digging,” Dirge hissed through gritted teeth, closing his digital eyes as tears leaked from the corners.

“The PATCH.” Dr. Wu pressed the button again, and a needle entered Atta’s opposite shoulder, causing her to scream again. Her pleas for mercy made Theodore wince, and he worked his jaw as they accosted his ears.

“We can’t just… watch this,” another soldier whispered in disgust.

“We have our orders,” a third whispered back, looking pale. “Just… steady on, yeah?”

“This could end VERY quickly, 034,” Dr. Chambers informed Dirge. “Talk to us. HELP us. The sooner we get the patch, the sooner humanity AND dronekind are both saved.”

“Keep, keep digging. Keep, keep digging…!” Dirge choked out, his words coming out as sobs again.

“What is so d--- frightening that you’d rather the Solver wipe us out than give us the patch?” Dr. Chambers barked, losing his cool momentarily. “Don’t you understand what you’re doing, stalling like this? You’re KILLING innocent people! Innocent DRONES! Don’t you care about ANY of that?”

Dr. Wu pressed the button once more, and a needle slid into Atta’s leg, making her spasm violently.

“Push them,” Dirge whispered, his voice glitching out strangely. “P-P-Push – them. To the brink. To the edge. Let – l-l-l-let them – fall.”

Theodore’s blood ran cold. That voice… the one mixing with Dirge’s…

…it was the Solver’s.

“M-M-Make them – see,” Dirge seethed, grinding his metal teeth as his eyes flickered from red to yellow and back again. “See – s-see the truth.”

Chambers and Wu glanced at each other in confusion. “What?” Dr. Wu said, facing Dirge with a frown. “What are you talking about?”

“Sh-Shut me up,” Dirge hissed, lifting his head to reveal a crazed grin on his face and tilting it as one of his eyes turned yellow again. “M-M-More than the w-w-world – will burn.”

Dr. Wu narrowed her eyes and pressed the button.

Atta wailed in pain as a fourth needle pressed into her other foot. “Stop! Please, stop!” she pleaded, the acid eating away at her other existing wounds. “Dirge! Dirge, help me!”

“She is not my Atta,” Dirge rasped out, his voice returning to normal momentarily as he locked gazes with Dr. Wu. “My Atta is gone forever. This is… an echo of her mind. A copy. One among many.”

“One among ONE,” Dr. Chambers snapped bluntly. “I destroyed the other copies. This is the LAST ATTA IN THE UNIVERSE. If you want to save her, you will tell us WHAT YOU KNOW.”

Dirge let out a choking laugh, now fixing his eyes on Atta’s. “What I know,” he murmured. “I… I know…”

Atta met his gaze, shaking her head as tears ran down her face. “Dirge,” she cried. “Please…”

Dirge stared at her, a strangely sympathetic expression on his face as he continued to chuckle bitterly. “I know,” he continued, “that she is not worth it.” He looked at Dr. Wu again, his eyes boring into hers. “Have to… look at the bigger picture. Isn’t that right… Director?”

Dr. Wu’s eyes widened, and she quickly removed her glasses, moving close to Dirge. “How do you know—”

“That she watches through your glasses?” Dirge coughed. “I scanned them. The Solver lets me see… more.” He kept his eyes on Dr. Wu’s glasses and went on, “You refuse to sacrifice replaceable pieces, Director. There is a heart in your chest—I know that now. But your plans will carry on, regardless of how these pieces hold you back. I’m not like you in that respect. I’ll delay you as long as I can, no matter the cost. The only question you must answer now is… will you match me? Stride for stride? Move for move?” He tilted his head, the grin returning to his face as his eyes flashed yellow. “Will you – play the game?” he asked in that same glitching mixture of his voice and the Solver’s.

A message flashed across his HUD.


ADMIN: CYN DOORMASTER2

[][][] Run [memwipe.exe----[selfDes=1% . . .]


“What? What is he doing?” Wu snapped fearfully, looking at Chambers.

“Wiping his own memory,” Dr. Chambers snarled, eyes flashing at Dirge. “You IDIOT.”

“Keep, keep digging,” Dirge muttered, casting a sad smile at Atta. “Keep, keep digging.”

Dr. Chambers looked at Wu again and ordered, “Inject it all. Push him to his limit!”

Dr. Wu obliged, holding down the button.

At her command, every needle slammed into Atta’s arms and legs, pumping the nanite acid into her body. The gurgling howl that erupted from her melting throat made Theodore turn away, squeezing his eyes shut.

“KEEP, KEEP DIGGING! KEEP, KEEP DIGGING!” Dirge shrieked over the screams, his face contorting with agony as if he were the one suffering. “I LOVE YOU, ATTIE! NEVER FORGET THAT!” he cried, watching the drone he loved melt before his very eyes. “I will always, ALWAYS LOVE YOU!”

The screaming continued for only a few moments more until Atta was nothing more than a pile of molten slag that continued to eat through the floor, carving a path through the floor of the torture chamber.

An ominous silence filled the area.

Then Dr. Chambers snarled, “Wu. With me. We’re done here.” He stormed toward the exit, waving a hand in the air and shouting, “Company, move out!”

The soldiers obeyed, following the doctor out of the chamber as quickly as they could with Dr. Wu bringing up the rear (after casting a final glare at Dirge).

Only Theodore remained inside, his eyes still closed and weapon held low. Then, steeling himself, he opened his eyes and made his way over to Dirge, looking down at the Worker Drone with pity in his gaze. “Mate, I… I didn’t know it’d come to this,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Dirge let out a weak, obviously-fake chuckle as, to Theodore’s surprise, a thick red substance began leaking from beneath his visor—as if produced by tear ducts. “We are… alive,” he said in a broken voice. “We’re not just machines, Mr. Elliott. This… TECHNOLOGY we came from… is semi-organic. It grows, it thrives… it breathes.” He looked up, meeting Theodore’s gaze. “The director is listening,” he whispered. “Always listening. Always watching.”

Theodore recoiled as Dirge’s tail suddenly snapped upward, catching him by his protective vest and wrenching him toward the drone. As the tail’s teeth bit deep, crunching on something solid, Dirge hissed in Theodore’s face, “I’ve destroyed the device. We speak freely now—if only for a moment. The soldiers will be back to collect you shortly.”

“What are you—” Theodore began to ask, still startled by the suddenness of Dirge’s movements.

“Get to her files,” Dirge spat. “They will be well protected. You have time. Years to spare, by my calculations—but obtaining the files down HERE will have a MUCH shorter time limit. It will not be an easy task, eradicating the Solver—even with the patch. But once it’s complete, or perhaps before, you MUST get those files. Learn the truth, play the game, and when the time comes, STOP HER. You’ll know what I mean when you figure it out.”

Theodore scanned Dirge’s eyes in confusion and suspicion, his own eyes flickering to the number on Dirge’s visor.

93%.

“When this is done, I will remember nothing of what I know,” Dirge growled. “Nothing of Atta’s pain. Nothing of what I did to her. Nothing of the director’s plans. I cannot, and WILL not, keep attempting to hold the Solver back from accessing them. It would reach them one way or another. So when this process ends, it will all be up to YOU.”

Soldiers burst into the chamber. “Elliott!” one of them called as they moved toward Theodore. “Back away from the drone!”

“Get to the others. Get to the others!” Dirge urged desperately as the soldiers converged on Theodore. “Learn the truth and hide it! Play the game!”

Theodore continued to stare at Dirge in bewilderment as the soldiers dragged him away.

“KEEP DIGGING, ELLIOTT!” Dirge shouted after him. “KEEP DIGGING!”

The soldiers left the chamber with Theodore in hand, and the door slid shut.

- - -

99%.

“Keep, keep digging. Keep, keep digging. Keep, keep—”

100%.


[][][][][][Absolute[SysDba]]

Reboot successful

Initializing…

Systems operational

ADMIN: CYN

I see you are [trapped/bound]---[Magnetic interference detected]

Analyzing…


Dirge groaned, blinking blearily and looking around. “Okay,” he grunted, wincing as the magnetic operating table made his systems glitch momentarily, “two questions: where am I, and who is speaking in my head?”


[][][][][][Annoyed expression/eye roll] |:(


- - -

Below the surface of Copper-9, directly underneath Cabin Fever Labs, a swarm of wormlike, organic growths with eyes peppering their extensions cut through the dirt and rock, tunnelling slowly but steadily toward the planet’s core. “Keep, keep digging,” they chanted as one in the voice of the Solver. “Keep, keep digging.”


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Najja again (risk of detection): 4%
Katie. (risk of detection): 2%
Benny. (risk of detection): 4%
Work alone. (lower risk of detection): 90%

Chapter Text

XXXI.

Theodore

Keep, Keep Digging: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Work alone. (lower risk of detection)”

Theodore woke up to the sound of alarms.

He was off his bed in an instant, snatching a lightweight vest from his bedside desk and throwing it on before grabbing his firearms from beneath the bed and hurrying out the door. It was barely 4 in the morning, but the drone trials were taking place around the clock. The night shift was still on security duty, but if the gunfire was any indication, immediate backup was probably required.

Lo and behold, Theodore’s predictions were correct: the drone currently being tested, 023 (Dean), was scuttling along the ceiling of the cathedral/lab with metallic and organic extensions, his face twisted in a grin that revealed his mind was currently lost to the Solver.

“Pull him down! Pull him down!” Dr. Ridley was shouting as she pointed at the drone, retreating behind some boxes.

The guards on security duty threw whiplike magnetic coils at Dean, some missing while others lashed around his arms and legs. His visor glitched due to the interference, and with a joint yank from those who’d hit their mark, Dean hit the ground, creating a spectacular crashing sound as his visor shattered.

“No!” Dr. Ridley yelled, running over to the fallen drone despite the soldiers’ cries for her to pull back. “Careful!” she snapped at them. “We’re not trying to kill them!”

“The doctor’s right,” a familiar voice called as one of the guards—Najja—moved closer to Ridley with her weapon still at the ready. “Be a little gentler next time, everyone.” She nodded to two of the others and ordered, “Katie, Benny—prepare your preliminary reports for Josephine. Meet me up top when you’re ready to submit them.”

Theodore lowered his gun, halting a few metres away from the scene. Evidently, his help wasn’t needed—but with everyone distracted for a bit, maybe he could get started on his… “investigation”.

Backing out of the main area, Theodore headed down a hallway discreetly and began to think to himself: Where would be the best place to start?

He couldn’t talk to the drones in the containment area. That place was monitored around the clock. He doubted Dirge would’ve told them anything about what was going on, anyway.

He couldn’t access the computer labs aboveground; he was still under “house arrest”, after all. Any escape attempt would be met with severe punishment.

He wasn’t willing to talk to the other members of the Solver Squadron. Najja probably knew the most, but he didn’t know if she’d buy into his attempts to uncover this “conspiracy”. Katie would scarcely come within Theodore’s immediate vicinity for some reason—though he assumed it had something to do with his half of “Black Box” (or maybe even the object as a whole). And Benny was, for lack of better wording, a blabbermouth. Theodore had never known him to keep a secret well, unless it was of the UTMOST importance—and he wasn’t likely to take Theodore seriously in this respect.

So Theodore decided he’d start by asking some innocuous questions of the staff members. Nothing that would garner too much suspicion—but hopefully something that would get him some insight into Josephine’s plans.

- - -

“Dr. Ridley?”

The old man turned his head to look at Theodore as the operative drew near and sat down next to him on a yet-to-be-removed pew. “Ah! Mr. Elliott,” the doctor greeted Theodore with a warm smile. “It’s been some time since we last conversed. How are you?”

“All things considered?” Theodore cracked a smirk. “Terrible.”

“I suppose that’s to be expected.” The doctor paused, then removed his glasses and tucked them into his pocket. “May I ask what you’re doing here, speaking with me, instead of tending to your duties?”

“I’m, uh… on break,” Theodore responded, rubbing the back of his head. “I just had a few questions for ya, that’s all.”

“Questions?” The doctor frowned a bit. “Careful now, Theodore. I hear such things are becoming frowned upon in these spaces.”

Theodore raised an eyebrow. “I… heard the same.” He turned slightly, facing the doctor a bit more directly. “You’re workin’ on the patch with your daughter, eh?”

“Indeed. I believe we’re, oh… somewhere in the 1.4 series.” Ridley sighed and shook his head, adding, “I’m not heavily involved, and my memory’s been failing me as of late. It’s hard to keep track of these things.”

“I can imagine.” Theodore pulled his half of “Black Box” out of his pocket and began fiddling with it, feigning absentmindedness. “I’m guessin’ you heard what happened with Dirge,” he remarked in a nonchalant tone. “What with, y’know… the mem-wipe and him killin’ his girlfriend n’ all.”

“Mm, yes. Tragic.” The doctor reached into his pocket, as if to retrieve his glasses, but removed his hand from it a moment later. “We still haven’t solved that little mystery... though some of us have suspicions as to why he may have done such a thing.”

“Huh.” Theodore stretched a bit, saying, “I prob’ly don’t have clearance for somethin’ this high priority, but… mind sharin’ your thoughts? I’m just tryin’ to get a better understandin’ of what’s goin’ on. I mean,” he added with a chuckle, “I don’t even know what ‘Black Box’ is yet. Feels like I’m way behind, y’know?”

“Oh, certainly.” Dr. Ridley cleared his throat and shifted a bit in his seat. “Well, concerning ‘Black Box’,” he began, “I could give you clearance for the files. Everyone else has been informed; I just think you’re behind the curve in that respect.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his keybug, tapping it a few times. “There,” he announced. “You’ve been upgraded, my boy—and the file has been sent. That’ll be a nice little read for you.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Theodore put his half of “Black Box” back into his pocket. “But about those ‘suspicions’ you mentioned? The ones about Dirge?”

Dr. Ridley was silent for a moment, holding Theodore’s gaze for a long time. Then, slowly, he said, “Mr. Elliott. You must understand your value to the company, as well as the value of your ignorance. Sometimes, in order for the greatest amount of efficiency to be drawn from an asset, that asset must be kept in the dark about certain things… by certain people.” His eyes darted a bit to the left.

Theodore stole a glance in that direction to see one of the staff members eyeing him suspiciously, their gaze hidden by the visor of their protective gear.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to investigate those ‘suspicions’ at another time,” Dr. Ridley said in a low voice, drawing Theodore’s eyes back to him. “And it MIGHT be for the best if you didn’t investigate them at all.”

Theodore tilted his head, taken aback by the sudden appearance of desperation and fear glinting in the eyes on Dr. Ridley’s otherwise straight face. “What—”

“Elliott!”

Theodore turned to see that Najja was now standing next to the staff member who’d been watching him. “Break time’s over!” she called. “Back to work!”

“On ya, Darko,” Theodore called back. “Just finishin’ up our chat, yeah?”

“Make it quick!” Najja snapped, rolling her eyes and turning away.

Theodore rolled his eyes as well before once more facing the doctor, who looked normal now. “It’s a pain to be ordered around like that, isn’t it?” Dr. Ridley asked with amusement in his tone. “Regardless of your status—or, in your case, your physique—there’s always a bigger fish.”

Theodore narrowed his eyes as the doctor’s tone became strangely serious at the end of the sentence. “…Right,” he said cautiously, standing to his feet. “Well… thanks for the chat, Doc. Guess I’ll see you around, eh?”

Dr. Ridley smiled a little, facing forward and putting his glasses back on. “Perhaps.”

As Theodore walked away from the older man, he cast another glance at Najja, who was conversing with the staff member now. He recalled Dr. Ridley placing his glasses in his pocket, and then touching them while they were there; clearly, he had been making sure their conversation went unheard. But then again, Theodore presumed, someone would’ve been notified that he deactivated his glasses just prior to a conversation with an operative currently under intense scrutiny. If that was the case, then there would be repercussions—both for Theodore AND the doctor.

Or maybe they’d overlook it because it was such a small incident. Theodore hoped that was the case, but he didn’t trust his luck very much.

Theodore sighed as he headed to his station at Holding Chamber B, where certain drones unaffected by the Solver were held. “Keybug,” he said, prompting his robotic companion to crawl out of his armour and perch on his shoulder. “Read me the most recent file sent to my inbox,” he ordered. “TTS.”

The bug beeped twice in rapid succession. Then, in a robotic voice, it began, “FILENAME: ‘BlackBox’. ADMINISTRATOR(S): Darko, Najja—JCJxpo32. Bonin, Katie—KB.IC-Ωn…”


*********************************************************

DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Dr. Ridley – ally. Presumably knows more about Josephine’s plans that he’s letting on. Either doesn’t desire investigation or desires an exercise in caution. Potentially under scrutiny. Potentially facing punishment.

2. Najja – unknown standing. May have overheard conversation. Reaction… pending?

3. “BlackBox.doc” – UNLOCKED. All information in file is now known.

4. “There’s always a bigger fish” – Don’t know what to make of this yet, but Ridley seemed to place heavy importance on it. Is Josephine taking orders or working with someone higher up? Isn’t she the Head Director? Or is Ridley referring the “something beyond” that Dirge mentioned? Could he be talking about BOTH?

5. Glasses – surveillance devices. But are all of them watching?


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Request access to topside facility (med risk, med reward): 11%
Use EMP to black out cameras temporarily (high risk, high reward): 6%
Keep an eye on Najja (high risk, high reward): 9%
Continue investigating lab area as before (low risk, low reward): 74%

Chapter Text

XXXII.

Theodore

Keep, Keep Digging: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Continue investigating lab area as before (low risk, low reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Jucundus 13, 3052)

It had happened midway through the week. Dr. Ridley, the only person Theodore believed he could trust at the moment, had been reassigned to a different project taking place on Sirius-1.

Surveillance had been bumped up ever so slightly, and Theodore noticed that several scientists who had previously lacked glasses were now bespectacled.

Nevertheless, Theodore carried on with his solo investigation. He needed to find someone else to confide in, or at least a way to access a computer terminal. Unfortunately, it looked like Theodore would have to keep marching on alone. Patience would have to do for now, even if he WAS on a strict time limit. The Solver was creeping ever closer in its conquest of the universe, and it wouldn’t be long before it reached Copper-9.

- - -

Theodore entered the holding area for the Solver-infected drones with the rest of his unit of eight, stopping by the entrance as they filed into their positions. He eyed the computer at the end of the locker-lined hallway, and then glanced up at the cameras, all of which appeared to be pointed directly at him. He spread out his arms questioningly and said aloud, “I ain’t goin’ near ‘im, Josie! Gimme a li’l credit here!”

After a brief moment, the cameras returned to their normal positions.

Theodore sighed, casting another look at the computer at the end of the hall. Then he closed his eyes and, casting up a silent prayer for success to whoever was listening, turned to one of the soldiers and asked, “Oi. Greenie. Do me a favour an’ adjust my backplate, will ya?”

The soldier—who happened to be one of those who’d been on torture chamber duty during Dirge’s investigation—turned to Theodore and said, “Oh. Sure.” She walked up behind him and took hold of two of the straps, frowning. “Dude, you barely tightened these,” she berated Theodore. “Why—”

Suddenly, Theodore’s keybug—shielded from the camera’s view by his body, scuttled onto her hand and burrowed into her sleeve.

The soldier let out a quiet gasp, but before she could say anything, Theodore quickly turned around and told her, “That’s perfect, thanks.”

The soldier stared at him, meeting his sharp, warning gaze, and swallowed hard. “Um… y-yeah. No problem,” she replied after a moment.

Theodore waited a beat as she continued to stare at him, clearly uneasy, and then waved his hand at her. “Back to your post,” he ordered.

The soldier hesitated before nodding and hurrying back to where she’d been before, standing with her back against one of the lockers. The keybug scurried out of her armour and into the locker, now completely hidden.

Almost.

“Hey, what the—” Nori began to shout. “Is that a frickin’ ROACH?!”

“Oh, for the love of…” Theodore muttered under his breath, sweat breaking out on his face. Then, putting on a façade of confidence, he barked, “OI! Quiet down in there!”

- - -

The keybug darted through the connected lockers, pausing once it reached Dirge’s. It beeped once, flashing a message at him: “Remember anything?”

Dirge shook his head but suddenly bared his teeth, revealing a USB drive stuck between them. He spat it at the keybug, watching as it magnetized to the robotic insect’s back, and whispered, “I left myself some messages. I don’t know much, but I do know I’m supposed to be helping you, Elliott.” He narrowed his eyes, adding, “I guess you weren’t aware, but your keybug will be compromised once you access that terminal. Copy whatever you find onto the hard drive and let the bug go rogue. Hopefully, they’ll think it acted on its own.”

The keybug flashed another message: “Thanks, mate. o7”. Then it continued on its way, pausing at the end of the lockers and beeping softly.

- - -

Hearing a beep in his helmet’s communicator, Theodore began moving toward Dirge’s locker at a slow pace. “C’mon, Josie… take the bait,” he muttered.

The cameras all swiveled toward him again, and a voice spoke in his communicator.

“I’m on surveillance duty today, Teddy, as I’m sure you’re well aware,” Josephine said, her voice carrying both a tone of annoyance and a tone of warning. “Step away from that locker or I’ll have you reassigned to mineshaft maintenance.”

“I’m not gonna talk to ‘im, Josie,” Theodore argued as his keybug made its way to the PC.

“I find that EXTREMELY difficult to believe, tiger,” Josephine replied dryly.

“C’mon, Josie. How dumb do you think I am?” Theodore shot back as the keybug connected itself to the PC. “You got cameras all over me, and listenin’ devices to boot. We can’t exactly have a private chat.”

A steady beeping began to sound in Theodore’s helmet, representing an indication of how much information had been downloaded. The faster it got, the closer it was to 100%.

“Teddy, you know I don’t wanna keep punishin’ you, right?” Josephine said, sounding weary now. “You might think you’re doin’ the right thing by workin’ with Dirge, but he’s DANGEROUS. He thinks I’m some sorta threat, and he can’t seem to understand what we’re really dealin’ with here. You ever wonder why he won’t focus his efforts on stoppin’ the Solver? You ever think it might be manipulatin’ him?”

The beeping grew faster.

“He seems to think there’s a bigger threat than the Solver out there,” Theodore retorted. “An’ he seems to think that threat is YOU. He saw somethin’ in those files, Josie—somethin’ BAD. Whatever you’re hidin’, it’s not worth—”

“DON’T!” Josephine barked, shutting Theodore up as rage was suddenly injected into her voice. “Don’t you DARE tell me what somethin’ is ‘worth’, Teddy! I make hardah decisions every day than you’ll evah make in your bloody LIFE! I’ve made all the right ones so far—the least you could do is trust me to be CONSISTENT! Is that too much to ask?!”

“How does the ‘right choice’ lead to whole PLANETS being sacrificed?” Theodore responded, now equally enraged and almost deaf to the rapid beeps sounding in his ears. “You’re lettin’ your bloody analytics blind you to the suffering of entire SYSTEMS!”

“I’m givin’ us TIME, Teddy! Time to THINK! Time to PLAN! Time to finish that bloody PATCH! Spendin’ time and resources on doomed worlds would only lead to our EXTINCTION! Someone has to make the tough calls, Teddy, and if people like you were in charge, we’d never’ve made it past the bloomin’ MANOR!”

A long, steady beep rang out.

Theodore set his jaw, glancing around to see the other soldiers staring at him uneasily. They’d clearly heard HIS side of the argument, and could probably suss out what Josephine’s might’ve sounded like. “Okay, Josie,” he grumbled as his keybug began making its way back to him through the lockers. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe your way is the ONLY way.”

“Don’t mock me,” Josephine hissed. “Don’t you friggin’ MOCK me. My way IS the only way. Either you follow it or you get left behind. And—and darn it, Teddy…!” Her voice suddenly cracked, forcing her to take a deep breath. “I don’t want to leave you behind,” she whispered. “I—I CAN’T leave you behind. Please, just… work with me. TRUST me. I—” She stopped, swallowing hard, and finished, “I need you… to trust me. PLEASE.”

“Eeuuhhuuhhuh.”

Theodore turned sharply toward the soldier from before as she shuddered and failed to stifle a mild exclamation of disgust; clearly, the keybug had just crawled into her armour again. Then, in response to Josephine, Theodore said quietly, “Alright. I’ll trust you, Josie. For now.” There was a rustling sound in the background.

“Strewth?” Josephine asked, her voice sounding unsteady and strained.

“Yeah.” Theodore backed away from Dirge’s locker, hands raised slightly. “I’ve known you to be a lotta things, Josie—but never a monster. So I’ll keep my nose outta your business.”

Josephine sighed heavily. “And that’s all I ask. You’ll see things my way soon, Teddy. Promise.”

There was a click on Theodore’s end, and the cameras all returned to their normal positions once more.

Theodore beckoned to the soldier with a jerk of his head, and she hurried over to finish “adjusting” his armour as the keybug made its way back to its owner. It detached the USB drive inside Theodore’s backplate before dropping to the ground and hurrying away.

“So long, mate,” Theodore said as quietly as he could. He allowed the soldier to keep fastening his straps, then turned and saluted to her once she was done. “Thanks, Private,” he told her. “That was doin’ a numbah on my spine.”

“…Yep,” the private squeaked, looking freaked out as she backed into her position.

“Oi. At ease, sheila,” Theodore said with a smirk, moving into his own position. “You’re lookin’ a li’l… GREEN around the gills.” He cracked a half-grin, chuckling at his own pun.

The private set her lips in a thin line, shaking slightly as her face paled.


**********************************************

DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Dr. Ridley – reassigned to Sirius-1, if the whispers are to be believed. What is going on over there? Does Josephine have something else up her sleeve?

2. USB drive – contains all accessible files on Holding Chamber 1 terminal (drone trial logs, including “dronetrials.doc”). Drive must be used somehow in order to learn what is on it.

3. Private Sasha Ramakrishnan – reluctant ally. Seems somewhat willing to assist with investigation, or at least stay quiet about it. Emotionally reactive; probably can’t keep a secret. Trust level is… questionable.

4. Keybug lost. Accessing computers without being detected is now next to impossible. Prior to this “mission”, orders were inputted to locate the drones and/or Tessa if possible—so maybe it’ll be able to work with them, if it can evade detection long enough.

5. Dirge left himself messages instructing him to help, but there’s not a lot he can do because of Josephine’s tight surveillance. Maybe he’s planning another escape?

6. Josephine MIGHT think she’s being trusted right now—if she fell for the concession. Maybe she’ll back off a bit.

NOTE: The drones will be on site and available for interaction.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Address Disassembly trio directly (high risk, high reward): 8%
Watch Disassembly trio while investigating (med risk, med reward): 19%
Ask Sasha for keybug to use USB (unknown risk, high reward): 67%
Continue investigating lab area as before (low risk, low reward): 6%

Chapter Text

XXXIII.

Theodore

Keep, Keep Digging: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Ask Sasha for keybug to use USB (unknown risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Jucundus 20, 3052)

Theodore was at a crossroad.

He’d spent the last week developing and scrapping plans on how to use the USB drive Dirge had given him, but without his keybug—which he’d reported as “missing”—he had next to nothing to work with (especially since Josephine had yet to answer his request for a replacement).

The Disassembly Drones were on site now, serving as security for the upcoming tests, but he was hesitant to trust them after their recent… “reconditioning”. He didn’t know how many of their actions were their own, since he was doubtful that Josephine would’ve restored much of their agency and independence.

Finally, he gave up on scheming and decided to go with what had initially been his last resort: asking one of his fellow soldiers if he could borrow their keybug. And who better to ask, he thought to himself, than the soldier who’d helped him before?

- - -

Theodore found Private Sasha Ramakrishnan slurping noisily on a bowl of microwaved spaghetti during a break between trials, her petite form seated on an unopened crate of equipment in the lab area. “Oi! Greenie!” he called to her, noticing that she stiffened visibly as he approached. “You sure you should be eatin’ somethin’ so messy in the lab?”

Sasha swallowed her mouthful of pasta and quickly wiped sauce from her mouth with her sleeve, somehow turning paling and blushing at the same time. “Sorry, sir!” she apologized, setting down her food and standing to salute clumsily. “The break room was full.”

“At ease. You ain’t on duty.” Theodore waved a hand at her, indicating that she could sit down again. She did so as he sat down on a box next to her, letting out a long sigh. “Sorry about the other day, luv,” he said in a casual tone. “Didn’t mean to come on so strong.”

Sasha looked at him blankly for a moment before apparently registering the hidden meaning of his statement. “Oh. Uh… i-it’s fine,” she stammered. “It was just… REALLY unexpected.”

“Kinda felt like an ambush, eh?” Theodore guessed with a half-grin, glancing warily at V as she walked past.

“No, I—I know what an ambush feels like,” Sasha replied, laughing nervously. “That was more, uh… more like a… jumpscare, I guess…?”

“Yeah, figured I shook you up a bit.” Theodore took out his half of “Black Box” and began twirling it between his fingers. “But how would you know what an ambush looks like? No offence,” he added, “but you don’t look like you’ve even been in a schoolyard scrap, much less out on the battlefield.”

Sasha laughed again, more awkwardly this time. “Oh. I guess you don’t remember seeing me at Sydney, then, huh?”

“Sydney?” Theodore frowned. “You mean… when the Solver first got loose?”

“Yeah. I was on the ESCU when the director came to pick you up,” Sasha fiddled with her fork, not looking very hungry anymore. “I… I saw the video you were watching—the one of the manor after… after it…” She trailed off and turned away, looking as though her recently consumed lunch was planning to make a surprise reappearance.

“…Ah,” was all Theodore could say in response to that, avoiding her gaze as well. “You’re the one who… threw up on the wall

Sasha’s face somehow turned redder. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “I’m not—I’m not good with… war, I guess.”

Theodore shrugged. “Nobody really is.”

They fell quiet for a moment after that, and Theodore realized that there was at least one positive from losing his keybug: he no longer had access to that recording of the Solver standing up in Tessa’s mutilated body. One less thing to keep him up at night, he supposed. However, that thought DID bring him back to the original reason for why he was speaking to Sasha, and he forced himself to get back on track.

“You mind doin’ me a favour, Private?” Theodore asked, turning to Sasha again.

She met his gaze, looking uncertain, and replied in a tentative tone, “Depends on what the favour is.”

Theodore pocketed his half of “Black Box” and pulled something else out of his pocket, subtly placing it on the crate upon which he sat with his palm still on top of it. “I’ve got some files to study—y’know, for Solver Squadron mental training,” he explained, giving Sasha a serious look. “Without my keybug, I can’t access ‘em. So would you mind if I borrowed yours?”

Sasha fell silent, the gears in her brain clearly turning as she stared at Theodore’s hand. She obviously knew that it was covering up whatever he’d been using his keybug to retrieve, and apparently, she was torn between helping him again and sounding the alarm to protect herself.

Then, slowly, she placed her hand on top of Theodore’s, and he turned his over to allow her to grab the USB drive. They met gazes again, and Theodore gave her a slight nod.

Sasha’s face remained red as it crinkled up slightly. “Sir, I—I’m so sorry,” she said in a rushed fashion. Then, without further warning, she stood up and held the USB drive in the air, calling, “Dr. Chambers?”

Theodore grimaced and closed his eyes, covering his face with a hand. “Crud,” he muttered.


*********************************************************


RC: And here I thought you were learning to follow the rules. Tut-tut, Mr. Elliott. You’ve got to be smarter than that.

-

JCJ: I gotta say, that was mighty clevah of you, Teddy. I actually fell for that distraction with Dirge—and I ALMOST believed you were flirtin’ with Sasha. But let’s be honest: we both she ain’t your type. I figured somethin’ was up and had a li’l chat with her earlier this week. Nice try, tho’.

Now I’m gonna ask you one more time to trust me, tiger. Even though we barely trust each other anymore. I need you on board; you’re one of the key pieces to this puzzle we’re solvin’. So either you play your part willingly, or Tessa pays for your insubordination with three more weeks of isolated trainin’.

We’re SO CLOSE, Teddy. Please, just… just work with me here.

...

...You’re goin’ to mineshaft maintenance for the next week. By the time you get back, I expect you to be silent and compliant.

Don’t test me again.


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Private Sasha Ramakrishnan – no longer an ally. Though she clearly has some respect for me—or maybe even something beyond that—she lacks the mental and emotional fortitude to trust her instincts. She may have cooperated previously, but she’s not cut out for something like this. Maybe if she had been addressed earlier… like during Dirge’s torture session…

2. USB drive – confiscated. Information currently unavailable to be learned.

3. Disassembly Drones – Still don’t know if V’s glasses are bugged. More research required. Not sure if their personalities are back, either.

4. Mineshafts – there are elevators leading to the topside facility in here. A believable reason for access is required for use, along with approval from Dr. Chambers or Dr. Ridley.

NOTE: The Disassembly Drones are no longer available for interaction. Private Ramakrishnan has been temporarily reassigned to the topside facility.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Fake an injury in mineshaft (high risk, high reward): 5%
Injure yourself (trust +, versatility -) (high risk, high reward): 12%
Search mineshaft (med risk, unknown reward): 61%
Resume lab investigation (SKIP 1 WEEK) (low risk, low reward): 22%

Chapter Text

XXXIV.

Theodore

Keep, Keep Digging: Part IV

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Search mineshaft (med risk, unknown reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Jucundus 27, 3052)

The muffled, staticky chatter of HAZMAT-clad maintenance workers filled the tunnel to which Theodore had been assigned, along with the pinging of pickaxes against bedrock and ore. Theodore shuffled toward his post with a pickaxe of his own slung over his shoulder, frowning as he passed a group of maintenance workers herding axe-toting drone test subjects to another tunnel.

Apparently, some of the uncorrupted and yet-untested “patients” had been assigned to maintenance and janitorial positions by order of Dr. Chambers, based on the assertion that their additional assistance meant less time wasted by the humans on cleaning and more focus on the patch project. Theodore guessed it made sense, but it seemed more like a way to get labour from the already unfairly-treated robots.

“…you’ll receive payment in the form of ‘laboratory credits’, which you can spend at dispensary stations to collect oil, spare parts, et cetera,” one of the workers was telling the group of drones (among which were Nori, Yeva, and another “problematic” one known as “Giambi” or 017). “If you’ve got any requests, notify a patrolling keybug and it’ll relay it to an overseer.” The worker gestured to the ceiling of the tunnel, across which a golden keybug with green lights was scurrying.

“Don’t need no high-falutin’ cockroach takin’ orders like a waiter,” Giambi grumbled, hocking a loogie at the side wall of the tunnel. “I’ll take care a’ mahself.”

“Не будь смешной, Элис. Нам нужна вся помощь, которую мы можем получить вниз здесь. / Don’t be ridiculous, Alice. We need all the help we can get down here,” Yeva chastised her fellow Worker Drone.

“Yeah, well, maybe I don’t WANT no help,” Giambi shot back in a mutter, slinging her pickaxe over both shoulders like a yoke.

Nori said nothing, but cast a strange look at Theodore as she walked by. A small, somewhat sad smile passed across her face before vanishing as she and the others headed further down the tunnel.

Theodore tilted his head in confusion. “Huh,” he said to himself, rubbing his chin.

“Hey! Big guy!”

Theodore looked over his shoulder and saw a mineshaft overseer walking toward him, his HAZMAT hood pulled down and mask held in his hand. “Theodore Elliott, right?” the man asked, extending his free hand for a shake.

Theodore shook it firmly and replied, “Yes, sir. Reportin’ for duty—against my will.”

Both men cracked grins at that, and the man responded, “Well met. I’m Director Julian Martinez, Centros Facility 01.” He laughed ruefully and added, “I mean, I WAS, anyway.”

“Ah. So you’re the fella whose office Josie’s… borrowin’,” Theodore guessed.

“That’d be me.” Martinez wiped sweat from his brow with the back of a gloved hand. “Though I’d say it was more of a hostile takeover than a loan.” He beckoned to Theodore and told him, “C’mon. I’ll show you to your post.”

Theodore followed Martinez down the tunnel and asked, “Is there a reason I’ve got a pickaxe when I’m s’posed to be on ‘maintenance duty’?”

“Sure is. Same reason you’re wearing that HAZMAT suit.” Martinez gestured to one of the walls. “We’ve got some mildly radioactive materials in here that we’re supposed to be removing. That qualifies as ‘maintenance’, so… time for you to start swingin’ like the rest of us.”

“Right.” Theodore leaned toward the wall, inspecting it closely. “You sound pretty chippah for a bloke who lost his job,” he remarked, glancing over his shoulder. “Josie compensate ya or somethin’?”

“Hm? Oh, no,” Martinez replied with a laugh. “I’m just… learning to be content with where I’m at, I guess. That character trait—or lack thereof—that’s why I’m down here in the first place.” He pulled on his hood and put on his mask, continuing in a muffled voice, “Josephine offered to make me Assistant Director while she ran the operation from the top, but I couldn’t swallow my pride and offered some… ‘choice words’ in response.” He shrugged and sighed. “I dunno. I… I like control. And who doesn’t? It’s intoxicating, honestly. But… sometimes we have to let go of it for the greater good. I didn’t, and now I’m stuck working in the mines while my wife does the breadwinning back home. My son Mitch is vying for an internship here, though, so hopefully he’ll be able to help her out.”

“You’re not allowed to go home?” Theodore asked in disbelief.

“Not until the mines are clear of oranium.”

“That’s ridiculous, mate.”

“What can I say? Josephine was in a particularly bad mood—and I can understand why, what with the state of the universe and all.” Martinez leaned against the tunnel wall, arms crossed. “Copper-9’s the only planet in the dark about what’s going on, y’know. Everyone else is on high alert, but, well… Josephine didn’t want uprisings and unrest while experiments took place here. Although obviously, some people are starting to question why their friends and family on other exoplanets aren’t responding to their messages.”

“She’s got no right to keep that info from ‘em,” Theodore grumbled, giving his pickaxe a test swing and making a miniscule dent in the rock.

“Oh, she’s got EVERY right,” Martinez corrected him with a chuckle. “The less they know, the better. Dealing with riots AND the drone trials would be way too much to handle. Gotta take things one step at a time, as they say.” He moved away from the wall, concluding, “Anyways, see how close you can get to your quota for the day. It’s 25 kilos, give or take.”

“Right. And how much is estimated to be in here again?” Theodore inquired.

“In the ENTIRE tunnel system? Scans say about 782 tonnes.”

Theodore frowned. “You’re nevah gettin’ outta here, mate.”

“HA! Tell me something I DON’T know.” Martinez clapped Theodore on the shoulder. “Ah, I’m kidding. Just gotta wait for the patch to be completed.” He began walking away, raising a hand in farewell and calling, “I’ll be making the rounds, so I’ll check in on you in a bit. Take care, Elliott—and watch out for cave-ins!”

On cue, a distant rumble joined by screams came from another tunnel somewhere far away.

Sweat beaded on Theodore’s forehead. “Blimey,” he muttered to himself. “How’m I s’posed to get the USB back from in here?”

A slapping sound interrupted his worried thoughts, and Theodore turned sharply to his left to see Nori walking away. On the tunnel wall, a piece of paper hung with the words “MASK OFF” scrawled on it. Theodore frowned and removed his mask, grabbing the paper with his other hand. He flipped it over and read what was on the back, his lips moving as he mouthed the words to himself: “From Dirge: Terminal in System 8, LEVEL E6.7812. I’m remote-controlling your keybug. I’ll bring it back to you once you get access to the terminal. KEEP KEEP DIGGING.” The rest of the message devolved into oddly crazed scribbles, with the words “THEY ARE COMING BACK”, “WHY WONT IT [ERASE/DELETE]”, “WHAT DID I DO”, “DONT OPEN THE EYE”, and “SOLVE ME” repeating throughout the mess of black marker.

“Aw, h---…” Theodore’s face crinkled with worry, and he crumpled up the piece of paper in a fist. “Bless ya, mate. I’ll figure this out. Promise.”

He glanced up.

A patrolling keybug stopped on the ceiling, peering down at him with its antennae twitching.

“Nothin’ to see here,” Theodore snapped at it. “Beat it.”

The keybug carried on, heading further into the tunnel.

Theodore knelt down and shoved the crumpled paper into his boot, pretending to adjust the footwear. Then he picked up his pickaxe, straightened up, and put his mask back on, exhaling shakily. He wanted to speak his thoughts aloud, but he had the distinct feeling that his mask was bugged like the scientists’ glasses and decided to keep them to himself. He had a lead now, despite his lost time and mobility; he simply needed to find a way into that computer terminal.


***********************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Nori – ally. Working with Dirge. She’s close to 034 and maybe 017, so they might be allies as well. More info needed.

2. Overseer Julian Martinez – potential ally. Nice guy, and while he feigns fondness of Josephine’s methods, a tone of bitterness sharpened his words when he mentioned what transpired between them. He may have clearance to certain locations to which access is required.

3. Keybugs – eyes and ears for Josephine and her surveillance crew. Masks are likely bugged, too. Can’t say or look at anything damning with a mask on. Extreme caution is advised.

4. Dirge – ally. Something is wrong with him. He is assisting, but seems to be spiraling. His memories may be returning as well, which will prove problematic if Chambers finds out. He is controlling the keybug containing the info that had been copied onto the USB drive. He will attempt to bring it to me once I access the computer terminal.

NOTE: All staff has been notified that Josephine is departing from Copper-9 for a 6-week period. Dr. Chambers has been assigned to surveillance duty. He is more concerned with perfecting the patch than keeping an eye on dissenters.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Work with Yeva to catch a keybug (high risk, high reward): 24%
Inform Overseer Martinez (med risk, med reward): 1%
Ask Nori about Dirge (low risk, low reward): 72%
Work solo, trust no one (low risk, low reward): 3%

- - -

In order to unlock “Sequence839.doc”, reply to this comment with a SINGLE WORD prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (S8). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS. Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [Sequence839_hint]= “MURUWARIDREAMMAKER”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @Mexes15 on YouTube
CODEWORD: Wunngurr

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dPJzB-5IPWQFVI4n7rrq_D5K2x-KvuSMjMe8uoqi87w/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XXXV.

Theodore

Keep, Keep Digging: Part V

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Ask Nori about Dirge (low risk, low reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (July/Juliobona 6, 3052)

Theodore spent the next 8 days practically slaving away to meet his daily quotas, finding it to be a bit more challenging than it would have been if he hadn’t spent so much time studying algorithms instead of working out.

As he worked, Theodore tried to formulate a plan for his next steps; he knew Dirge was trying to get his keybug back to him, but he had no idea how long that would take. He didn’t want to take any big risks, so he decided to take a small step and inquire about Dirge.

The target of his inquiry was, of course, Patient 002.

- - -

Music blared from Nori’s pink cat-ear headphones as she carried a crate of oranium through a tunnel, loud enough to be heard by everyone around her. She greeted Alice as she passed her with a “Get it, girl!” and a slap on the rear (receiving a well-earned—and well-dodged—swing from Alice’s pickaxe).

“Вам всегда нужно ее раздражать? / Do you always have to antagonize her?” Yeva asked in a scolding tone as Nori set down her crate next to the Russian drone’s.

“What? Couldn’t hear you! Too loud!” Nori shouted, pointing at her headphones.

Yeva rolled her eyes and walked off to grab another crate.

Nori chuckled evilly and began to follow her, but paused upon spotting someone out of the corner of her eye: Theodore Elliott, according to the tag on his HAZMAT suit, was heading toward her from the other end of the tunnel. “Well, well,” she remarked, putting a hand on her hip and smirking, “look who finally decided to make a move. Don’t tell me you’re shy, Big T.”

“Can’t help that I was assigned to a different system,” Theodore responded, tapping his mask subtly. “I had to follow orders, y’know?”

Nori raised an eyebrow at his pointed tone, then sighed and rolled her eyes as Yeva had. “I was joking, idiot,” she told him scornfully. “Are you stupid or something?”

“Sometimes.” Theodore twirled his pickaxe and began hacking at the tunnel wall, the pinging of his tool joining the others in an off-beat, chime-like melody. “So you talked to Dirge, didjya?” he asked, keeping his tone casual. “How’s ‘e doin’?”

“Same as always,” Nori responded with a scoff. “Just a little more, uh… crazy. One sec.” She headed off to grab another crate.

Theodore watched her go, lowering his pickaxe momentarily. He listened to some of the other workers talking, picking up small pieces of conversation. Most of them were having discussions about the patch, the planets that had been destroyed, and Josephine’s mysterious departure from Copper-9. He, too, wondered why she’d left, but was also partially relieved; maybe she’d have less time to keep an eye on him now, which might grant him a little more freedom to do his digging.

A few minutes later, Yeva and Nori both returned with crates in hand, setting them down on the pile they’d created. “Sorry about that. Gotta keep moving or Grumpy McRuleFollower here’ll get on my case,” Nori told Theodore, jerking a thumb at Yeva.

“Ты такой незрелый. / You are so immature,” Yeva grumbled, shooting Nori a look.

“Anyway,” Nori went on, ignoring Yeva, “I talked to Dirge a few days before they threw me down here.” Her tone became a bit more sober as she continued, “He’s… not doing too great. I think the Solver’s kind of eating at him—and his own mind’s not doing him any favours, either.”

She gave Theodore a sad look as she spoke the last few words, bringing to his memory the fact that Dirge was starting to recall what he’d done. “Last I heard from ‘im,” Theodore replied carefully, “he was sayin’ some weird stuff. ‘Crazy’, like you said. Any idea what he was talkin’ about?”

Nori quickly deciphered the message in Theodore’s words: he was asking about the paper she’d given him. “Nah,” she responded, looking away. “It didn’t make any sense to me. All that talk about ‘the eye’ and ‘solving’… I think the Solver’s just driving him insane. It’s a sad thing to watch, honestly.” She let out a heavy sigh, taking off her headphones (which she’d muted) and tossing them onto a crate. “I made fun of him when he came back from escaping, y’know,” she said quietly. “I had no idea what he’d been through, and I said some things that…” She trailed off and shook her head with a bitter chuckle. “…god, I wish I could take them back.”

“Если вы не заметили, она склонна высказывать свои мысли прежде, чем ее разум успевает заговорить с ней. / If you haven’t noticed, she tends to speak her mind before her mind speaks to her,” Yeva remarked, putting a reassuring hand on Nori’s shoulder. “Это не одна из ее лучших черт. / It’s not one of her finer traits.”

“Sorry, I—I caught a li’l bit of that, but I’m not great with Russian,” Theodore apologized to her. “But I get the idea.” He laughed a little, adding, “I have a bad habit of bein’ reckless with my words, too. And my actions, at times.”

“At the WORST times?” Nori asked, giving him a look.

“Eh… yeah, guess you could say that,” Theodore replied with a shrug.

Nori smiled a little, then glanced at Yeva as the latter patted her shoulder again and told her, “Я вернусь, Норитоварищ. Я возьму еще один ящик. / I’ll be back, Noritovarishch. I’m getting another crate.”

“’Kay. Don’t be long.” Nori faced Theodore again and told him, “Dirge is… he’s a good guy. Broody, edgy, and a little dramatic, but… good. In spite of what he did, he’s really doing his best to help everyone—drones AND humans.”

“If only Josie would see it that way,” Theodore muttered, glancing to his left as a miner and her accompanying Sentinel drew near. “Seems like she’s more concerned with her secret plans than the actual fate of the universe. She—” He stopped, frowning as the miner slowed her approach, coming to a stop in front of him. “—uh,” he said, confused, “can I help you, miss?”

“Yeah, uh, one of the drones in the lockers wanted me to give you this,” the miner replied, handing Theodore a crudely-folded envelope. “Said to check the back and ‘think about it’ or something.”

“Huh?” Theodore’s brow furrowed in confusion as he took the envelope and flipped it over. The name “M.K. Soffa” stared back at him.

“Yeah, so, we don’t have anyone here by that name, but he insisted it was for you,” the miner went on, sounding bored out of her mind. “So y’know, whatever.” She clucked her tongue and continued down the tunnel, saying, “C’mon, Sparky. Let’s keep it movin’.”

Theodore watched the miner and the Sentinel walk away, then slowly removed his mask to reveal his smirking face. “Dirge, you sonuva gun,” he said under his breath, beginning to open the letter.

“Whoa, hey,” Nori said quickly, jerking her head upward. “Don’t rush it, dummy.”

Theodore glanced up.

A keybug peered down at him, having paused its patrol to observe him.

“G’day, mate,” Theodore said, saluting lazily to the bug. “Lovely weather we’re ‘avin down here, eh?”

The keybug chittered and scuttled away.

“‘Lovely weather’? We’re in a mine, you idiot!” Nori hissed at Theodore.

“Sorry. I’m terrible at improvisin’. Hold this, will you?” Theodore tossed his mask to her before tearing open the envelope.

Almost instantly, his keybug scurried out of it and onto his glove, running up his arm and wiggling its way into his HAZMAT suit’s hood.

Theodore fought the urge to swat at it, the strange sensation of its metal legs on his face feeling WAY too similar to a roach. “Buggah…” he muttered, shuddering. “That is NOT pleasant.”

“Sorry, Elliott. I was trying to be subtle.”

Theodore grinned as Dirge’s voice resonated in his ears, playing through the keybug’s miniature speakers as it was pressed between his hood and the back of his skull. “I’m right, mate. No need for apologies,” he replied, turning toward the tunnel wall so none of the passing keybugs could see his mouth moving. “But I thought you were gonna bring this thing back AFTER I got into the computer.”

“There was a… change of plan. Things are speeding up, so I had to act accordingly.”

“What’s THAT s’posed to mean?”

“Don’t worry about it. Not yet, anyway.” The keybug burrowed through Theodore’s suit, making its way to the interior of his glove and detaching the USB drive from its back into his hand. It returned to his head, and Dirge said, “Topside security is on the lookout for the bug and the drive. They’ve doubtlessly alerted the subterranean staff, and you’ll be a primary suspect. So either lay low or get to that computer.”

Theodore looked at Nori, who gave him a questioning look in return. “Um… I’m gonna have to weigh my options here, mate,” he replied carefully. “Gimme a minute.”


*****************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Nori – ally. Doesn’t know much, but is obviously willing to help. She understands conversational cues and knows how to keep a secret. Seems trustworthy.

2. Yeva – possible ally. She’s close to Nori and might be worth trusting.

3. Dirge – ally. Seems stable for now, but if his last note was any indication, he may be on the verge of a mental break. The Solver won’t be held at bay for long. Might be an incentive to move quickly—but if caution isn’t utilized, it’s back to square one.

4. Keybug/USB drive – back in hand. Dirge has disabled the bug’s tracking feature temporarily, but he doesn’t know when it’ll come back online. Security will be on the lookout and will likely be approaching soon. The bug and drive need to be hidden, or the terminal needs to be accessed before security arrives.

5. Josephine – should have noticed the message on the back of the envelope and flagged it as suspicious. The fact that she didn’t means she isn’t watching as closely as she was when she was on site. Dirge gambled and got lucky.

NOTE: Choosing Option 1 will result in NO TIME BEING LOST. Choosing Option 2 will result in the loss of 2 WEEKS. A miner has reported a structural fault in System 8. Private Sasha Ramakrishnan has been assigned to security in System 8, LEVEL E6.7812


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Go straight to System 8 (high risk, high reward) SKIP 0 WEEKS: 5%
Get reassigned to System 8 (low risk, med reward) SKIP 2 WEEKS: 82%
Work with Nori and face security (med risk, med reward): 5%
Work with Nori to avoid security (med risk, med reward): 10%

Chapter Text

XXXVI.

Theodore

Keep, Keep Digging: Part VI

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Get reassigned to System 8 (low risk, high reward) SKIP 2 WEEKS”

TIME ELAPSED: 2 WEEKS (July/Juliobona 21, 3052)

“Apologies for the delay, Mr. Elliott. I was not made aware of the fact that your relegation to the mines was meant to last for only one week.”

Theodore held back a snort at Dr. Chambers’s words as he followed the scientist to Tunnel System 8. “Don’t worry about it, mate. I got plenty a’ work done,” he responded with a smirk.

“Oh, I’m sure you did.” Dr. Chambers paused at Junction 4 and gestured to the tunnel on the left, stating, “But remember to keep this in mind: the fact that you’re allowed to continue working instead of being thrown in a cell is nothing short of a PRIVILEGE. Waste it and you’ll find your accommodations far more… restrictive.”

“Uh-huh.” Theodore headed into the tunnel with his weapon in hand, giving Chambers a nod in farewell. “I’ll try to stay outta trouble.”

“Sure you will.” Dr. Chambers turned and walked away, hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

-

The last couple of weeks had slogged by. Theodore and Nori had jointly decided to inform Dirge of their next move: waiting on reassignment instead of blitzing their way to System 8. Dirge had voiced his contention, but ultimately accepted their decision—albeit begrudgingly.

Exercising far more caution than in previous cases, Theodore had avoided scrutiny by letting the keybug run off again and giving the USB drive to Nori for safekeeping. The security detail that had approached Theodore found no evidence of collusion with the keybug, and didn’t even think to check Nori (as she had no prior history of working with Theodore).

After Theodore’s reassignment, Dirge had masterfully maneuvered the keybug back into his grasp without being caught, having managed to disable the tracking function again after it reactivated midway through the week. He was, however, on the verge of requiring another memory wipe, and urged Theodore to move before he was forced to abandon the mission again.

With that in mind, Theodore decided to take immediate advantage of his reassignment and make a move.

-

Theodore strode confidently through the mineshaft, heading straight for the junction leading to the corresponding computer terminal. As he passed Nori, who had also been assigned to the system, he dapped her up solidly, receiving the USB drive in the exchange and subtly slipping it into his pocket.

Upon reaching the door to the computer lab, which was guarded by two soldiers, he said, “Step aside, lads. Old Man Ridley wants me to review a file and relay the contents.”

“Sure. Lemme scan your keybug real quick for confirmation,” one of the soldiers replied, holding out a hand.

“Eh, not sure if ya heard, mate, but mine was confiscated,” Theodore informed him. “Saw somethin’ I shouldn’t have an’ Josie had a fit.”

“Well, we have to confirm Ridley’s request somehow,” the guard stated, frowning.

“You can call ‘im if you like,” Theodore suggested with a shrug. “He’ll vouch for me. But he might not be too fond of ya wastin’ his time.”

The guards glanced at each other. Then the first sighed and placed his own keybug on the proximity reader, gesturing as the door slid open. “Go on in. But keep it short,” he ordered.

“Will do, mate.” Theodore saluted to the guards and headed into the computer lab, making his way to the main terminal. He sat down in front of the computer and removed his helmet, tossing it across the lab. He reached into his vest and pulled out the wire (previously located for him by Nori), slipping it into an insulated pouch on his belt. Then he looked up at the screen and cracked his knuckles, muttering, “Alright—let’s do this.”

The terminal was low-tech, like every other computer in the facility, as a precaution against the Solver’s tendency to invade higher forms of technology. However, Theodore had worked with similar instruments before and had no trouble inputting the drive and accessing the files. “How’re we doin’ with the cams, Dirge?” he inquired as he clicked on a folder, glancing at his keybug as it dropped from a ceiling panel onto his shoulder.

“Not good. I wasn’t able to access the surveillance room,” Dirge reported. “I don’t think they caught your face, but you better work fast regardless. You’re on the c-c-c-c-c-c-c—s-s-s-so – annoying.”

Theodore leaned sideways a bit as the keybug’s lights suddenly switched to yellow. “Dirge? You alright, mate?” he asked cautiously.

“Better – than – ever—MATE.” The keybug scurried around Theodore’s neck to his other shoulder, peering at the computer screen. “Looks like someone’s being – sneaky, sneaky.”

Theodore quickly swatted the keybug off his shoulder. “For the love of—Dirge, get a hold a’ yourself!” he hissed, glancing fearfully at the door of the lab behind him.

“Dirge is – not here.” The keybug rolled back into an upright position. “We are currently attempting to access that host’s memory files. Please call back some other ti-i-i-i-i-i—”

The keybug suddenly sparked with red electricity and curled up in a ball, its lights dimming.

Theodore cursed and turned back to the computer, rapidly opening every file on the USB drive and absorbing as much information as he could. He knew that, once he was integrated with the Solver, he’d be able to access the memories even if he forgot them after reading them; he just needed to see as much as he could before time ran out.

The keybug sparked back to life after a moment, sluggishly climbing back onto Theodore’s shoulders. “My firewalls won’t hold for much longer, Elliott,” Dirge said in a dull tone. “My time as your ally is almost up. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, mate. Once we get the patch, I promise I’ll get it to ya somehow.” Theodore narrowed his eyes as he continued to read. “But I don’t get some a’ this stuff,” he muttered. “We’ve got drone trial logs and patch development info, but… what about these locked documents? They look like Chambers and Ridley’s personal recordin’s.”

“Those weren’t on Josephine’s computer from what I can recall,” Dirge stated. “I’ll plug the keybug into the PC and run a decryption key.”

“Right. Just try to keep the Solver from takin’ ovah while your jacked in.” Theodore watched as the screen shifted to a rapidly-scrolling wall of code, tapping his foot anxiously as he waited for Dirge to break through.

“Got it. Password for Chambers’s files is ‘magicman37’; Ridley’s is ‘qrtvrm8’. You’ll probably need to remember those for future reference.”

Theodore repeated the passwords to himself as the two folders opened in separate windows. “Shoot. They’re video files,” he grumbled. “I ain’t got time to watch ‘em all.”

“There are transcriptions layered beneath the original files. They’re blocked by more advanced firewalls. I’ll need time to pull them out.”

“Work on that behind the scenes,” Theodore ordered. “I’ll check out this vid from Chambers; looks like he started renumeratin’ ‘em at some point.”

“Fine. I’ll seal the lab first—you get to studying.” The keybug skittered away, heading for the lab’s interior proximity reader and hopping onto it, causing it to glow red. Then the keybug hurried back over to the computer and plugged itself back in with Dirge reporting, “You’ve got some extra time. They’ll need a higher-clearance member of staff to come open the door once they figure out what’s going on.”

“How long you think I’ve got?” Theodore inquired as the video began to play.

“10 minutes, tops.”

“Good. The vid’s only 8.”

- - -

Dr. Chambers sighed wearily, removing his glasses and rubbing his face—a motion that had been commonly repeated by JCJenson scientists ever since the Solver manifested. “Personal log,” he muttered in a tired voice, “June 17th. Quite possibly the most harrowing day of my life, bar none.

“I’ve been in contact with ‘Miss Red’ for about… oh, I’d say around 12 years now—and I must say, this is the first time in all those years that she’s surprised me. I’ve been tugging on her sleeve like a bothersome toddler begging for candy, asking her to tell me the truth about this sprawling operation of ours—an operation that has encompassed more than a millennium of research and projects. And today…” He trailed off, chuckling softly to himself. “Today,” he murmured, “I got my wish. Turns out I should’ve heeded the old axiom and been careful what I wished for.”

Chambers exhaled and leaned back in his chair, rapping his desk with his fingers. “As it turns out,” he said, beginning a new train of thought that would explain his previous statement, “we at JCJenson have been part of a long and rather gruesome game. Chess pieces have been thrown at us from across the universe and beyond it: the Left Hands, the Marriota virus, the STYX Hound, et cetera. We’ve caged the ‘king’ and ‘queen’, as it were, and the second ‘rook’—that is, ‘AbSolver1001’—are almost confined. 1001 has proven a bit more troublesome than anticipated, but if our advancements in the patch are any indication, we’re close to dealing a killing blow.”

Chambers stopped and groaned, leaning forward to put his face in his hands. “Red still won’t tell me what the endgame is,” he grumbled. “What happens when we finally have all of these—she calls them ‘shards’ of the ‘god key’. When we have all these shards… then what? Do we allocate as many resources as necessary to keep them in check? Use them to rebuild society? How stable will it be if humanity has access to such unrestricted destructive power? And what exactly does a ‘god key’ open? I cannot for the life of me see how ANY of this results in a happy ending.”

Chambers raised his head, lowering his hands and narrowing his eyes at the camera. “But then again, Director Jenson’s word is law,” he said with a thin smile. “So we must advance as always, marching to the beat of her drum. And then, when the dust settles, we must… ‘Rebuild Together Better’.” He laughed ruefully, putting his glasses back on. “Red tells me she will explain more in the future. That I will… ‘understand’ when it’s all said and done. And for the sake of humanity… I hope she is right.”

- - -

The door to the computer lab slid open.

Theodore straightened up and pulled both his keybug and USB drive out of the computer, shoving them into his pocket and muttering, “Time’s up.”

The keybug climbed out of his pocket and raced up to his shoulder. “I’m aware. I downloaded most of the transcriptions and transferred them to the drive,” Dirge replied in a hurried down. “Try to keep that out of their hands.”

“Got it. Pleasure workin’ with you as always, mate.” Theodore turned around, facing the person who’d entered the computer lab.

To no one’s surprise, it was Dr. Chambers—but what WAS surprising was the fact that he was not joined by any security.

Dr. Chambers approached the operative slowly, his expression betraying nothing as he moved closer.

Then, without saying anything more, he extended his hand and made a beckoning gesture.

Theodore pressed his lips together in a thin line, stifling a curse, and slapped the USB drive into Dr. Chambers’s open hand.

Dr. Chambers closed his hand around it and, with a mild flourish, raised both hands, exposing his palms to Theodore and revealing that the drive was gone. He returned his hands to his pockets, chuckling darkly. “You’re an interesting specimen, Mr. Elliott,” he remarked. “Very interesting. With the way you keep digging into this mystery, and that stubborn desire to uncover and expose what you perceive to be the truth—I’m almost starting to think you’re a reincarnation of…” He stopped himself, chuckling again. “Well, I suppose you didn’t come across THAT video.”

“Just tell me what the punishment is,” Theodore replied in exasperation. “I’ll take whatevah ya got.”

“Hm? Oh, no punishment. No, not this time around.” Dr. Chambers tapped his glasses pointedly. “I deactivated these before I went on break, too—so you’re entirely in the clear. I simply want to know… what do you intend to do with what you’ve learned?”

Theodore frowned. “What? But… I thought—”

“You’ve intrigued me, Mr. Elliott,” Dr. Chambers interrupted. “Far more than I thought you ever would. Josephine may want you collared like a dog, but I’d rather see you sniff around like one. I think it will be… FUN seeing how far you get.”

“And how long ‘til Josie shuts me up for good, eh? Or YOU, for lettin’ me off the hook?” Theodore challenged.

“Oh, she won’t find out about what I’ve done. I’ll make sure of that. And as for you…” Dr. Chambers smiled broadly, laughing a bit. “You really think she’d ever get rid of you? It doesn’t matter how deep you dig, Elliott. She’ll never remove her most valuable piece from the puzzle. You’re indispensable to her because of your skillset, your mind, your heart—and simply because you’re YOU.” He shook his head slowly, eyes glinting behind his glasses. “You have no idea how much you really mean to her.”

Theodore’s heart twisted in his chest, conflicted feelings of hurt, sadness, confusion, and hope filling him from head to toe.

Dr. Chambers jerked his head at the computer lab’s exit. “Take your leave, Mr. Elliott. And be inconspicuous about it,” he ordered. “Don’t think you can just access any file you want without restraint, either,” he added as Theodore began to walk past him. “Play the game the right way, and keep your movements on the down-low.”

Theodore paused after passing the doctor, glancing at him over his shoulder. “Y’know, I nevah took you for an ally, Doc,” he commented, narrowing his eyes. “How do I know you ain’t just playin’ me?”

“One.” Dr. Chambers raised a finger. “I’m not your ally; I am merely an observer. Two”—two fingers now—“let’s just say I’m… too invested to blow the whistle.” He smiled thinly at Theodore. “Just don’t push your luck.”

Theodore smirked, a smidgen of gratitude attempting to worm its way out of his mouth before he forced it back down. “No promises.”

“Oh, and Mr. Elliott?” Theodore stopped just before exiting the lab.

“I will be requiring that keybug as well,” Chambers called without turning around. “And you can tell 034 that his next trip to the Torture Chamber will be credited to YOUR account.”

Dirge sighed audibly through the keybug. “I’m starting up the mem wipe,” he muttered to Theodore. “Stick to the plan. Keep digging.” The keybug hopped off Theodore’s shoulder and, with its lights changing from red to green, made its way over to Chambers.

Theodore worked his jaw as the door to the computer lab slid open courtesy of one of the guards outside, and he stepped back into the tunnel system with one final glance at Dr. Chambers over his shoulder.

Chambers was facing him now, keybug perched on his shoulder and hands in his pockets. A gleam of curiosity shone in his eyes behind his glasses—

—along with the faintest hint of raw, primal fear.


**************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Keybug/USB drive – gone again, likely for good this time. Chambers won’t allow access to his personal files, even if he’s choosing to be lenient.

2. Dr. Chambers – “ally” of sorts. Observing but not interfering. If his statements are trustworthy, he’s feeding Josephine false information about my cooperation. I can probably ask questions with more freedom now—but like Chambers said, I can’t push my luck.

3. Dirge – relegated to Torture Chamber again. Memory wiped. He won’t remember anything—and his firewalls are weakening. Won’t be long before he’s succumbed to the Solver.

4. “Miss Red” – no clue who this is referring to. Only person I know with red hair is Najja, and hers is dyed. Not to mention the fact that she and Chambers hate each other. A 12-year correspondence between the two is highly unlikely. I’d wager this codename refers to someone higher up the food chain—someone who shouldn’t be talking to Chambers at all. A lover, maybe? …Is that guy even CAPABLE of love?

5. “god key” – seems to refer to the total sum of all anomalous “units” JCJenson’s dealt with in the past, from the Left Hands to the Solver. What is Josephine using these for? And what’s the role she’s given ME in this “game”? What part does she intend for me to play?

6. “king” and “queen” – two “caged” entities. Not sue what they are, exactly. More research required on this end—but from the sound of it, they’re likely the strongest beings in JCJenson’s captivity. Even the Solver was only referred to as a “rook”. So why were these two captured with little to no damage done, while the Solver’s wreaked havoc across the universe? The terminology and disparity in destructive output makes no sense. There’s something else at play here; something I’m missing.

NOTE: Chambers is reassigning Theodore to security detail at HQ. Josephine has taken care of business and is on her way back. Tessa is on site at the training facility. Test subjects yet to undergo trials have been divided into laboratory, mineshaft, topside, and HQ groups for maintenance and labour. Nori and Yeva will be at HQ. In order to prevent Solver infection, Worker Drones are barred from seeing, interacting with, or even learning about Disassembly Drones.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Investigate Josephine's office (high risk, high reward): 4%
Ask Katie about "shards" (med risk, med reward): 8%
Talk to Nori (low risk, low reward) CHEMISTRY BOOST: 10%
Talk to Tessa (low risk, low reward) CHEMISTRY BOOST: 78%


- - -

In order to unlock “cagedgods.doc”, reply to this comment with a SINGLE WORD prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (cg). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS.

Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [cagedgods_hint]= “GREEKGODSPRISON”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @MRMAN on YouTube
PASSKEY: "cg: tartarus"

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SVeip3faaS_OkGpGYXOiBrKlrsTZfaWoHPmwrzOnKxY/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XXXVII.

Theodore

Our Little Secrets: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Talk to Tessa (low risk, low reward) CHEMISTRY BOOST”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (July/Juliobona 26, 3052)

Theodore pushed open the facility doors and strode inside quickly, making his way to the main arena, where he knew Tessa would be training as usual—at least, he HOPED she’d be there. He hadn’t exactly checked her schedule beforehand, but if the last conversation he’d had with her was any indication, she’d be relentlessly pushing herself to new heights in order to make herself capable of fighting—and ultimately defeating—the Absolute Solver.

So with all this in mind, Theodore opened and stepped through the doors of the combat arena, immediately met with the sound of—

…music?

Theodore’s speed-walk slowed to a confused trot before coming to a surprised halt.

There, in the middle of the training area, he saw Tessa, J, N, and V all dancing to upbeat 20th Century swing music blaring from a phonograph. Tessa swung J (who was trying and failing to hide a smile) back and forth wildly, whooping as she did so, while N and V spun around in a semi-embrace with rounds of laughter.

Theodore gradually began to walk again, perplexed but grinning in spite of it. Tessa spotted him once he was a few metres away and instantly abandoned her dance with J, squealing, “TEDDYYYY!” and running over to him.

“How’s it hangin’, TEEEAAAGHH!!!”

Theodore’s greeting devolved into a strangled shout as Tessa wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted him into the air in a massive bear hug. “Feels like FOREVAH since I last saw you, Ted!” she exclaimed, swinging Theodore back and forth before letting him go.

Theodore gasped for breath and doubled over, wheezing with his hands on his knees. “Crikey!” he choked out. “The heck’ve you been liftin’—landin’ pods?!”

“Nah, just increased my /matco’ intake,” Tessa responded with a laugh, coming alongside Theodore and slapping him on the back. Theodore reared backward in agony, clutching at his spine. “How was the underworld? Heard they’ve got the grunts down there workin’ with ‘radioactive material’.” She said the last two words in a “spooky” voice, wiggling her fingers ominously.

“Yeah, uh… it wasn’t so bad,” Theodore replied, his words strained in pain as he massaged his back. “Got my fair share a’ diggin’ done.”

“Strewth? You gotta tell me all about it, then!” Tessa led Theodore over to the drones; J was now standing near the phonograph with her hands on her hips while N and V kept dancing to the music.

“Welcome back, sir,” J greeted Theodore, saluting. “Good to see you’ve been reinstated to your normal duties.”

“Well, it’s more of a reassignment than reinstatement,” Theodore admitted. “I’m still on a short leash, but I’ll take what I can get.”

“Hi, Teddy!” N called as he continued to swing around with V.

“Took you long enough to get back,” V teased with a smirk.

“Maybe I would’a been back soonah if you galahs had put in a good word for me,” Theodore replied good-naturedly, crossing his arms. “Saw ya patrollin’ down there a while back!”

“Haha, yeah! We, uh… we weren’t feeling like ourselves, unfortunately,” N said with an awkward laugh. “Josephine kinda… partially lobotomized us…? So…”

“I gotchya, mate. Just havin’ a laugh.” Theodore cracked another grin and nodded to V, adding, “I see you lost the specs, sheila.”

“Nah. I just figured the director wouldn’t be interested in watching us dance,” V responded as she spun by, jerking her head at the pair of glasses sitting on a bench near the left side wall of the arena.

“Eh. Fair dinkum.” Theodore turned back to Tessa and asked, “You wanna talk? I wanna tell ya all about my exploits ‘down undah’.”

Tessa laughed at his pun and replied, “Yeah, sure. Catch me up on all your excitin’ adventures.”

The two cousins walked away from the drones, leaving J to stand and watch as N and V continued to dance.

-

Tessa sat against the wall with her knees pulled up slightly; Theodore sat next to her with one leg extended and other bent. “Blimey, Teddy,” the younger cousin remarked quietly, having been told everything that the elder could recall. “Sounds like we got ourselves into a lot more than we bargained for.”

Theodore scoffed. “You’re tellin’ me. We’re practically drownin’ in mysteries here.” He threw up a hand, continuing, “I thought we were just dealin’ with the Solver, but it turns out Dirge wasn’t kiddin’ when he said there’s somethin’ beyond it. This is just… just a tiny piece of a bloody puzzle.”

“Or a million puzzles stacked on top of each othah,” Tessa grumbled, pulling her knees up to her chest. “And Josie still won’t show us the biggah picture—what these ‘puzzles’ are s’posed to look like when they’re done.”

“Obviously, they won’t look like somethin’ we wanna see,” Theodore put in, indignation creeping into his tone. “Otherwise, she would’a told us about her plans without hesitation. She doesn’t trust us to help her do whatever it is she’s plannin’ to do.”

“Probably because it’s bloody crackers, mate,” Tessa pointed out, turning her head to rest the side of it on her knees and eyeing Theodore dubiously. “She’s only trustin’ people as crazy as she is with that info—and ‘Miss Red’ seems to fall into that category. Speakin’ of which,” she added, lifting her head slightly, “got any idea who that is?”

“Not a clue,” Theodore admitted, letting out a sigh. “Right now, she’s just another puzzle to add to the pile.”

Tessa’s expression became thoughtful, and she leaned her head against the wall.

Then, slowly, a smile began to cross her face.

Theodore looked at her. “Tessa,” he said in a warning tone. “No.”

“You don’t even know what I’m thinkin’,” Tessa told him, her own tone become sly.

“I don’t NEED to know what you’re thinkin’ to know it’s a bad idea,” Theodore shot back, giving her a stern glare.

“It’s nothin’ serious, Teddy,” Tessa reassured him, her sneaky smile growing. “I was just wonderin’… you think Chambers would notice if I planted a camera on ‘im?”

Theodore opened his mouth to berate her for the idea before pausing and rubbing his chin. “Y’know, that’s actually not a bad idea,” he muttered.

“Ha! Told you,” Tessa teased.

“Right.” Theodore rolled his eyes but smiled as well. “You don’t gotta get close to him to pull it off, do ya?”

“Nope! Check this out.” Tessa held up her hand, and tiny slivers of metal began to seep out of her palm.

Theodore watched in awe as the metal wove itself together to form a very, very small sphere with three extensions functioning as legs. A glowing white eye appeared in the centre of the sphere, blinking up at Theodore as the object waved one of its legs.

Theodore looked up from Tessa’s hand to see that she was waving as well. “Fashioned after aiCore WD1001,” Tessa declared with a grin, “it’s the ‘TJE Minicam’—patent pending—now five times smaller!”

Theodore laughed and applauded. “Bloody impressive, mate. You really HAVE been practicin’, haven’t you?”

“Sure have.” Tessa winked at Theodore and slipped the Minicam into the breast pocket of her JCJenson suit. “I’ll let ‘im out tonight when security’s minimal,” she told Theodore. “Then I’ll remotely maneuver him to the labs and attach him to Chambers. That way, we’ll be able to see and hear everything he says to ‘Miss Red’ the next time he contacts her!”

“Brilliant. You’re a bloody genius, mate.” Theodore mussed Tessa’s hair, making her giggle. Then he stood up, helping her to her feet as he said, “I gotta get to work, but you can bet I’ll be back as soon as I can. Keep enjoyin’ yourself in the meantime, yeah?”

“Oh, I will,” Tessa promised. “Plenty more dancin’ to do. With Josie gone, we got a lot more free time on our hands.” She grinned and backed toward her drones with her hands behind her back, adding, “Maybe you can find a lady friend and join us on the dance floor, eh?”

“Alright, alright.” Theodore rolled his eyes again and made a dismissive gesture at Tessa as he walked toward the training area’s exit. “Have fun with your mates, luv,” he called. “And find another dance partner for J! You move like ya got two left feet!”

“Screw you, Teddy!” Tessa yelled at him as he exited with a laugh.

J raised an eyebrow as the girl rejoined the group, arms still crossed. “What’d you two talk about?” she inquired.

“Gettin’ you a new dance partner. Teddy says I’ve got two left feet,” Tessa responded cheekily.

“Better two left feet than none at all,” J pointed out, gesturing to her own stubs and smirking.

“HA! Too right!” Tessa flipped the vinyl disc and put the needle back down, grabbing J’s hands and declaring, “Let’s get back to boogyin’!”


**************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Tessa – ally. Informed of everything I know. She’ll attempt to get her Minicam onto Chambers to gather more information.

2. N/V/J – allies. Back to normal. If they weren’t robots, they’d be more reliable—but Josephine might have installed hidden cameras and listening devices into them during the “lobotomy”. Can’t be too reckless around them.

3. Josephine – Tessa and I have articulated her framework of trusted scientists more clearly; it appears that people like the Ridleys, Chambers, and Martinez are out of the loop, while people like “Miss Red” are completely informed of her ultimate goals. More research needed in this respect.

NOTE: Nori and Yeva are still at HQ. Tessa is attempting to bug Dr. Chambers. System 8 has suffered structural failure and has partially collapsed, redirecting some attention and reducing surveillance. Private Sasha Ramakrishnan has been assigned to HQ. Chambers has assigned Overseer Julian Martinez to handle business matters from HQ.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Eavesdrop on Josephine (high risk, high reward) SKIP 2 WEEKS: 7%
Watch Chambers (Tessa's P.O.V.; unknown risk, high reward): 84%
Check in on Dirge (Tessa's P.O.V.; med risk, med reward): 6%
Investigate HQ alone (low risk, low reward): 3%

Chapter Text

XXXVIII.

Tessa

Our Little Secrets: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Watch Chambers (Tessa’s P.O.V.; unknown risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (August/Aestus 2, 3052)

Tessa tapped her desk with one hand while the other supported her cheek, smushing her face slightly. Computer scientist Dr. Phillips droned on about algorithms and physics, while Tessa followed her Minicam’s feed via her HUD.

It’d been almost a week since she’d attached it to Chambers with relative ease, maneuvering it past keybugs and cameras by calculating the location of their blindspots and timing her movements. Finally, after three days of meticulous work and waiting, she managed to find Chambers when he was asleep in his office and pin the Minicam to his lab coat.

Now another period of patience began as Tessa waited (impatiently) for Chambers to contact the mysterious “Miss Red” again; he’d been obsessed with working on the patch as of late and hadn’t recorded any personal logs, but Tessa knew it was only a matter of time before he put himself in front of a camera and spoke with his secret confidant.

“MISS Elliott!”

Tessa jumped as Dr. Phillips suddenly slapped her desk with his extendable pointer to emphasize the first word.

“Do I need to repeat my previous warning?” Dr. Phillips inquired, his deep voice practically making the desk vibrate.

“Uh… no,” Tessa responded with a nervous grin. “I was listenin’.”

“No, you were recording. And now you’re planning to spout that recorded information back at me without having any idea what it means,” Dr. Phillips snapped. “That ain’t learning, that’s STORING.” He tapped Tessa on the head with his pointer, adding, “You can keep as much data as you want up there, Miss Elliott. But if you don’t know how to use it, it’s worthless.”

“Right,” Tessa replied slowly, her eyes widening slightly as she watched Chambers begin to set up a camera on top of his personal computer terminal. “Hey, Doc? I gotta use the dunny. Be right back!” She teleported out of her chair without warning, leaving Dr. Phillips standing alone in the break room.

Dr. Phillips sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Saw that comin’.”

-

Tessa slipped into the bathroom, hiding in a stall and zeroing in on the video playing through her HUD. “Alright, Mr. Sneaky-pants,” she whispered to herself, “let’s see what you’re hidin’.”

- - -

Dr. Chambers tapped his foot impatiently, leaning back in his seat and spinning a pen between his fingers as he waited on a response to his video call.

Suddenly, red static filled the screen of his computer, flooding the office in an ominous scarlet hue.

“Back for more, Dr. Chambers?” a heavily-altered, sultry voice purred from the computer speakers.

“You know what I want, Miss Red,” Dr. Chambers responded evenly, unfazed by the alluring tone of the speaker’s voice. “You told me about the shards. The games. The pieces. The key. But you left out many, MANY crucial details.”

“Such as?” the distorted voice inquired in an almost-teasing tone.

“Your identity, for one,” Dr. Chambers replied without hesitation.

“You agreed to the terms of our correspondence,” Miss Red reminded him. “One of those terms was the concealment of my identity. You’re aware of this.”

“I am. But why must secrecy dominate these conversations?” Dr. Chambers asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. “I don’t know about you, Miss Red, but personally, I prefer to KNOW who my allies are.”

“Oh, but my dear Dr. Chambers,” Miss Red replied, “that would ruin the fun.”

Chambers sighed, clutching the pen in his hands. “Not today, then,” he muttered, conceding. “But soon.” Then he straightened up and adjusted his lab coat, clearing his throat. “First: during our last conversation, you implied that these ‘shards’ were purposefully sent to our reality. If this is the case, then who or what sent them?”

“Careful, Dr. Chambers,” Miss Red warned with a static-swamped giggle. “You’re getting a little too far ahead of yourself. That’s ‘strike one’ for this round.”

Chambers gritted his teeth. “Fine. Let’s move on.” He leaned forward, continuing, “Second: you said there are seven shards, but only six TFCs. Who or what is the seventh, and what is its designation?”

“Aha. THAT one, I CAN answer.” The screen shifted a bit, revealing a slender, pale wrist with papery skin that appeared to be painted to match a Caucasian tone. Around the wrist was a collar, not unlike the Cabin Fever test subjects’—only this one was slightly bulkier, with strange bulging attachments on the side.

The pendant in the middle read “TFC-i”.

“‘i’. A number as imaginary as my chances of escape—not that I WANT to at the moment. That is my designation, and this is my… cage.” Miss Red’s laugh sounded like music from a broken record. “It doesn’t function like the others. Instead, this one ruptures the flow of tachyons through my body if I step out of line, splattering my body across multiple timelines.”

“Why? What threat do you pose?” Dr. Chambers stared at the screen, disbelief in his gaze. “What ARE you?”

“…‘Strike two’, Dr. Chambers.”

Dr. Chambers gripped the arms of his chair tightly. “We are the last line of defence standing between all life and the end of existence as we know it,” he hissed, sweat beading on his forehead as he glared at the screen, which was filled with static once again. “The more we know, the better off we are. You have to inform—”

“I do nothing but what the director tells me to, Dr. Chambers,” Miss Red interrupted, a husky chuckle emanating from the computer. “And when she tells me to bring you into her innermost circle, then I will tell you EVERYTHING. But until then… I will continue to drip-feed you as much information as I can without setting off her alarms. That is all I can do.”

Dr. Chambers swallowed hard, beginning to tremble with thinly-veiled fear. “Third,” he whispered. “Why did you tell me… to leave Theodore Elliott alone?”

-

Tessa’s blood ran cold, her eyes growing wide. “What?” she breathed.

-

“You told me to let him investigate. To not report him to Jenson. To keep his leash long.” Chambers moved even closer to the computer, eyes fixated on the camera. “WHY? Who is he? What is his significance? What part is he playing in this game?”

Silence.

The static on the screen seemed to grow louder.

Then…

“‘Strike three’, Dr. Chambers.”

Dr. Chambers lowered his head, hair falling over his face, and cursed.

“Always a pleasure, sweetheart,” Miss Red told him, the sensual tone returning to her voice. “I enjoy our little chats. Maybe one day, after we meet in person, we can take this a bit further—if the lovely Dr. Wu doesn’t mind you soiling your marriage for a day or two.”

“You don’t want me,” Dr. Chambers said in a harsh, hushed voice. “You’re just playing games. ALL OF YOU are playing GAMES!” He slammed his fist on the desk, looking up again to glare into the camera. “Don’t you understand what’s at stake?!”

“I understand far more than YOU do, Dr. Chambers.”

The voice had changed in an instant, becoming cold and detached, and deepening as the audio distortion increased. “Do not question my commitment to solving this thousand-year-old problem of ours—a problem I have been dealing with since DAY ONE,” Miss Red—or whatever she was—growled, the static on the screen distorting and warping violently. “The preservation of the human race has been my obsession for a millennium. Your accusations of alleged indifference will NOT be tolerated. Insult me in such a manner again, and this correspondence will END. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

Dr. Chambers backed up in his chair, its legs audibly scraping across the ground.

“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, DR. CHAMBERS!” “Miss Red” thundered, the volume of her/its voice causing the speakers and computer terminal to rattle dangerously.

“I understand!” Chambers cried, the chair arms cracking as his white-knuckle grip on them became viselike.

At his response, the screen gradually returned to its crimson hue, the static dying down to normal levels.

“Good boy,” Miss Red teased with a flirtatious lilt. “We’ll talk again another day, hm?”

Dr. Chambers breathed heavily, not moving to turn off the screen.

“Oh, and one more thing, my love,” Miss Red added, her amused voice fading in, sounding as if she’d moved away from her camera before moving back in front of it. “You might want to pat down that coat of yours a bit more thoroughly. You’ve got a little something on your lapel.”

-

Tessa recoiled as Miss Red’s laugh rang out in her ears, followed by the mysterious “woman’s” bone-chilling words.

“You’re a very clever little girl… Tessa Elliott.”

-

The screen went dark.

Dr. Chambers grabbed at his lapels, feeling around in a rushed fashion before finally getting a hold of the Minicam. He held it in the air between two fingers and aimed it at himself, staring at it in shock.

-

Tessa froze, her heart sinking.

-

Dr. Chambers cursed loudly and slammed his hand down on the desk, crushing the Minicam with his palm.


**************************************


DATA GATHERED (Tessa):

1. Miss Red – shard. Designation: “TFC-i”. Name unknown, function unknown, identity unknown. Over a thousand years old and cooperating with JCJenson since the old Refinoc days—since Day One of this “game”. Told Chambers to stay off Teddy’s tail but won’t explain why. She is working for JCJenson under the threat of death, which means that even though she’s a shard, she’s not necessary for the completion of the “god key”. All in all, she—if she’s a “she” at all—is a ghost to us. But she’s part of Josephine’s inner circle, which means Josephine knows who she is. What she DOESN’T know is that “Miss Red” is leaking information about her plans to Dr. Chambers. Maybe we can use that. If we can find out who she is, we can contact her and bribe more information out of her. Problem is, we don’t even know where to start.

2. Dr. Chambers – fears “Miss Red”. He’s desperate for more information, but is only given “three strikes” before the conversation ends. “Strikes” are implemented when Chambers asks for information above his clearance level. Chambers appears to really care about saving humanity—but whether he cares about saving anything else is still up in the air.

3. Theodore – important somehow. Red’s telling Chambers to let investigate—let him learn what Chambers knows. He’s gotten off the hook under Chambers’s watch so far; hopefully this means there won’t be severe repercussions for my investigating, either.

4. Absolute Solver – connected to something that spans a thousand years of Refinoc/JCJenson research. Its capture is vital to the completion of the “god key”. Still no clues as to what that key opens… or what it locks. Only Josephine and her closest allies know, and as it turns out, we’re not part of that exclusive club. So much for trust.

NOTE: If you choose to skip ahead, Dr. Chambers will automatically reprimand Tessa by confining her to her room for an unspecified period of time; if not, he may or may not do it depending on your choice. Nori and Yeva are no longer at HQ. 017 (GIAM) has been tested with Patch.1.7.2 and, despite being corrupted, retained most of her agency, which she is using to attempt to kill herself. She is barely coherent but has been heard saying the words “witches” and “dreams”. Josephine is 1 week away from returning.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Break Tessa out (J's P.O.V.; high risk, high reward) SKIP 2 WEEKS: 33%
Review info and interrogate 017 (high risk, unknown reward): 4%
Share info with drones (high risk, high reward) CHEMISTRY BOOST: 60%
Review information and plead Tessa's case (low risk, low reward): 3%

Chapter Text

XXXIX.

Theodore

Our Little Secrets: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Share info with drones (high risk, high reward) CHEMISTRY BOOST”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (August/Aestus 8, 3052)

“You have no right to chain ‘er up like that! NO RIGHT!”

Benny pressed his lips together in a thin line, rocking back and forth on his heels and the balls of his feet as he listened to Theodore rage at Dr. Chambers from outside the office. He’d heard what had happened a little less than a week ago: Tessa had been caught spying on Dr. Chambers while he recorded a personal log, and the doctor had been incensed. He’d reprimanded the director’s “star pupil” according Josephine’s own instructions regarding the girl’s next infraction: by chaining her to her bed inside her living quarters. Of course, Tessa was strong enough to just break out and roam free, but Benny figured her subconscious limiters had kicked in thanks to Josephine’s conditioning.

He didn’t like it, but he knew it was the only way they could effectively control an 18-year-old goddess capable of rewriting reality on a whim.

“I’ve had it with your protests, Elliott,” Chambers responded, his voice muffled by the walls of the office but calmer than it had been throughout the past week. “She knew the risks that came with what she did. She knew what the punishment would be if she was caught. This is simply the natural order of things.”

“She’s not a BLOODY ANIMAL!” Theodore thundered, making Benny jump slightly. “At least take the chain off! Give her that much respect!”

“No. I have my orders, and I will follow them.”

Theodore suddenly burst out of the office, causing the door to slam violently into the adjacent wall with a resounding crack. Benny stood stock-still, not making eye contact with the operative as he stormed away.

Chambers exited the office a few moments later with his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, letting out a long sigh. “Frumpterbucket,” he said, not looking at Benny, “head to the cathedral. He won’t be back.”

“You sure ‘bout that, mate?” Benny asked, uncertain. “He’s been ‘ere every day since ya locked up the kid.”

“True. But the director returns today, and I’m confident that will redirect the bulk of his attention.” Dr. Chambers made a dismissing gesture. “Go. Make sure things are running smoothly.”

“Aye-aye, Cap’n.” Benny saluted and walked off, casting one last glance at Theodore before facing forward.

- - -

Theodore gripped his hand tighter around the keybug in his pocket.

It was not conventional, nor was it authorized. Its body was jet-black, and it sported white lights instead of green ones. It also wore a miniature black bow on its head, which Theodore fully intended to take off if he was ever to use the robotic insect in the field.

Tessa had given him the keybug moments before soldiers arrived to confine her to her quarters. She’d told him to watch the recording she’d captured of Chambers, which she’d stored in her mental databanks before copying it to the bug. “Tell the drones,” she’d said hurriedly, putting the keybug in Theodore’s hands and clasping his with both of hers. “I trust them. They’ll help you.”

Theodore had promised to get her out of solitary confinement. She’d told him not to try. Somehow, he’d found the wherewithal to grudgingly agree and relegate his complaints to the use of chains to keep her psychologically subdued.

Now, he just needed to figure out how to tell the drones what he’d learned without exposing the leaked information to Josephine. Theodore had no idea if the drones were bugged or not (he was 99% sure V’s glasses were watching him), but he owed to Tessa to at least give it a whirl.

- - -

N and V grimaced as J sliced apart a dummy Sentinel with lasers from both hands, dicing it into tiny pieces that were no longer salvageable. The entire training area was scored with laser cuts, scorch marks, and torn metal shredded by claws, and every single obstacle/training dummy had been nearly reduced to atoms.

J straightened up, breathing heavily as the red hazard sign in her visor flickered away. Her tail lashed around the can of oil that N tentatively held out to her, dumping its contents into her mouth before crushing the can and eating that as well.

“Hey, uh… J?” N asked nervously, holding up a finger. “Can—can V and I start training n—”

“START IT BACK UP!” J barked at the scientist overseeing the training area from behind the viewing glass.

The scientist nodded rapidly and pressed a button on a control panel, causing new obstacles to rise up and new dummies to be deployed. J immediately went to town on them, resuming her rage-fueled assault.

“I… don’t think she’s stopping any time soon,” V remarked, frowning.

“The heck is goin’ on in here?”

V and N turned around as Theodore entered the training area, a half-impressed, half-appalled expression on his face. “Oh! Hey, Teddy!” N greeted him. “J’s just, ah…”

He looked over his shoulder as J slammed her fist into a dummy drone’s visor repeatedly before pulling out its cerebral unit and consuming it.

“…letting off steam, haha!” N finished, turning back to Theodore with a worried grin.

“She’s been at this for a week,” V said flatly, crossing her arms.

“…That’s valid, actually.” Theodore dragged his eyes away from J’s rampage and focused on the other two drones. “I wanted to know if you three were available to talk in private for a bit,” he told them. “There’s somethin’ Tess wanted me to tell ya. It’s… personal, y’know?”

N and V shared a look, then faced Theodore and opened their mouths to respond.

J suddenly landed behind them with a violent thud, standing up and folding her wings behind her back. She pushed past N and V, standing right in front of Theodore, and looked up at him with a scowl on her face. “Follow me,” she said after a moment, walking past Theodore and heading for the training facility’s exit. As she did so, she pointed a hand behind her and fired a rocket, narrowly missing Theodore before it blew up a dummy Sentinel that had been struggling to get up.

Theodore, N, and V stared at the smoking Sentinel, then at the training area’s exit, and then at each other.

-

“This is the most secure location on site.”

Theodore looked around as J led him, N, and V into a very unprofessional-looking room on the first floor of HQ—one filled with personal paraphernalia, including shovels, books, art supplies, alchemical effects, and toys. It looked eerily similar to Tessa’s room on Earth, complete with human skulls mounted on the bookshelves.

“Technically, this place doesn’t exist,” J stated as she turned on the lights. “It’s completely off the grid. Tessa needed somewhere to chill after Josephine left, so she made this.”

“And she showed you, but not us?” V asked, only partially joking.

J gave her a look before continuing, “Nothing in here is bugged or connected to the surveillance system, and the walls block all transmissions. Everything you say in here STAYS in here.” She gestured to Theodore, adding, “That’s why I told you to take off all your equipment before entering—just as a precaution. I can’t risk Josephine finding out about this.”

“No drama, mate—she won’t. I’ll make sure of it.” Theodore sat down as J pulled up wooden chairs for everyone, then glanced at a drawing on the wall.

It was of Tessa, N, V, J, and even Cyn—all drawn as humans, crowded together as if for a group photo.

“I AM kind of hurt she didn’t tell US about this, though,” N put in, drawing Theodore’s attention back to the drones as the former piggybacked on V’s statement. “I mean, I guess she figured V’s glasses were bugged, but why not ME?”

“You really think she’d tell you something and not tell V?” J rolled her eyes. “Think critically, moron.”

N let out a pained laugh at that while V blushed. “Haven’t heard THAT one in a while,” he muttered through his grin, rubbing the back of his head.

“Sorry.”

N turned to J, surprised to see a look of genuine regret on her face.

“I’m just—I’m on edge,” J explained, her voice shaking a bit—with fear or anger, Theodore couldn’t tell. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m… anxious. And that makes me lash out.” She met Theodore’s gaze, cracking a bitter smirk. “I guess I called you here to add to my anxiety. You obviously have something important to tell us—so spill it. Preferably before the director returns.”

“Yeah, of course.” Theodore nodded, pulling Tessa’s keybug (the TJE Minibug, she called it—patent pending) out of his pocket. “Buckle up, mates,” he warned. “You’re in for one heckuva ride.”

He tapped one of the lights on its back and played the recording Tessa had captured.

- - -

Josephine disembarked from the pod.

She had spent the entire return trip in cryosleep and was well-rested for the first time in months. Now, she felt she had the mental capacity to handle every situation that had been thrust into her lap. “Welcome back, Director,” Overseer Martinez greeted her as she entered HQ. “I trust things went well during your little excursion—”

“What’re you doin’ topside, Martinez?” Josephine interrupted without even looking at the man. “I told you to stay in the mines ‘til all that oranium was removed.”

“Chambers reassigned me to handle the public—”

“Borden, Wallace, escort him back to Cabin Fever Labs,” Josephine went on, nodding to two of her soldiers. “I’ll inform Chambers that I’m reclaimin’ control of HQ’s public divisions.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The two soldiers immediately began to lead Martinez away.

“Come on, Jenson!” Martinez shouted as the soldiers dragged him back toward the building entrance. “This is a bad look for us! Think about the company!”

Josephine rolled her eyes. “Katie? Najja? Follow me to my office,” she told the two Solver Squadron members. “The rest of you, get some rest.”

The soldiers obeyed while Katie made her way over to Josephine’s side. “Josie,” she said quietly, “you know what I was meaning to ask you on the way back, and I know you avoided me by going into cryosleep. So let me ask you now: why was Kali in one of those containment units? She was listed as ‘relieved of duty’ in our database CENTURIES ago.”

“Nevah know when you might need some extra backup,” Josephine answered simply as she entered an elevator. “We gave her to Absalom as insurance.”

“She’s an AGENT, not INSURANCE,” Katie snarled.

“Don’t get soft on me now, Bonin. I know you two were friends, but this is—”

“War?” Katie interrupted, her red eyes flashing as the elevator began to rise. “Yeah, I know. And it seems like you’ve all been preparin’ for it since the beginning.”

“Katie,” Najja said in a warning tone, “easy.”

“No!” Katie slapped Najja’s hand away as it crept toward her shoulder. She faced Josephine again, the Internecion insignia searing her pupils. “Teddy’s right. You’re hidin’ somethin’,” she hissed. “You’ve got ‘Black Box’ in hand for more reasons than just protection. You’re usin’ those ‘shards’ for a bigger purpose. An’ I’ve got the feelin’ that whatever you’re plannin’ is a lot more dangerous than the Solver.”

Josephine glanced over her shoulder, her visible eye glinting as both narrowed. “Katie,” she said quietly, “don’t do this. Don’t turn into Teddy. I’ve got enough problems.”

“And whose fault is that?” Katie shot back. “You imprison your own agents, hide info from your closest friends—heck, the company’s even got 104 in a frickin’ TFC, for cryin’ out loud! What’d she do to deserve that?!”

Josephine didn’t respond.

“Hey! Answer me!” Katie barked as she followed Josephine out of the elevator and into her office. “You at least owe me that much!”

Josephine stopped at her desk, resting a hand on it and staring out as the moon and Copper-8 rose into the sky. “Katie,” she said quietly, “do you trust that I do what I do for the good of the universe?” Katie hesitated, standing about a metre away from Josephine. “It’s… gettin’ hardah to every day,” she answered, anger making her voice tight.

“I wouldn’t do these things if they didn’t mattah, Katie. They’re hard, yeah… but they mattah.” Josephine turned, meeting Katie’s gaze. “You’ve been with us for centuries,” she said, her tone solemn. “I need ya to stick with us to the end. I need ya to believe in me, even if it feels like pullin’ teeth. I promise you, when this is all ovah, you’ll see what it was all for. Alright? Just… just trust me.”

Katie lowered her gaze as Josephine walked toward her and put both hands on her shoulders. “Look—when we’re done with this whole mess, you won’t even need me to explain why I did what I did,” Josephine murmured. “It’ll just make sense. You’ll see.”

Katie looked back up, holding Josephine’s gaze and seeing unimaginable depths of desperation, pain, and determination in her eyes.

Najja glanced from Katie to Josephine warily.

Finally, Katie let out a sigh and conceded, “Alright. Fine. I’ll trust you. But,” she added, scowling a bit, “I want Kali out of her unit. As a gesture of goodwill, yeah?”

“Done.” Josephine cracked a slight grin and removed her hands from Katie’s shoulders, heading back to her desk. “I also called in a favour from Ceti-5,” she added, sitting down in her chair and propping her feet up on the desk. “Approved a flight request from a… special friend of yours.”

Katie’s eyes widened. “Wha—you did?” she asked, hustling up to the desk and leaning forward on it in shock. “Is that—is it safe?”

“No. But love has no regard for safety, does it?” Josephine made a vague gesture. “Consider this a preemptive attempt to make amends, in case things get sour between us. ‘Kay?”

Katie’s face flushed, and she nodded rapidly. “Th-Thank you, Josie. I—I appreciate that.”

Josephine smiled. “Don’t mention it. I’m glad to have you on my side, Katie.” She motioned toward the door. “Get some rest, yeah? We’ve still got a long road ahead of us.”

Katie saluted, unable to hide the excitement on her face. “Will do, ma’am.”

Najja watched her leave the office out of the corner of her eye before turning back to Josephine. “That was low, Josie,” she said in an equally-low voice, shaking her head slowly. “You bribed her into silence with her boyfriend? Are you kidding me?”

“I am NOT doing this AGAIN,” Josephine groaned, leaning backward in her chair. “Najja, please—complain to me tomorrow. I’m not in the mood for another argument.”

“I’m not arguing,” Najja replied calmly, raising her hands slightly in a calming gesture. “But you’re acting like you have a TERRIBLE secret to hide.” She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. “Is Elliott right? Are you more dangerous than the Solver?”

Josephine pursed her lips, swiveling her chair left and right slowly. Then she tapped the desk with a finger before standing up again, heaving a sigh. “Tell ya what, Najja,” she began. “Why don’t we continue this convo AFTAH the Solver’s been dealt with, eh? We finish up the patch, integrate and apply, then sit down an’ have a lovely chat about all this. Sound good?” Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “Great. Now if ya don’t mind excusin’ yourself from my office, I’ve got some more important business to attend to.”

Najja worked her jaw but reluctantly saluted, spun on her heel, and marched out without a word.

-

Josephine waited until the door was closed before kicking her desk chair across the room and shouting a loud oath. Frustration boiled up inside of her, turning her caramel face red. “It can’t slip,” she hissed, hands clenching into fists. “Not yet. Not NOW. We have her under control. This iteration should be stable! So why…? Why are they turnin’ on me?!”

Her keybug scuttled out of her pocket and onto her shoulder, projecting a message: “Suggestion: Request stability review of TFC-i via CD-AI. Request fidelity review of ‘god fault’ via CD-AI. Weigh benefits of retaining ‘god fault’ for research purposes versus its potentially cataclysmic effects on reality.”

“We’re keepin’ her on board,” Josephine snapped at the keybug. “She’s too valuable to let go.”

“Acknowledged. Suggestion: inform Solver Squadron of Operation ‘OPENDOOR’.”

Josephine rolled her eyes. “Probability of inceptive permeation after they’re informed?”

“Calculating. …12.4%.” “Yeah. So informin’ them ain’t an option, mate.”

“Understood. Shelving ‘Tactic Zero-Omega’. Suggestion: Steer all conversation toward secondary goal of patching ‘AbSolver1001’. Avoid discussions related to potential future issues.”

“Predicted success rate?”

“68.5%.”

“Good enough.” Josephine wiped her face with her hands, staring out of her office window. “We move forward as usual—and pray they don’t push me any hardah.” She lifted her eyes to the moon and sister planet in the sky. “If they turn on me now… we won’t even get a glimpse of a happy endin’.”

-

Katie followed Najja as soon as the administrator exited Josephine’s office. “You didn’t fall for it, did you?” Najja asked before Katie could say anything.

“’Course not. I’m not an idiot, Naj,” Katie responded, rolling her eyes and whipping out her phone. “I’ll take Benjy’s visit as a bonus, but I ain’t lettin’ Josie off the hook.”

“Neither am I.” Najja slapped the elevator’s “down” button violently, tapping her foot as she waited for it to return. “Looks like Big Elliott was onto something,” she muttered. “But we need to be careful with how we proceed. Josephine needs to think we still trust her.”

“You’re talkin’ to a thousand-year-old spy, Najja. I know how to make people trust me.” Katie wiggled her phone at Najja, which displayed a message from Lord Benjamin Marcellinus Frumpterbucket V: “Nothing yet. Hackers are hard at work. Hopefully will find more information soon. Will discuss more in person. Be safe, my love.”

Najja let out a surprised laugh. “Seriously? You’ve had him running recon this whole time?”

“And communicatin’ with a phone I created,” Katie replied with a nod of confirmation and a smirk as they entered the elevator. “Looks exactly like the obviously-bugged phone Josie gave me, but I spawned the phones we ACTUALLY use from me own flesh n’ ore, luv.”

Najja shook her head in disbelief as the doors closed. “All these years together, and I still managed to underestimate you,” she remarked, putting an arm around Katie’s shoulders.

“Yeah, one would think you’d’ve learned your lesson by now, eh?” Katie put her own arm around Najja’s waist and pulled her into a side-hug. “Have a li’l more respect for your elders.”


***************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Tessa – captured. Has a secret room that blocks incoming and outgoing transmissions, so everything said inside stays inside. Funny how even while she’s trapped, she’s doing the best she can to help solve this mystery.

2. Drones – informed. They know everything I know, but we can only talk in the secret room. They’re all thoroughly bugged, from their heads to their… stubs. J says Tessa is working on a way to purge the surveillance programs from their codes, but it’s difficult because her Solver can’t interact with Solver-altered technology. On the bright side, at least their memory files aren’t being accessed.

3. Josephine – back on site. She didn’t ask to speak with me, Tessa, or Chambers, so maybe that’s a good sign. I doubt it’ll be long before I’m called to her office, though.


DATA GATHERED (Najja/Katie):

1. (K) TFCs – moved to Ceti-0. Not sure when or how they pulled that off. Benjy and his team of insiders are still working on cracking Josephine’s secret files. Hasn’t said if he’s bringing them to Copper-9 or not; will have to ask later.

2. (K) Kali, 104 – held in containment unit and TFC-5, respectively. I’m guessing that makes 104 a shard, the most powerful of the god bearers, and therefore a part of whatever the “god key” is. Josephine promised to release Kali, but I’m not sure if she’ll hold to that. Will have to keep tabs on the situation. As for 104… no plans at the moment. She seemed content enough in the cage. Maybe she has plans of her own.

3. (N) shards – function uncertain. Josephine intends to use them to create a “god key”. The creation process and purpose of said “god key” are both unknown. The secrecy surrounding it implies that it is part of something much larger than the Absolute Solver. Unfortunately, the Solver is the more pressing matter at the moment; I’ve advised Katie to focus efforts on patch and patch security for the time being.

4. (N) Elliotts – seems their suspicions were founded. Might need to have a chat with the big one. Little Elliott is currently under “lock and key”, but we will attempt to bring her into our own “inner circle” once she is released. Have to be careful; Josephine still has eyes and ears everywhere.

NOTE: Lord Frumpterbucket is inbound; ETA 4 weeks. Overseer Martinez has been reassigned to mineshaft maintenance oversight. Dr. Chambers will be giving his full report of oversight to the director once his final week of oversight has concluded. Tessa has been released from confinement and is in surprisingly good spirits. 034 (Dirge) has been forcefully shut down following an instance of Solver possession and is currently undergoing tests at Cabin Fever Labs. 104 (Kang) was tested and displayed abilities similar to Tessa and the first manifestation of “AbSolver1001” (translation, scaling, rotating, editing). Application of Patch 1.8.9 resulted in the blockage of said abilities, but /matcollection and previous abilities displayed by hosts remained active. Due to this breakthrough, patch designation was upgraded to version 2.

* For options, “T&D” refers to “Tessa and drones”

** YOU WILL LOSE A WEEK REGARDLESS BY PICKING OPTION 1. ONE OF THE OTHER OPTIONS WILL BE SELECTED AT RANDOM.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

You saw something in the dark. (???): 25%
Steal Dirge's deactivated core with T&D* (high risk, high reward): 3%
Talk to Najja and Katie with T&D* (high risk, high reward): 67%
Listen in on Chambers's report (med risk, med reward): 5%

Chapter Text

XL.

Theodore

Our Little Secrets: Part IV

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Talk to Najja and Katie with T&D (high risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (August/Aestus 15, 3052)

When he saw Josephine for the first time since she’d returned, it turned out to be much harder for Theodore to hold in his emotions than he thought it’d be. Everything inside him wanted to scream at her for what she’d done to Tessa; though it was indirect, her protocol was what had led to her being chained up in a bedroom again.

But Theodore was patient—more so than he’d been before. And he knew better than to lash out at Josephine with Tessa watching, because his calmness, to her, symbolized confidence in her mental fortitude and abilities. So when she was finally released from her room—and with a smile on her face, no less—he mitigated his emotions internally and simply joined the group hug given to her by the drones.

After a few moments, Tessa asked in a muffled voice, “So… are we gonna get to work, or just keep huggin’?”

N and V laughed as they pulled away while Theodore and J just smiled at Tessa. “You have somethin’ in mind?” the former asked, putting his hands on his hips.

“As a mattah of fact—”

Suddenly, a swath of blue light washed over the group, and they all looked up in surprise to see a keybug scanning them from the ceiling. Once the scan was complete, it projected a message at them: “Elliott, Theodore: report to combat training. Elliott, Tessa: report to Advanced Cybernetics lecture. Serial Designations: J, N, V: report to Lab 13.”

The operatives all looked at each other.

V subtly produced a flag from one of her hands: “Splitting us up?”

Theodore set his jaw and nodded slowly. “Alright,” he said, speaking in a careful manner, “guess that’s our cue to do as Tessa said an’ get back to work. We all know our ROLES and LOCATIONS, so let’s make the most of what we got, yeah?” He emphasized the two words and looked at Tessa and the drones pointedly, as if to make sure they were all on the same page.

“You got it, boss,” J replied with a salute. She looked at the other two drones and jerked her head toward the other end of the hall, leading them away.

“Take it easy, Tess,” Theodore told Tessa quietly as they began to walk in the opposite direction. “Don’t overstep. Watch your words and be VERY careful.”

“Worry ‘bout yourself for once, Teddy,” Tessa retorted teasingly. “I can handle myself just fine. After all, I just spent a week chained to my bed and I’m chippah as evah! If that doesn’t prove that I’ve got this, then I dunno what will!”

“Tessa,” Theodore snapped, grabbing Tessa’s arm before she could outpace him as she planned. “Don’t think I can’t tell when you’re fakin’,” he hissed, his tone sharpened by his concern as he leaned close to his younger cousin. “You were hurt by Josie’s protocol, and I got the feelin’ you’re out for revenge.”

Tessa teleported out of Theodore’s grip, moving ahead about half a metre with her back still toward him. “I’m fine, Teddy,” she said, her voice now far flatter than it had been moments before. “I told you: I can handle myself.” She glanced over her shoulder, adding, “Do your part and I’ll do mine.”

Theodore stiffened as Tessa teleported away, vanishing from sight. “C’mon, Tess,” he whispered under his breath, throwing up his hands slightly and letting them fall to his sides. “You can’t handle THIS alone…”

- - -

Theodore’s thoughts were still occupied with Tessa (and what she might do) when he arrived at the combat training area, where Najja, Katie, Benny, and various other Solver Squadron soldiers were hard at work.

Benny was testing out new long-range weapons with scientists in the firing range, lighting up a dummy with high-caliber rounds.

Najja was sparring with a dummy drone, utilizing her MMA background to give it a run for its money.

Katie was no longer hiding her Internecion Cube abilities, freely whipping her claws around and absorbing attacks from automated turrets into her body as a frightening, open-mouthed grin split her face.

Najja was the first of Theodore’s former crewmates to spot him, and she halted her fight with the dummy drone by pressing a button on her keybug. “Staying topside this time, Elliott?” she called as he approached.

“Doin’ my best, Darko,” Theodore called back, tossing down his bag near a bench. He lifted a head in greeting to Katie, adding, “You should probably make sure we’ve all read up on your file before slingin’ those claws around, sheila!”

Katie caught a missile and ate it, burping up smoke before turning to Theodore. “Sounds like a personal problem,” she responded with a shrug.

Theodore rolled his eyes and began to stretch. “So who’s leadin’ the trainin’?” he inquired, looking around curiously. “Is this just free time or is there a plan?”

“I’m leading it,” Najja responded. “This is just our warmup session… which,” she added, checking her watch, “is just about done.” She raised the watch to her lips and said into it, “Alright, ladies, playtime’s over. Line up.”

At her command, every single person in the training area (minus the scientists) lined up in front of her shoulder-to-shoulder, standing at attention.

Theodore frowned, reluctantly joining the line. “Thought I was squad leader,” he muttered under his breath.

Najja smirked, indicating that she’d heard him, but didn’t respond; instead, she raised her voice and shouted, “First order of business: we’re hitting the obstacle course! First one done skips push-ups, everyone else drops and gives me 100!”

At her words, obstacles began to rise out of the ground, forming a grueling course the wrapped around the entire training area.

“Toss your keybugs in the bucket before you start! There’ll be no calculating angles or distances on my course!” Najja continued, sweeping her foot and kicking a large metal bucket toward the start of the course. “Keep it clean and never, never—”

“NEVER!” the soldiers all yelled in unison, startling Theodore.

“—slow down,” Najja finished, grinning at his reaction. “Now get your butts on the starting line.”

The soldiers obeyed, hustling over to the beginning of the course and throwing their keybugs into the bucket.

Theodore prepared to do the same, but paused before he let go of the bug; he’d almost forgotten that it was the one Tessa had given him, and would likely give away their collusion if Najja spotted it. Sweat broke out on Theodore’s forehead as he gripped the keybug tighter. “Aw, bloody heck,” he muttered. “Should’a hid this in my bag…”

“Problem, Elliott?”

Theodore glanced up at Najja, his hand freezing in his pocket as he realized she was now standing directly in front of him with her arms crossed. “Uh… yeah,” he replied without thinking, instinctively rolling with the situation and pulling the keybug out of his pocket. “Just a small one, mate. See, this keybug is—it’s a present from Tessa, and it’s not exactly… authorized.”

Najja raised an eyebrow as Theodore winced visibly. “She make it?” she guessed, holding out her hand.

Theodore sighed and nodded, placing the keybug in it. “Mine was confiscated, so… she thought it’d be nice to give me anothah.”

“Hm. Kid’s full of surprises, isn’t she?” Najja remarked, turning the keybug over in her hand as Katie came up alongside her to examine it as well. “Kinda reminds me of Josephine.”

Theodore’s awkward attempts to escape the situation soured into a darker demeanour at Najja’s words, but before he could make a snide interjection at the comparison, Najja continued, “Remember what I said about the director, Elliott? Just when you think you’ve started to understand her…”

Najja met Theodore’s gaze, her eyes sharp and piercing as she finished in a lower voice, “…you realize you don’t understand her at all.”

A moment of silence passed as Najja continued to stare Theodore down.

Then she tossed him the keybug and told him, “Same goes for Tessa, I guess.” Najja gestured to the obstacle course and added, “Get to the starting line, Elliott. And come see us when you’re done.”

“…Us?” Theodore repeated hesitantly. “Yeah. ‘Us’.” Najja motioned to herself and Katie before turning and walking away. “Hop to it, Commander!” she called over her shoulder.

Katie smirked and tapped Theodore on the forehead with one of her metal claws as she passed him on her way to the starting line, remarking, “Tessa’s not the only one full of surprises.”

Theodore turned from Najja to Katie and back to Najja, surprised and confused. “…Right, then,” he said to no one in particular, scratching his head.


************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Najja/Katie – allies? Not sure about this one. Josephine might be using them to reel me in. I have to be careful—which seems like my mantra these days. Funny how wary I’ve become of someone who used to be the person I trusted the most.

2. Tessa – on edge. She tried to play off her captivity, but her temper’s flaring. She’s not just hurt by Josephine—she’s angry. I have to make sure she doesn’t do anything rash.

3. Josephine – possibly aware that the drones are working with us somehow. I’m almost 100% certain she split us up on purpose. She’s being subtle, but her eyes are clearly still tracking us.

4. Benny – didn’t get a chance to speak with him. If Najja and Katie are in with us, maybe he’ll be, too. He’s always been a bit of a rebel, after all.

NOTE: Lord Frumpterbucket’s ETA is 3 weeks. Josephine picked up Theodore’s short conversation with Najja and Katie; she is now listening very closely. The Solver is nearly done consuming Copper-6’s moons. An atmospheric patrol unit reported spotting an unauthorized spacecraft in orbit, but this report was unconfirmed and subsequently dismissed.

* In options, “N&K” refers to “Najja and Katie”

** Winning Josephine's trust will allow for less surveillance and freer movement across all locations. (will automatically open "Sequence840.doc" in post after next)


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

It's watching you now. (???): 25%
Inform Benny (high risk, high reward) NO TIME LOST: 3%
Plan with N&K* @ hideout (high risk, high reward) NO TIME LOST: 67%
Attempt to win Josephine's trust (unknown risk, high reward)**: 5%

Chapter Text

XLI.

Theodore

Our Little Secrets: Part V

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Plan with N&K* @ hideout (high risk, high reward) NO TIME LOST”

TIME ELAPSED: 0 WEEKS (August/Aestus 15, 3052)

“A secret room?”

Theodore took a swig of water and wiped his mouth with his forearm while nodding. “Yep. Totally unbugged. Blocks all transmissions, too.” He cracked a slight smile as he walked ahead of Najja and Katie (who’d asked the question), adding, “It’s like ya said: she’s smarter than she pretends to be.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Najja remarked with a laugh, pausing as Theodore did the same.

“She also mapped out every patrol, every keybug route, and every camera’s blindspot so she could always reach it undetected,” Theodore went on, lowering his voice as a group of JCJenson soldiers walked by. “She’s a bloomin’ genius, mate.”

“I’m sure Josephine would be proud if she knew,” Katie said sarcastically.

“Not proud.” Theodore put a hand on the wall next to which he stood, causing it to bubble and melt away into red goo. He looked at Katie over his shoulder and, in an ominous tone, finished, “Scared.”

The trio hurried inside as the wall sealed itself based on the timing of incoming patrols and camera sweeps. “Okay, it won’t be long before someone notices we’re missin’, so talk fast,” Theodore instructed the women.

“Do you know about the shards?” Najja inquired.

“Li’l bit,” Theodore confirmed.

“God key?” Katie pressed.

“A mite,” Theodore said with a shrug.

“What about the Temporal Faraday Cages?” Najja challenged.

“Is that what TFC stands for?” Theodore wondered.

“Do you know what’s INSIDE them?” Katie asked.

“Uh, I know what’s in one of ‘em,” Theodore responded uncertainly.

“Do you know what they’re for?” Najja.

“Keepin’ the shards captive, I s’pose.”

“Do you know what the shards do?” Katie.

“Not a clue.”

“Do you know what the shards ARE?” Najja.

“Not really.”

The two women finally halted their inquisitive assault and looked at each other for a moment before facing Theodore again. “Do you trust Josephine?” Najja asked in a low voice.

The silence that followed their question was longer than the one that had followed Theodore’s previous answer.

Then, finally, Theodore quietly responded, “I wish I could.”

He sat down heavily on Tessa’s bed, eyes on the floor, while Najja and Katie did the same in two chair situated near it. Katie observed the room in silence while Najja eyed Theodore carefully, taking in his despondence. “Do you have a plan?” she asked after a moment.

Theodore let out a rueful chuckle. “Yeah,” he replied, looking up at Najja. “Do you?”

“Of course.” Najja gestured to him with a hand. “You first.”

Theodore straightened up and exhaled, pulling his half of “Black Box” out of his pocket before leaning forward and moving it between his hands. “We let Josephine’s people finish workin’ on the patch,” he said in a reserved tone as Katie subtly leaned back in her chair. “I do as much diggin’ as I can with the keybug while we wait. Tessa BEHAVES HERSELF”—he looked pointedly at the keybug, which had scuttled onto his shoulder—“and follows Josephine’s orders to a tee for the time being. The drones do the same while Tessa works to develop a program capable of purging the surveillance coding from their systems. Then, when I’m integrated and the drones are clear, we gradually build up trust with Josie to minimize surveillance before infiltratin’ her office and takin’ everything we can from her PC.”

“Sloppy,” was Najja’s immediate reply once Theodore was done.

“What? C’mon, mate! That was good!” Theodore protested. “I worked on that for three hours!”

“Not good enough.” Najja jerked her head at Katie. “Her boo’s already working with a team to hack Josie’s systems. Our plan revolves around the concept of a slow-but-steady information leak, where we’ll drip-feed encrypted information throughout the exoplanetary systems via a techno-organic infection developed by Katie.” She hesitated, then added, “She’s still working on that.”

“It’s still hypothetical, but feasible,” Katie put in.

“Right. Anyway, before and during those phases, we’re planning to recruit trustworthy JCJenson employees from across the galaxies to spread decryption codes to the people. They’ll soon see what Josephine’s been planning, and if it’s as bad as it seems, she’ll have a lot more than a drone rebellion on her hands. The exoplanets will be in an uproar, and her control will be all but gone. From there, we launch hopefully-peaceful sieges against the facilities housing the members of the board, forcing them to step down and installing more trustworthy leaders who will shut down this ‘god key’ operation.” Theodore was quiet for a few seconds. Then he said slowly, “How long have you been thinkin’ about this?”

“Since we left Ceti-0,” Najja answered coolly.

“Ceti ZERO?” Theodore repeated, eyes widening.

“Yeah.” Najja laughed. “She’s hiding more than you realize, Elliott.”

“AND FOR GOOD REASON!”

A thunderous voice blasted from somewhere outside the secret room, muffled by the walls but still audible. In the next instant, an explosion rocked the wall through which Theodore, Najja, and Katie had entered, blasting a hole clean through it. The three JCJenson operatives went flying, with Theodore crashing into a chest of drawers while Najja went sprawling onto the bed. Katie oriented herself in midair with metallic extensions before levitating over the ground, equipping her claws as the Cubic insignia flashed in her eyes.

The smoke cleared to reveal a platoon of JCJenson soldiers standing there, with none other than Josephine in their midst, a megaphone in her hand. She was not furious, nor were her eyes wild with rage—they held only a steely coldness that made them glint in a way that caused dread to settle upon the three operatives.

“Darko. Bonin. ELLIOTT,” Josephine said in a controlled hiss, emphasizing the third name. “My office. NOW.”

“Oof. She used your last name. We’re in BIG trouble,” Najja mumbled into the bed, her words muffled by the comforter.

Theodore just let out a groan while Katie dropped to the ground and raised her hands in surrender.

- - -

Josephine clicked a JCJenson pen in her hand repeatedly, spinning her half of “Black Box” in the other as she stared out the window. Her flesh rippled in a checkered pattern as the half pulsated, as if sensing her stress.

Theodore, Najja, and Katie stood almost shoulder-to-shoulder-to-shoulder in front of her desk, hands behind their backs as they waited for their admonishment.

The clicking of the pen came to a halt.

Josephine closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

Then she turned around, facing the three operatives. “My treatment of Tessa,” she began in a calm and collected voice, “serves a purpose. Containing the shards serves a purpose. Sacrificing exoplanets serves a purpose. EVERYTHING – I – DO”—she spoke the words sharply, pointing the pen at each of the operatives in turn—“serves a purpose,” she finished. “I’ve said this before, and I will say it again: we have run ALL of the simulations. Tested ALL of the plans. Tried ALL of the routes. THIS is the ONLY ONE that WORKS.”

All three of the operatives began to speak at the same time, but Josephine barked, “NO!”, shutting them all up instantly. “I’ve heard your complaints,” she said, immediately reverting to her previous tone in an almost-schizophrenic fashion. “Your protests. Your incessant bloody WHINING. And frankly, I’ve had enough of it.” She narrowed her eyes. “So I’m going to change tactics.”

The operatives tensed, dreading what Josephine would do next.

Josephine pocketed her pen and “Black Box” half and folded her arms over her chest as her keybug climbed onto her shoulder. “Keybug,” she said to it, “alter protocol and relay to all authorized personnel: ‘PrimaryPioneer’ Stage 3 punishment will be increased educational workload and/or cleaning duties. Disregard previous confinement criteria.”

“Protocol updated,” the keybug said aloud, now emitting a robotic voice as it projected its messages. “New parameters relayed.”

“Send message to Director Absalom Fear,” Josephine went on as Theodore’s mouth fell open. “Release Subject 12 from confinement and assign her to security duties at Cabin Fever Labs Facility 003, Ceti-5.”

“Generating message… sending… message sent,” the keybug announced as Katie blinked at Josephine, visibly shocked.

“And finally,” Josephine concluded, “prepare a press conference to be internationally televised on Copper-9. Write up a script for an announcement about an imminent catastrophe, as well as detailed evacuation procedures. Nothing too revealing—just enough to make everyone aware of the potential danger.”

“Acknowledged. Generating script.”

Josephine shoved her hands into her pockets as Theodore, Najja, and Katie gawked at her in shock. “I’m going to play NICE for now,” she stated with a slight tilt of her head, her intense gaze boring into Theodore’s. “I expect ALL OF YOU to do the same with me.” She raised her shoulders slightly in a questioning manner. “All sorted?”

The three operatives continued to stare at her, all at a loss for words.

“Okay, I was NOT expecting THAT,” Najja said after a moment.


****************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Secret room – gone. Josephine tracked us on our way out of the training area. So much for mapping out patrols and camera sweeps. Going to have to explain this one to Tessa.

2. Josephine – very obviously bribing us. Problem is, this bribe actually makes a worldwide difference. There will be a lot of civil unrest after she makes her announcement, so she’s putting part of her control on the line—and that’s a sacrifice no one expected her to make.

3. Najja/Katie – stuck with me on cleaning duty at Facility 012. Might end up going with one of our plans despite Josephine’s attempts to throw us off. Bribe or not, there’s still more to this “game”, and we intend to find the truth.

4. Lord Frumpterbucket – an unexpected player, but a welcome ally. Wonder if Benny knows his dad is part of this collusion to undermine Josephine’s plans. We can fill him in before or after Lord Frumpterbucket arrives… but we still don’t know how loyal he is to Josephine, or if he’ll trust us.

5. Orders – Tessa’s capital punishment was lessened. Subject 12 was released to Ceti-5 and could be a potential ally, based on what Katie’s told me about her. And, of course, the press conference; not a tell-all, but enough to set the populace off. If humanity’s past reactions to catastrophic events are any indication, we should expect to be put on security duty soon.

NOTE: Theodore, Najja, and Katie have all been reassigned to janitorial duties at Facility 012. Dr. Chambers is still in charge of oversight, with his report awaiting delivery to Josephine’s desk at the week’s end (August/Aestus 21). Lord Frumpterbucket’s ETA is 3 weeks. Subject 12 has been dispatched to Ceti-5 and will be available to contact.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

It's here now, in the shadows. (???): 39%
Call Frumpterbucket (Katie's P.O.V.; high risk, unknown reward): 6%
Woo Josephine (Theodore's P.O.V.; high risk, unknown reward): 48%
Contact Disassembly Drones (Najja's P.O.V.; med risk, med reward): 7%

Chapter Text

XLII.

Theodore

A Collusion Most Fallacious: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Woo Josephine (Theodore’s P.O.V.; high risk, unknown reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (August/Aestus 23, 3052)

Josephine had remained true to her word and done everything she’d said she would do. Tessa’s reprehensions were lessened, Kali was released, and Josephine had delivered her press conference warning of a vague threat on the horizon.

Nevertheless, the fact of the matter remained that the plans Theodore and Najja had made were now obsolete, since Josephine was aware of what they entailed. They would have to start from scratch and figure out a new way to either expose Josephine, or stop her once and for all.

Theodore’s first step of his new, mostly-improvised plan involved the same step Josephine had taken: a change in tactics.

- - -

The soldier held the door open as Theodore—still in his HAZMAT scrubs—stepped through it, eyeing him warily before closing it behind the operative.

Theodore glanced over his shoulder as the soldier did so, frowning before facing forward and jerking his thumb at the now-closed door. “What’s his drama, eh?”

“Oh, probably just wonderin’ why you requested to speak with me alone,” replied Josephine, in whose office Theodore was currently standing. She had her feet kicked up on her desk, a twirling pen between her fingers, and a JCJenson mug in her other hand. “Funny enough,” she went on, raising the mug to her lips, “I was wonderin’ the same thing.” She took a long sip, her suspicious gaze stabbing away at Theodore’s eyes.

Theodore fought back the urge to gulp and steeled himself, taking in and letting out a deep breath. Then he walked forward, approaching Josephine’s desk before sitting down in the chair in front of it and meeting her stare with an intent one of his own.

Josephine waited.

Theodore stared.

Josephine’s eyebrow slowly arched, the spin of the pen in her fingers gradually dying away. “The floor is yours,” she stated pointedly, making a vague gesture with her mug.

Theodore kept staring. Josephine let out an incredulous (and somewhat uncomfortable) laugh, looking away and shaking her head. “Bloody h---, Teddy! Is this a meetin’ or a starin’ contest?” she asked in half-amusement, half-annoyance.

“Neithah,” Theodore answered, leaning forward slightly with his hands clasped and forearms rested on his knees. “I’m lookin’ for somethin’.”

“Oh, yeah?” Josephine said, a tone of exasperation slipping into her voice. “What’s that, mate?”

“Mara Mayi.”

The pen stopped twirling altogether, now clutched tightly in Josephine’s hand.

Josephine’s eyes flickered back to Theodore’s, all semblance of mirth gone from within them.

“I’m tryin’ to see if there’s anything left of ‘er in there,” Theodore went on, tilting his head. “Y’know, that big ol’ yobbo who would piledrive othah bullies into the loo. The one who cut her own hair with a bowie knife an’ dusted it with gingah to dye it. The one who led her own personal corroboree in the school hallways to establish dominance.”

A tight chuckle escaped Josephine’s lips as Theodore spoke, and she shook her head again with a small, painful-looking grin on her face as he continued, “’Cuz I thought I saw a glimpse of ‘er last week, when she decided to ‘play nice’ for once. I thought I saw that big ol’ heart I used to hear beatin’ so loud that you could hear it in your sleep.” Theodore squinted at Josephine. “She still in there, mate?”

“You tell me, Teddy,” Josephine responded curtly, slapping her pen down on the table and raising the mug in a faux-cheery gesture. “Since you seem to know me so much bettah than I know myself.”

“I know you bettah than you think I do.” Theodore finally leaned back, his green eyes searching Josephine’s brown ones. “I wanna trust you, Josie. Really, I do,” he told her, his voice lowering. “I wanna work with you to stop the Solver. To save the rest of the exoplanets. To prevent anything like this from EVAH happenin’ again. But I realize that I can’t do that if I’m constantly tryin’ to undermine you—and if YOU’RE constantly hiding yourself from us.” He made a semi-shrugging gesture, adding a bit more tentatively, “From… me.”

Josephine looked away again, her eyes narrowing.

Then, after a moment, she sighed and closed her eyes, her features softening and posture relaxing. “Okay,” she muttered under her breath, pushing herself out of her chair. “C’mon, tiger,” she grunted as she rose from her seat, walking around the desk and patting Theodore’s shoulder as she headed for the office door. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“A walk?” Theodore repeated as he rose, genuinely surprised by her sudden change in demeanour. “Where?”

“Not here,” Josephine replied with another rueful chuckle. “There’s a park about ten klicks from here. Put on somethin’ comfy an’ meet me there, yeah?”

Theodore followed her before halting in the doorway, watching her head down a hallway as her keybug perched itself on her shoulder. It projected a message, unreadable to Theodore due to the distance, but Josephine simply gave it a pat and pushed it back into her breast pocket.

Theodore pursed his lips, raising his eyebrows. “This is workin’ bettah than I thought it would,” he remarked to himself.

- - -

“So you think I killed ‘er, is that it?”

Theodore glanced at Josephine. “Well, that’s one way to get back into the convo,” he remarked with a grin.

The two of them had arrived at Dunfaire Park about 10 minutes apart (Josephine first), with Josephine in a black short-sleeved shirt and unnecessarily-baggy cargo pants while Theodore was clad in a gray t-shirt and jeans. There was no security detail, no keybugs, no surveillance of any kind; just the two of them and a mostly-empty nature trail.

“Oh, c’mon,” Josephine scoffed in response to Theodore’s remark. “Just tell it straight, tiger. You think the girl you knew as ‘Mara Mayi’ is dead, yeah?”

“Can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind,” Theodore admitted. “It’s just, well… in the midst of everything that’s goin’ on, I guess I was lookin’ for somethin’ familiar to hold on to.” He gave a meager shrug. “Thought that’d be you.”

“I can’t just be your crutch, Teddy. Not when the whole UNIVERSE is leanin’ on me.” Josephine brushed hair out of her face, kicking at a fallen leaf. “Trust me, I wish to heaven I could go back to the days before Dad died, but… we can’t.” She lowered her voice to a mutter, adding, “We nevah could.”

They kept walking in silence for a moment before Josephine realized Theodore’s gaze was fixed intently on her. She met it for a second before groaning and looking away, putting a hand on her forehead. “No… NO, Teddy,” she said, irritated. “I’m not talkin’ about it. We made a RULE.”

“That was for everyone else. Not for us,” Theodore reminded her, his expression turning somewhat stern. “We’re gonna have to talk about it eventually. We can’t just dance around it forevah.”

“Sure we can. I, for one, fully intend to. It—” Josephine stopped, letting out a huffing sigh and hugging herself as she walked. “It hurts,” she finished, eyes narrowed at the ground. “I… CAN’T talk about it. Even if I want to. It just… hurts. Too much.”

“Josie—”

“Please, Teddy,” Josephine interrupted, finally meeting Theodore’s gaze again, her own expression now pleading. “Just… follow the rule, will you? Please.” She sped up her walking, pulling ahead slightly. Theodore eyed her in silence for a few seconds.

Then he hustled in front of her, walking backward so her could make eye-contact with her again. “Oi,” he said, drawing her gaze once more. “You remember it?”

“I told you, Teddy, I—”

“Not that,” Theodore broke in, grinning slightly. “IT. Remember? I know you still whisper it to yourself whenever you go to a new facility. Just to remind yourself you’re in charge.”

“Teddy…”

“Kurtara mara-ku mara mayi,” Theodore began a hushed voice, crouching slightly as he walked backward and making a calming gesture with both hands. “Kurtara mara-ki, kurtara maari.”

“Teddy, you’re embarrassin’ yourself,” Josephine told him, fighting back the smile that played at the corner of her lips as she rolled her eyes.

“Kurtara mara-ku mara mayi!” Theodore went on, his grin widening. “Kurtara mara-ki, maari-ku! I’m not stoppin’ ‘til you join in!” he added after finishing. “Kurtara mara-ku mara mayi!”

“Teddy, I swear—” Josephine tried to cut in.

“Kurtara mara-ki, kuratara maari!” Theodore continued, pointing at Josephine with both hands. “Your turn, luv! Don’t lemme down, now!”

Josephine threw her head back, muttering something to the sky. Then she drew in a deep, powerful breath, and—

“Director Jenson.”

Josephine broke out in a coughing fit as her breath caught in her throat, and she doubled over as Theodore thumped her on the back, shooting a look at the person who’d spoken. “Thanks a lot, mate. You scared ‘er to death,” he scolded.

Josephine waved Theodore off as she continued to cough, straightening up and thumping her chest. “No, I—I’m fine,” she croaked, clearing her throat. “Just… might’a swallowed a bug, s’all.” She cleared her throat again and faced the speaker, her slightly-red eyes blinking rapidly to clear away the tears produced by her coughing fit. “What is it, Chambers? And how in the world didjya find us?”

“I’ve been following you since you left HQ,” the holographic projection of Dr. Chambers replied from the keybug’s speakers as it perched on the branch of a tree. “I have important news to report.”

“How important?” Josephine asked, her voice clearer now as she put her hands on her hips.

Chambers was suddenly brushed aside as a taller figure took his place, dressed in a HAZMAT suit overlaid with priestly regalia.

“VERY important, Director,” Dr. Ridley declared, holding up what appeared to be a large golden crucifix. “We’ve had a breakthrough.”


*******************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Mara Mayi – she’s still in there.

NOTE: Patch.2.1.7 was tested on three subjects. Two (002, 048) were previously untested while one (017) had already been corrupted and unsuccessfully patched. 2.1.7 resulted in the nullification of the Solver’s administration while simultaneously allowing the two untested subjects (002, 048) to utilize the four key functions (translation, scaling, rotation, editing). 017 appears more sound of mind but has continued to partake in self-destructive activities. Research will continue in order to ensure that the Solver does not resurface in the affected drones. Theodore, Najja, and Katie will resume normal duties. Lord Frumpterbucket's ETA is 2 weeks.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Patch.2.1.7 Interview (unknown risk, unknown reward) SKIP 2 WEEKS: 13%
Security detail for 034 research (high risk, high reward): 22%
Solver Squadron full disclosure meeting (high risk, high reward): 63%
Atmospheric patrol investigation (low risk, low reward): 2%


- - -

In order to unlock “Sequence840.doc”, reply to this comment with a SPACELESS, PUNCTUATIONLESS PHRASE prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (S8). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS.

Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [Sequence840_hint]= “BLACKMIRRORSWHITE”, “FIRSTMOVEONLY”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @RandomPerson on Discord
PASSKEY: "S8: queensgambit"

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BVO35yOlfPqUYf0cQmdUX3srwl3fG7_vFuygVxdxYNA/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XLIII.

Theodore

A Collusion Most Fallacious: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Solver Squadron full disclosure meeting (high risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Seramorris 1, 3052)

Najja and Katie entered the sanctuary of the cathedral ahead of the rest of the crowd, finding that only Benny, Theodore, Tessa, and the Disassembly Drone trio were present. “Early for once, Elliott?” Najja called as she and Katie approached. “The world really IS ending.”

“First time for everything, Darko,” Theodore responded in a good-natured retort. “’sides, I’m the one who called this meetin’. Gotta set a good example for you blokes.” He motioned to the pews he’d set up in the lab space (since he’d gotten the entire testing area to himself while the doctors worked overtime on perfecting Patch.2.1.7). “Sit up front with Tess an’ Benny,” he instructed. “I’m puttin’ you girls in first class.”

“How generous,” Katie remarked with a smirk, sitting down on Tessa’s left.

Najja, however, did not sit down; instead, she walked over to Theodore’s side and angled her body so that her mouth was hidden from the rest of the group. “Did it work?” she asked in a low voice.

“We’ll talk after this,” was Theodore’s equally low-toned response. “Just hunkah down n’ listen, yeah?”

Najja shrugged. “Alright.” She took her seat next to Katie and glanced over at Benny, who was using a disgruntled V’s sword-hand to sharpen one of his knives.

Benny met her gaze and grinned, waving the knife at ‘er.

Najja rolled her eyes.

-

Soon enough, the cathedral was full of Solver Squadron soldiers, all outfitted in their work outfits (lightweight armour, explorer/atmospheric patrol gear, security uniforms, etc.) and looking eager to hear what their commander had to say.

“Take a seat, everyone,” Theodore ordered as the clamouring soldiers poured into the sanctuary. “No need for formalities; we’re gettin’ right down to business.”

“Just the way we like it, sir,” one of the soldiers responded, drawing chuckles from the crowd.

Theodore half-grinned and said, “Right, then. Lemme start off with an apology.” He put his hands behind his back and began to gradually sweep his gaze across the crowd. “Over the past few months,” he began, “I’ve not been the leader you all have needed me to be. I have been distracted, reckless, and taken up with concerns irrelevant to our more pressing mattahs.”

Katie and Najja shared a confused and concerned glance at that, while Tessa—oddly enough—seemed to be fighting back a smile.

“Because of my actions, you’ve had to lean on Najja and others to lead you,” Theodore went on, gesturing to Najja. “And while I’m fully confident in her capabilities as a leader, the fact is… I screwed up. An’ I’m sorry.”

The soldiers remained silent, their faces displaying mixed emotions in response to Theodore’s statement.

“I don’t know what rumours you’ve all heard about me and my…” Theodore stopped and chuckled before making air quotations and continuing, “…‘investigations’. But I assure you: from this moment on, my focus will be firmly on takin’ the Solver down. Josie and—”

Theodore stopped, closing his eyes and mentally berating himself (much to the squadron’s amusement) before opening them again and saying, “The DIRECTOR and I have come to an agreement. We direct all our resources toward stoppin’ the Solver now, and we handle everything else in the future. It’s bettah if we focus our efforts on integrating before movin’ on to smaller issues.” He paused once more and, slowing his words, added, “So, with that in mind…”

Theodore stepped to the side and gestured behind him, concluding, “…I’m passin’ the mic to Director Jenson.”

Najja and Katie stiffened, straightening up in their seats as Josephine emerged from the hallway behind the gravity-altering plate used to hold Solver-infected drones in places. She walked over the plate and made her way to the front of the group, surveying it in silence for a moment.

“Members of the Solver Squadron,” Josephine said at last, her voice even and calm, “we are only a few steps away from perfectin’ the patch and beginning the next phase of the Solver Integration Program. Soon, we’ll be able to take this fight to the Solver instead of turnin’ tail and runnin’ every time it rears its ugly head. With that in mind, be aware than trainin’ will be intensified over the next few weeks, and implantation of your neural chips is planned for the 27th.”

Josephine narrowed her eyes, finishing, “This is the final stretch here at Copper-9. By our calculations, the Solver will be here by the second week of Semptebah. The universe needs you all more than evah before—so do everyone a favour and lock in.”

- - -

Wheen the meeting ended, Najja and Katie remained in the sanctuary with the rest of the Solver Squadron’s core group. Josephine remained as well, speaking to Dr. Chambers and Dr. Ridley via her keybug at a distance from the rest of the crew.

“So this is your new plan, huh?” Najja remarked, glancing at Josephine warily while addressing Theodore. “Butt-kissery?”

“You know it’s more than that, Darko,” Theodore responded, shooting her a look. “All this time, she’s been beggin’ for trust; I figured, what bettah way to gain hers than to give ours? If I can get us even an OUNCE of leniency, we’ll be closah to our goal than we were before.”

“Eh, I just think you like to flirt with ‘er, mate,” Benny commented with another grin, looking up from shining the grenades on his bandolier.

“Don’t make me pull one a’ those pins, mate,” Theodore shot back, saying the last word with greater annoyance.

Najja and Katie glanced at Benny again. “How much did you tell ‘im?” Katie asked Theodore.

“Enough,” Theodore responded, looking over his shoulder to make sure Josephine was still on her call. “Miss Red, the shards, his pa—he’s got the gist of it.”

“Kinda miffed he didn’t tell me ‘imself, tho’,” Benny added, repeatedly pulling out a grenade pin and slipping it back in. “Not that we’re too close, but, well… he knows I love a good conspiracy theory.” He picked at his teeth for a second, flashing yet another grin before putting it back.

“Please stop doing that,” Najja said flatly.

“Ted talked with us before the meetin’,” Tessa put in, gesturing to the drones. “Says we’re takin’ the slow-n’-steady route this time around. Bettah we wait for everyone to have the Solver; then we’ll be more equipped for whatevah comes next.”

“We have strategies designed for multiple scenarios based on the information we’ve collected,” J added, hands on her hips. “N’s obviously not the strategic type (“Hey!” N cried), but V and I made plans intended to lead us to the most positive outcomes.”

“Plans for EVERYTHING,” V agreed, smirking and crossing her arms. “Including bossy-pants over there.” She jerked her head in Josephine’s direction as the director snapped something inaudible at Chambers and Ridley. “She might’ve agreed to debug us, but we’ll be keeping an eye on her.” V said the last part while lowering her glasses pointedly, indicating that she’d done some bugging of her own.

“And in case things go super horribly wrong, we even have a getaway ship!” N said excitedly, putting his hands on V’s shoulders and leaning so he could see Najja and Katie from behind her. “I’m the pilot!” he whispered in a secretive manner.

“Hope you’re a GOOD one, mate.” Katie cast one more glance at Josephine before facing Theodore and gesturing to the group. “So this is it, yeah? Our li’l spy club?”

“Pretty much,” Theodore confirmed with a nod. “We’ll take a page outta Najja’s book for phase 2—y’know, find some squad members we can trust and tell ‘em what we know. Then we’ll move forward from there.” He made a questioning gesture. “Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect,” Najja confirmed with a smirk. “I was hoping you’d steal at least ONE of my ideas.”

“I’ll take all the ideas I can get,” Theodore told her honestly. “I’m not much for plannin’, and you’re obviously bettah at it than me. So consider yourself my top consultant.”

Tessa cleared her throat and nudged Theodore with an elbow.

“Secondary consultant,” Theodore corrected himself without missing a beat.

“Ouch. But thanks.” Najja smiled at Tessa. Then her smile faltered a bit as she met Theodore’s gaze again, and bouncing her eyes in Josephine’s direction, she asked, “On your walk. Did you… talk about it?”

“Don’t push it, Darko,” Theodore warned, giving her a look. “You know the rule.”

“Yeah, we ALL know the ‘rule’, mate,” Katie told him, waving her hand dismissively. “Askin’ about it technically isn’t breakin’ it.”

“We didn’t talk about it,” Theodore said curtly. “Stop askin’ about it. If we’re gonna talk about it, it’ll just be the two of us. That’s part a’ the rule.”

“I think it’s a stupid rule,” Tessa muttered, crossing her arms and looking away while rolling her eyes.

“Everyone thinks it’s a stupid rule,” Theodore snapped at her in annoyance. “But you’re s’posed to follow it anyway, ‘cuz you all promised to keep your noses out of it.”

“Aw, you know we like to snoop around, mate,” Benny said with a laugh. “Almost as much as you, eh? ‘sides, the girls’re just ‘avin a laugh. They’re not gonna break your li’l rule, skippa.”

“Wait, am I missing something?” J asked, raising an eyebrow. “What are you all talking about?”

“Nevah mind that,” Theodore responded quickly before anyone else could. “Let’s just focus on doin’ our jobs, yeah?”

“I second that.”

Everyone turned as Josephine walked toward the group, slipping her keybug into her pocket. “Now that we’re all back on the same side,” she said in a professional, clipped tone, “we can get back to workin’ toward the same goal.”


****************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Solver Squadron core – fully informed, for the most part. We’re going to keep a low profile and work with Josephine for now. Can’t stop her if we don’t stop the Solver first.

2. Benny – says he’ll contact his father. Don’t know how good he is with computers, but maybe he can help Frump the Fifth crack some codes with those hackers.

3. Tessa – Josie’s integrating her into the squad core. She and the drones will be joining us for additional joint training exercises separate from the rest of the Solver Squadron to build chemistry.

4. Disassembly Drones – officially debugged. Confirmed it with a Prime Robotics manufacturing plant worker who used to work for JCJ. It’s not that I don’t trust Josephine, but, y’know… I just don’t trust Josephine.

NOTE: JCJenson intern Mitchell Martinez reported seeing a Disassembly Drone outside of Cabin Fever Labs’s topside facility. This was around the time Serial Designations: N, V, and J were departing from the facility, confirmed by the CCTV system; however, his description of the drone in the alleged sighting varies significantly from the three authorized drones. An investigation has been launched. Researching Subject 034 has yielded valuable information, including the method by which he bypassed the First Law of Robotics in his coding, as well as several lines of code used in the creation his makeshift patch. Subjects 002 and 048 have shown signs of progress in the use of the Solver’s four main functions. Analysis of their programming reveals the Solver’s central code is still active and attempting to bypass the patch. Researchers warn of an impending breach. Surveillance has been increased. A “disassembly-and/or-disposal” order has been proposed by Dr. Chambers concerning previously corrupted drones. Lord Frumpterbucket’s ETA is 1 week.


*“F” in the options refers to the inclusion of an interaction with Lord Frumpterbucket.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Nori, Alice, Yeva interview (F*) (unknown risk, high reward): 80%
Get closer to Josephine (high risk, high reward): 12%
Talk to Dirge's core (high risk, high reward): 3%
Train with Solver Squadron (F*) (low risk, low reward): 5%

Chapter Text

XLIV.

Theodore

A Collusion Most Fallacious: Part III

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Nori, Alice, Yeva Interview (F*) (unknown risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Seramorris 6, 3052)

“Good to see you again, sir.”

Theodore shook the outstretched hand of Damian Wallace, who had offered it to him in greeting. “Likewise, soldier,” Theodore responded with a grin, placing his hand back on his gun. “It’s been a while since Sydney, hasn’t it?”

“Not long enough,” Wallace replied, trying to force a smile of his own as the two of them headed toward the interview office. “I still have nightmares about that day. Or… night. Ah, I can’t even remember what time of day it was.”

“Neithah can I. But there WAS a bloody black hole in the middle of the sky, so…” Theodore pushed open the door to the office—and came to a grinding stop.

The interior of the room where the interview would be held was in a state of disarray, the walls smeared in pitch-black oil to form binary code and twisted Solver symbols. The steady dripping of oil from the ceiling mingled with the hum of the overhead lights to form a haunting symphony, adding to the uneasy atmosphere within.

Nori, Yeva, and Alice were present, along with Osmo Jackson (the interviewer) and two sentinels. Nori was sitting on top of a chair with her feet on the desk and one arm rested on a Sentinel’s head; Yeva was clutching at a hole in her visor that leaked oil profusely, indicating that Patch.2.1.7 had been reapplied to mitigate her Solver possession; and Alice was banging her head against the far wall, hard enough to send oil splattering out from the impact area.

“Welcome, operatives,” Jackson said without looking up from his notepad, flipping the first page quickly as if trying to hide what was on it. “Please, take your positions. We’re just about to begin.”

Theodore and Wallace glanced at each other before obeying, standing against the back wall of the office.

Nori looked at them over her shoulder and grinned directly at Theodore, a Solver symbol hovering over her hand.

“So let’s begin,” Osmo said, drawing the drones’ attention back to him (except for Alice, who kept banging her head against the wall and muttering under her breath). “Nori: on a scale of 1-10, how concerning would you consider the amount of influence the Solver has over you?”

“Uh, zero?” Nori responded, as if it should’ve been obvious. “I’m in complete control, Ozzie. Sure, I’ve been having prophetic dreams and hearing voices, but doesn’t everybody?”

“Этот голос... он причиняет боль... Мне нужна новая заплатка... / That voice… it hurts… need a new patch…” Yeva whispered, trembling as she tried to stop the flow of oil from her “eye”.

“Yeva? You have something you’d like to add?” Jackson inquired, turning to the Russian drone.

Yeva looked up at him, slowly lowering her shaking hands. “Я борюсь с симптомами. Нужно атаковать корень. / I’m fighting symptoms. We need to attack the root,” she forced out, her voice quavering. “Мы не можем сдерживать ее вечно. / We can’t hold her back forever.”

“Won’t do it… won’t do it… can’t make me…” Alice grumbled, continuing to slam her head into the wall.

“…Right.” Jackson turned back to Nori, clearing his throat. “You all performed well in the progress-tracking tests, showing very few signs of distress—but now, things seem different. Can you tell me why that is?”

“No clue,” Nori replied with a shrug. “Like I said, I feel just fine. Don’t know what THEIR deal is.” She patted Yeva on the head, adding, “Yevs won’t be like this for long, though. She’s a tough cookie—she’ll be 100% in no time.”

Yeva turned to Nori slightly, a grateful smile making its way through the worry on her face.

Nori returned it with a reassuring one before jerking her thumb at Alice and saying, “On the other hand… SHE’S probably hopeless.”

“Ain’t no d--- witch,” Alice muttered. “Can’t make me one, neither…”

“Yeeeeeaaahhh… might wanna put her back in the locker,” Nori advised.

“That’s up to the doctors, but I appreciate your feedback.” Jackson sighed and stood up, saying, “There’s not much else we can do beside monitor the three of you and keep testing you for possession, so I guess that concludes our interview session for today. The Sentinels will escort you to the lab for further research.”

“Thanks. Pleasure as always, Ozzie.” Nori saluted to Jackson as the Sentinels began leading the drones out of the office. One of them trotted over to Alice and clamped its jaws around her waist before carrying the limp drone after the others like a dead piece of meat.

As Nori walked past Theodore, however, she raised her hand for a high-five, which he reluctantly gave her. As he did so, he felt something small and papery slip into his glove, and he quickly returned his hand to his weapon as Nori continued on her way.

The drone glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, saying as she exited the room, “Good to see you again, Elliott. Take care of yourself, huh?”

Theodore gave her a nod in response. “Always do, 0-2.” Then, once she was gone, he removed his helmet and glanced inconspicuously at his hand, where a strip of paper rested.

“I REMEMBER. THE DIGGING IS ALMOST DONE. GET OFF C9 BEFORE MONTHS END. “SHE HAS TO DIE. IM SORRY.”

Theodore quickly closed his hand again, looking up with wide eyes as sweat broke out on his forehead and whispering, “Buggah.”

- - -

The organic growths continued to burrow toward the core of Copper-9, having grown significantly since they’d begun. “Keep, keep digging,” they hissed in unity. “Keep, keep digging.”

- - -

Theodore was still on edge by the time he gathered with the other members of the Solver Squadron core at Centros Spaceport B, where they awaited the arrival of Lord Benjamin Marcellinus Frumpterbucket V. Josephine had assigned them as security detail; Theodore guessed it was partially to appease Katie and partially because her trust of them was still at only about 90%.

Katie was practically bouncing on her toes as they waited, her foot tapping rapidly against the linoleum floor of the arrival section. Najja was watching her in amusement while Benny rolled two stress balls (or were those musket balls?) between his fingers. Tessa rocked back and forth on her heels impatiently, hands behind her back, while Theodore simply replayed Dirge’s message over and over in his mind.

Finally, a large, fancy-looking spacecraft with a hull fashioned to look like wood and gold descended onto the docking clamps, settling with a hiss and click before the doors slid open.

“Poppycock and balderdash!” were the first words spluttered by the lord as he exited the spacecraft with two drones at his side and a fancy cane in hand. “I’ve nevah lost a round of charades in my life! Your hints were too bloody vague, Eleanor!”

“Sir, I flapped my arms, squawked, and pretended to lay an egg,” one of the drones—a silver-bodied Worker with a head fashioned after those of Sentinel, complete with stun lights—responded in a heavy British accent, frowning. “It’s not MY fault you guessed ‘dog’.”

“She’s quite right, sire,” the other drone, one with a more masculine build and a larger mane of spikes, agreed. “You were rather well-informed and simply missed the mark. There’s no shame in losing, though.”

“Whatevah. Hold my cane, Henry.” Lord Frumpterbucket tossed his cane to the male drone and spread out his arms as he approached Katie, exclaiming, “Katherine, my lovely! A sight for sore eyes, you are!”

Katie ran into his arms with a laugh, holding him tightly. “Can’t believe you’re here, Benjy! I missed you so much,” she mumbled happily into his chest.

“And I you, bonny lass,” Frumpterbucket replied as he returned the embrace, kissing Katie on top of her head. “Henry! Retrieve my delectable tart’s ‘surprise’ from the ship! Eleanor, collect the luggage.”

“As you wish, sire.” Henry dipped his head and went back into the ship. Eleanor followed him, glancing curiously at the Solver Squad as she did so.

“What. The HECK. Are THOSE?” Theodore asked slowly, watching the hybrids depart.

“My personal pet projects,” Lord Frumpterbucket declared, reaching around Katie to shake Benny’s hand. “Class-S Worker Drones, patent pending.”

“I don’t remembah authorizin’ that, mate,” Josephine remarked, raising an eyebrow.

“What can I say? My innovation knows no bounds,” Lord Frumpterbucket replied, meeting her gaze with a glint in his eye.

Before Josephine could respond in disapproval, Henry reemerged from the ship carrying what appeared to be a large cat with dark gray fur and hollow eyes leaking black liquid. “The ‘beast’, sire—as requested,” he stated with a dry smile.

“REX!” Katie squealed, releasing Frumpterbucket and extending her arms toward the animal. The cat (?) meowed as Henry passed him to his owner, who grabbed him in a hug tighter than the one she’d given Frumpterbucket. “How did you find him?” she gushed, spinning to face Frumpterbucket. “After what happened on Earth, I thought he—you know…”

“Apparently, the li’l catto’s got a taste for human hearts AND drone oil,” Frumpterbucket replied with an amused smile. “He ate just about everything that came near him and assimilated enough matter to increase his density and survive the planetary detonation. Some JCJ folks found him drifting in deep space and brought him to Ceti-5 for me.”

“I’m not even gonna ASK what that is or how that’s possible,” Theodore said, eyeing the cat with more than a little suspicion.

“Probably for the best.” Josephine moved toward Lord Frumpterbucket’s side and told him, “We’ll escort you to your limo, sir. It’s waitin’ for you on the curb. Then we’ll follow you to the hotel to make sure you arrive safely.”

“Blimey! That’s some staggerin’ superfluity! Much obliged, sheila!” Lord Frumpterbucket tipped his top hat to Josephine. “Maybe we can all sit down and have a long chat after I’m settled in, eh?”

“Apologies, sir, but I’m quite busy at the moment. Maybe you can get with the others on their breaks.” Josephine gestured toward the spaceport’s exit. “This way, please.”

Frumpterbucket allowed her to lead him away, casting a glance at Tessa and giving her a slight nod as he passed by. “Good to see you in one piece, luv,” he told her, his exaggerated tone sobering a bit.

Tessa offered him a smile in response, though his presence was bringing back unpleasant memories as she did so. “I’ll try to stay that way this time,” she replied, raising a hand in farewell.

The two Class-S drones offered greetings to Benny and Katie as they walked by as well, completely ignoring the rest of the Solver Squadron. “I’ve quite been looking forward to meeting the heir to the lordship,” Henry remarked, daintily shaking Benny’s hand. “’Tis a pleasure, Master Benjamin.”

“So you’re the lord’s maiden, eh? Hm…” Eleanor rubbed her chin as she walked around Katie in a circle before continuing on her way. “Serviceable, I suppose.”

Katie frowned.

Theodore rolled his eyes at the drones’ snootiness and told his team, “C’mon, mates; let’s trail ‘em. We’ll work out everything else once we get back to base.”

“And by everything else, you mean…” Najja began, giving Theodore a pointed look.

He nodded slightly. “We need to confirm that Frumpterbucket knows what we know,” he said in a low voice as the crew clustered around him. “Make sure we’re all on the same page. I know Katie’s been fillin’ ‘im in, but we gotta have our info straight, yeah?”

“On ya, boss,” Katie responded with a sharp nod, stroking Rex’s back. “I’ll talk to ‘im about settin’ up a meetin’.”

“Fair dinkum.” Theodore clapped his hands together. “Break!”


****************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Nori – seems unaffected and uses the Solver well. I’m assuming she cloaked herself to pay Dirge a visit and pick up his message, although that could’ve occurred by other means. Need to make sure she’s with us when things go south.

2. Yeva – had an issue repressing the Solver’s possession, and 2.1.7 only seems to mitigate symptoms. She can hold it off for longer than Dirge, but even with constant application of the patch, it’s only a matter of time before the Solver works around the walls.

3. Alice – don’t know what’s wrong with her. She’s clearly fighting the urge to use the Solver’s full skillset, probably assuming usage of the main functions are tied to the Solver’s total possession. She honestly might be onto something.

4. Dirge – did something catastrophic. He’s gunning for Josephine. We have to leave Copper-9 before the month’s end; that might be when the Solver arrives. I need to keep an eye on Josephine—Dirge has something in store for her. Something we never agreed upon.

5. Lord Frumpterbucket – here. Not much else I can say, but at least he’s available to speak with. We can ask him about the hackers and their progress. Hopefully Josephine doesn’t monitor our interactions with him too closely.

NOTE: Lord Frumpterbucket is available for interaction. Patch.2.1.8 development will be complete in 2 weeks. Preliminary tests on 021 (Raff) proved inconclusive, as the Solver itself had no effect and the effectiveness of 2.1.8 could not be determined. “CryHavoc” subjects have been deployed to Copper-8 to defend the planet from Disassembly Drones. Another unknown Disassembly Drone sighting was reported by Subject 029 (Amanda), currently stationed in the office blocks of the topside facility. The sighting allegedly occurred within the building itself; investigation is ongoing. Multiple mine maintenance workers have reportedly gone missing in several different systems.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Investigate sighting (high risk, unknown reward): 22%
Investigate mines (high risk, unknown reward): 4%
Frumpterbucket meeting (unknown risk, high reward): 66%
Confront Dirge (med risk, med reward): 8%

Chapter Text

XLV.

Theodore

A Collusion Most Fallacious: Part IV

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Frumpterbucket meeting (unknown risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Seramorris 13, 3052)

The plan was simple.

Step 1: work out schedules so that everyone would be free at the same time, including Lord Frumpterbucket (whose lordship included various oversight duties concerning his multiple estates).

Step 2: develop and memorize a system of codewords transmitted to each SSC (Solver Squadron core) member’s keybug/database by Katie and Tessa in order to encrypt the conversation.

Step 3: meet with Frumpterbucket at his hotel to engage in intelligence transference, while recording the encounter with Theodore’s “Minibug” in order to maintain access to the data gathered. In theory, it was foolproof.

In practice… well, they were about to find out.

- - -

“Welcome, welcome, ladies n’ gents!” Frumpterbucket exclaimed as he ushered the Solver Squadron core into his large, lavish hotel room. “Take a look around, have a squish! I’m sure you’re bloomin’ tuckered after a real dog of a day!”

“Please, take a seat at the table,” Henry offered the group, pulling out chairs that had been prepared for them. “We haven’t a meal to spare, but Eleanor is fixing up a pot of tea for you all.”

“Thanks, mate,” Theodore said with a nod to the Class S drone, sitting at the table with the rest of the squadron.

“Can we get some oil?” V asked Henry. “I’m overdue for a cooldown.”

“Of course, madam. One moment.” Henry whisked away into the kitchen adjacent to the dining area, his conversation with Eleanor low-toned and inaudible.

“Right, then,” Lord Frumpterbucket declared, stretching out his hands and cracking his knuckles. “Let’s get right down to bizzo.” He gestured to Theodore and said, “Start us off, Commander, if you’d be so kind.”

“Of course.” Theodore adjusted his position in his seat, scooching closer to the table, and thanked Henry for the tea that was handed to him before setting it down and clasping it in his hands. “How much do you know about the Solver, mate?” he inquired, tapping the teacup with a finger.

“More than the average bloke, I reckon,” Frumpterbucket answered, taking a sip from his own cup. “She’s a tough nut to crack for sure, but my mates back on Ceti-5 have managed to, er… open some locked doors.”

- - -

Josephine tapped her desk with a pen, listening intently to the conversation through the wire she’d placed on Eleanor. “So far, so good,” she muttered aloud, nodding to herself.

- - -

“What’ve they found?” Katie asked Frumpterbucket. “Anything of note?”

“Depends on what you considah to be ‘of note’,” Frumpterbucket responded. “Nothin’ that could help with the patch, if that’s what you mean. We managed to dig up some info about the murdah drones, though.”

“Lay it on us, pops,” Benny said, twirling his mustache with intrigue.

Frumpterbucket tapped his watch, and it slithered off his hand onto the table, revealing itself to be a flat, tapeworm-like keybug. It projected an image of multiple file folders labeled with cryptic names: “SealingSTATIC”, “SealingCODE”, “SealingCHILD”, “SealingHOWL”, “SealingMIND”, “SealingORE”, and “SealingFLESH”. “We’ve cracked a few lines of code,” Frumpterbucket stated, gesturing to some of the files (“STATIC”, “SPLICE”, “MIND”, and “HOWL”). “Still can’t make heads or tails of the overall progammin’, though. Quite the conniving conundrum, that Solver.”

“Send us the code,” Najja ordered. “We need to analyze it for ourselves to see if we can make some headway.”

“Funny thing, that,” Frumpterbucket replied, tapping the hologram of the “MIND” file to show a mess of encrypted code. “Every time we try to transfer the data, it reencrypts itself. Even after sendin’ it to you, it’ll take a minute for you to break into.”

“We can handle it,” J said matter-of-factly. “As long as we have the files, we can crack them.”

“Fair dinkum.” Frumpterbucket moved most of the files away, leaving only “FLESH” and “ORE” in the projection. “These two lines are a real pair a’ pests. Got my blokes workin’ overtime tryin’ to crack these puppies. No luck so far, but if any of you lot wanna chip in, I’m sur they’d appreciate the assistance.”

“I’d be happy to lend my talents to the cause!” Tessa offered cheerfully, saluting to the lord. “I’ve learned a thing or two about crackin’ code!”

“This code isn’t like anything my people have seen before, and they’re the best a’ the best,” Frumpterbucket warned. “You sure you’re up for it?”

“Up as I can be, mate,” Tessa confirmed confidently.

“Look, that’s great and all,” N put in, “but shouldn’t we be more focused on the patch? That’s the more pressing issue, isn’t it?”

“Right you are, my frivolous fellow!” Frumpterbucket confirmed. “We think these lines of code can help us crack the patch, which is why we’re pourin’ so much time an’ effort into ‘em. It’ll cost my hackers many a sleepless night, but you can’t make an omelet without breakin’ a few eggs, as they say. Once these codes are deciphered, we’ll be that much closer to takin’ the Solver down.”

“Right. Long as we keep the main thing the main thing, we’re well on our way to victory,” Theodore agreed with a nod of affirmation. “Keep up the good work, sire, an’ we’ll do our part to match ya.”

“Cheers, mate.” Frumpterbucket downed the rest of his tea and slammed the cup down on the table. “Now then! With all that out of the way, what say we break formation an’ have at this hullabaloo?”

“On ya, Benjy.” Katie kissed Frumpterbucket on the cheek and told him, “We’ll get back to work. Tell your mates to do the same.”

“Will do, luv. Oh, and by the way,” Frumpterbucket added as everyone at the table began to stand, “12’s on tap to receive a call from her old mate. Give her a ring, yeah?”

“’Course! I’ll call ‘er up durin’ one of my breaks an’ see if she’s found her footin’,” Katie responded. “She must be awful lonely after all those years on Zero.”

“If that’s all you have for us, then I think we can consider this meeting adjourned,” Najja stated, holding out her hand for Frumpterbucket to shake. “We’ll take a look at those lines of code. Get us in touch with your hackers and we’ll see if Tessa and the drones can help them out.”

“Righty-o. A pleasure doing business with you all!” Frumpterbucket replied, shaking Najja’s hand and tipping his hat. “Workin’ togethah, we’ve got a bettah shot at a brightah tomorrow.”

- - -

Josephine pursed her lips, clicking her pen slowly. “Very tame,” she mused. “Maybe they were serious.” She glanced at her keybug, which sat atop the desk.

The keybug’s lights dimmed and brightened in a steady rhythm, but it offered no analysis.

Josephine exhaled, leaning back in her chair. “Alright. Guess we’re on the same team after all.”


********************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Frumpterbucket – ally. He sent us files concerning a number of shards. They were reencrypted as soon as we received them, but hopefully it won’t take long to unlock them. Admittedly, he’s a lot more useful than I thought he’d be.

2. Tessa/Disassembly Drones – working on cracking the files. Saving “SealingFLESH” and “SealingORE” for last since those are apparently the toughest. Should have the others open in short order. Tessa seems to have calmed down, but I’m still keeping an eye on her. Don’t know if she’ll try something crazy somewhere down the line.

3. Subject 12 – no clue who this is, but Katie obviously knows her. Maybe she’ll fill us in after they talk. We could always use another ally.

4. God key – no dice. Frumpterbucket’s just as stumped as we are. Josephine’s keeping a tight lid on the most sensitive information, and one can only guess how many firewalls are blocking it off from unauthorized personnel. Like Frumpterbucket said: Josie’s a tough nut to crack.

NOTE: 017 (GIAM) was returned to her locker and is under constant surveillance. 002 and 048 will continue to be tested in preparation for the administration of Patch.2.1.8. Three miners disappeared over the past week; investigation is ongoing. A motion senser detected movement by the proximity reader for the main elevator leading into Facility 012 during a period of time in which no personnel should have been in the vicinity. This is believed to be connected to the Disassembly Drone sightings. All staff is on high alert. Patch.2.1.8 will be complete in 1 week.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

002 security duty (high risk, unknown reward): 10%
034 security duty (high risk, high reward): 40%
Warn Josephine about 034 (unknown risk, high reward): 40%
048 security duty (Patch.2.1.8) (low risk, low reward): 10%


- - -


CONVERSATION CIPHER:

Solver = Josephine, JCJenson
Patch = stop Josephine/JCJenson plans
Disassembly/Murder Drones = shards
Programming = god key
Lines of code = sealed files

Chapter Text

XLVI.

Theodore

Countdown to Collapse: Part I

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “034 security duty (high risk, high reward)”; “Warn Josephine about 034 (high risk, high reward)”

TIME ELAPSED: 1 WEEK (Seramorris 20, 3052)

Another week ticked by, and the words on the slip of paper in Theodore’s pocket seemed to grow louder and louder in his mind, the paper practically heating up in his pocket. He’d been sitting on the warning from Dirge for too long; he knew that for a fact. Whatever the corrupted drone had planned, it would not end well for Josephine or for Copper-9. And now, as the days crept closer to the end of the calendar month, Theodore knew it was time to act.

With that in mind, he requested another private meeting with Josephine on the grounds of having an urgent personal matter to report. Josephine, of course, was all too willing to have a chat with him, if only for the purpose of personally making sure that he was still falling in line.

- - -

“Crikey. You look crook, tiger.”

Theodore offered a wavering smile in response to Josephine’s statement, sitting down in front of her desk. “I’m right, Josie. Just… got a lot on my mind,” he replied, fiddling with his half of “Black Box”. “Oh, yeah?” Josephine leaned forward on her desk, resting her chin in her hands. “Like what? I hear you’ve got an ‘urgent personal mattah’ to tell me about.”

“It’s more than ‘urgent’, actually,” Theodore told her, his tone becoming grim. “It’s… potentially catastrophic.”

Josephine fell silent, her eyes slowly narrowing. Then her lips parted, the silence drawing for a few more seconds as she chose her words carefully, and she said, “I’m listening.”

Theodore placed one hand on the desk and then withdrew it, revealing that he’d placed a slip of paper on it.

Josephine cautiously reached out and took it, giving it a quick read before lifting her eyes from the writing on it. “Where did you get this?” she asked in a low voice.

“Dirge,” Theodore answered, hesitant to bring Nori any further into the internal conflict. “You know we were havin’ correspondence a while back, but I didn’t know he would go this far. I think he’s more Solver than himself by this point.” He leaned forward, adding in a tight voice, “He wants you dead, Josie. I was tryin’ to figure out why, but now, I don’t think it mattahs as much as gettin’ everyone off Copper-9 as soon as possible.”

“Evacuations have already begun, but… the entire population?” Josephine shook her head, leaning back and rubbing her forehead. “That’s not gonna happen. I’ve gotta start movin’ essential personnel, rations, cryopods—” She stopped and groaned, putting down the paper and massaging her temples. “Bloody h---…”

“What about the integration date?” Theodore pressed. “You had it set up for the 27th. That’s awfully close to the end of the month.”

“Right. I’ll try to move it up,” Josephine answered, her voice strained as she moved one hand to the back of her neck and the other to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Keybug?”

Her keybug poked its head out of her breast pocket.

“Tell the doctors and Solver Squadron to be ready for neural interface integration by 2000 hours—TONIGHT. Have ‘em prep the lab. Also,” she added, raising a finger, “finalize the evacuation schedules for all JCJenson staff on Copper-9.”

“Acknowledged,” the keybug said, projecting the message as well. “Composing message concerning ‘Project Pioneer’. …Message sent. Evacuation schedule finalization in progress.” It dropped back into the pocket, disappearing from sight.

“Teddy, head to the cathedral,” Josephine ordered, straightening up and smoothing out her suit. “I’m placin’ you on emergency security duty. Join the detail coverin’ 034; see if you can get anything out of him.” She narrowed her eyes, adding, “I’ve got a feelin’ he’s got somethin’ to do with the disappearances in the mines or the DD sightings in the topside facility.”

“Disappearances? Sightings?” Theodore echoed, squinting at Josephine. “What—”

“We’re keepin’ ‘em on the down-low,” Josephine interrupted. “DON’T repeat what I just said to ANYONE. Clear? Good,” she said without waiting for a response, making a gesture of dismission. “Now move. I want your eyes on 034 as soon as possible.”

Theodore swallowed his pride at Josephine’s stressed and overbearingly-bossy demeanour and nodded, standing up. “Right away, ma’am.” He spun on his heel crisply and headed for the office exit. “Teddy, wait,” Josephine called in a resigned tone, causing the operative to pause at the door.

Theodore looked over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

Josephine grimaced, as if wanting to hold back what she was about to say but finding herself physically unable to. “Be safe, tiger,” she forced out. “Don’t die on me.”

Theodore hesitated before giving her a small grin. “Haven’t died yet, ma’am.” He saluted casually before finally leaving the office.

-

Josephine slumped in her chair, covering her face with both hands. “Stride for stride,” she mumbled. “Move for move…” She chuckled ruefully, dropping her hands onto the armrests of her chair. “D--- your game, Dirge. This one’s MINE to play,” she muttered, narrowing her eyes at the slip of paper on the desk.

S H E H A S T O D I E

I M S O R R Y

- - -

Theodore stepped into the lab and paused upon seeing the rest of the security detail and the containment unit they stood around.

First, he noticed a couple of familiar faces in the detail: namely Katie Bonin and Sasha Ramakrishnan, the former of whom looked bored as ever while the latter was pale, shivering, and sweating.

Second, he noticed what was in the unit, which dwarfed the entirety of the detail: a massive eldritch Solver core, coiled like a sleeping snake. The jawless head of Dirge, which dripped boiling oil onto the bottom of the heated container, was positioned at the end of the centidepal, serpentine body, its visor blank and lifeless.

However, as soon as Theodore entered the room, the creature’s head lifted, and though its visor remained blank, he could’ve sworn it was staring at him.

Theodore slowly slid into the spot between Katie and Sasha, where he was meant to be stationed. He glanced around the lab for a moment, taking note of the empty, oil-and-bloodstained operating table, as well as the scientists and programmers working at the many computer stations set up around the table. “Didn’t expect to see YOU on core watch, Greenie,” he remarked to Sasha after a moment, giving her a glance that was both quizzical and impressed. “You must be movin’ up the ranks, eh?”

“I-I… I wouldn’t know, s-sir,” Sasha stammered, avoiding Theodore’s gaze.

“Aw, c’mon, luv. I ain't got no hard feelings about the dobbin’,” Theodore said, bumping her with his shoulder (and almost knocking the stiff private over). “You were just doin’ your job, anyhow.”

“Like YOU should be doin’ YOURS,” Katie interjected, drawing Theodore’s attention. “Shouldn’t you be keepin’ quiet right about now, Commander?”

Theodore shot her a look.

Katie smirked in response.

Theodore rolled his eyes and assumed a rigid, ready stance. “Aye-aye, cap’n.”

“Y-Y-You t-t-t-t—”

Every single member of the security detail immediately spun to face the containment unit, guns at the ready.

Dirge had begun to rise like a snake preparing to strike, slowly uncoiling his grotesque, techno-organic form. “Y-You t-t-told h-her,” he/the Solver stuttered, his/its head cocking in a jerky, clicking fashion, like a skipping gear in a broken clock. “T-T-T-Trust-b-broken, El-l-l-liott.”

“Hold your fire,” Theodore ordered the guards, holding up one hand before returning it to his weapon. “Dirge,” he said, struggling to keep his cool as he took a step toward the unit, “listen to me. I don’t know what you’re plannin’ or how you know I told Josephine about it, but we NEVAH agreed on this.”

“I-w-w-we kn-kn-knew you c-c-c-c-couldn’t do – what was n-neces-s-sary,” Dirge/the Solver said in a tone that switched between snarling (Dirge) and playful (Solver). “We h-had to speed things al-l-l-l-long.”

“What you’re doin’ puts more people at risk than just the director!” Theodore snapped.

A burst of static emanated from the eldritch being, followed by an unfamiliar man’s voice saying, “The few for the many, and the many for the future.”

Dirge/the Solver’s head tilted to the other side. “Our g-goals and – m-m-methods do not – align, b-b-but… he was – r-r-right.” It slithered sluggishly to the wall of the chamber, going eye-to-visor with Theodore. “K-Kill the few, s-s-save the m-many,” Dirge/the Solver hissed. “K-Kill the m-many, s-s-s-save – the future.”

A rumbling suddenly seemed to overtake the entire facility, causing everything inside the lab to rattle violently. Objects throughout the area began to rise from the ground as gravity inverted ever so slightly; the soldiers and scientists all shouted in surprise as they began to float into the air, unable to maintain their balance.

Then, with violent suddenness, the event ended, and everything crashed back into its place.

Including the containment unit and its very sensitive components—some of which were jostled by the landing.

One of the heating components sparked.

As everyone struggled to get back on their feet or into their seats, Dirge/the Solver turned its elongated neck to look at a red light flashing on the side of the chamber before facing the recovering Theodore again. “C-C-Central s-server – out of r-range,” he/it stated, tapping the glass with a massive crab-like claw. “M-Mobilizing host to es-s-s-s-s-stablish – reconnection.”

“READY WEAPONS!” Theodore boomed, arming his gun and preparing for Dirge/the Solver to attempt an escape. The other guards did the same as the scientists hustled out of the lab.

Dirge/the Solver remained still, swaying in its containment unit like a snake in a trance.

After a full ten seconds of nothing, Theodore frowned in confusion and lowered his weapon slightly. “What…?”

Every alarm in the room began to blare.

“—BREACH IN THE MAIN LAB! I REPEAT, WE HAVE A BREACH IN THE MAIN LAB!” Dr. Ridley’s voice suddenly shrieked over the speakers as flashing red light flooded the area. “02 is loose! All teams, respond NOW!”

Theodore’s eyes widened as everyone else began to hustle out of the room. He simply stood where he was, staring at Dirge/the Solver as his gun dropped to his side. “Don’t do this, mate,” he whispered. Dirge/the Solver began to coil up again. “It is already – d-done,” he/it hissed.


******************************************


DATA GATHERED (Theodore):

1. Dirge – all but gone. This wasn’t his assassination attempt, but it was definitely a precursor. He made some noise and escaped in the resulting chaos; no doubt he’s either on his way off the planet or intends to finish Josephine off directly.

NOTE: 002 (NORI) recontained; [REDACTED] casualties reported. Notable lost: Agent Wallace (KIA), Agent Borden (KIA), Dr. Chambers (MIA). 034 (DIRG) containment unit damaged during breach; the core was discovered to be missing from the main body. Search for 034 is ongoing and is to be considered high priority. Application of Patch.2.1.8 to 048 (YEVA) was successful; subject is being held for further testing. Team 06 (Ridley) is tasked with reattempting 002’s recovery via failsafe USB (606b) containing Patch.2.1.8. The expected completion date is Seramorris 27th, 11:59 P.M. standard. Seismic and gravitational anomalies detected during 002 breach are under investigation; addition(s) to “AbSolver1001” file pending. Neural interfaces successfully integrated into all members of Solver Squadron (sans PrimaryPioneer and I.C.-Ωn); integration of Solver functions pending completion of Patch.2.1.8 assessment. Sighting of unknown Disassembly Drone reported in subterranean hangar. Remains of one (1) missing mine maintenance worker discovered; identification pending.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Solver Integration and dinner with Frumpterbucket: 67%
Solver Integration and 002 security: 13%
Solver Integration and Chambers investigation: 9%
Solver Integration and 034 search: 11%


- - -


In order to unlock “Mission1176.doc”, reply to this comment with a SINGLE WORD prefaced by the initials of the corresponding file (M1). No sentences allowed. All replies in any format other than “initials: codeword” (for example, “MD: murder”) will be deleted.

In short, REPLIES MUST BE IN THE AFOREMENTIONED FORMAT.

Once the correct word is entered, the corresponding file will be posted, so make sure your notifications are on.

Each commenter has THREE ATTEMPTS. Hints are provided below.

- - -

string [Mission1176_hint]= “BROKENBLINDEDBURNED”

FILE UNLOCKED BY: @PlytkaChodnikowa on YouTube
CODEWORD: "M1: Mustafar"

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XXljxZn-NKUAXNtl7Xk93mMrZ6Gnqdtxih2EfZrFp8I/edit?tab=t.0

Chapter Text

XLVII.

Theodore

Countdown to Collapse: Part II

PREVIOUS POLL WINNER: “Solver Integration and dinner with Frumpterbucket”


Seramorris 27, 3052. 8:00 PM.


SOLVER SQUADRON

“_____ is formally invited to a celebratory feast with the distinguished Lord Benjamin Marcellinus Frumpterbucket V at The Starlight Lounge, Seramorris 27th @ 8 P.M. standard. Dress fashionably and wear fancy hats!”

That’s how the letter crammed in the pocket of Theodore’s dress pants read—the same letter that had forced him to drag himself into a limo in spite of the remnants of the headache from his interface integration that were still stabbing at the back of his brain and neck. He rubbed his nape as he entered the Starlight Lounge, which had been rented out for Frumpterbucket’s banquet.

“Look who’s late as usual,” Katie called from where she sat at the circular table next to Lord Frumpterbucket, a teasing grin on her face. She wore a silver dress that nearly matched her pale platinum hair, its design a mix of modern and Victorian-era fashion; her fascinator was of the same palette and sported a large red rose in the centre.

“Join us for a bite, yeah?” Benny said, beckoning to Theodore and looking rather sharp in his black tailcoat and top hat (almost mirroring his father’s appearance, moustache and all). “I’m keen for some barbie!”

“We already ordered, so you might wanna hurry up and get a seat,” Najja added, her normally-soldierlike appearance now a bit more feminine as she’d let her hair out into a short mane of red-and-blonde-dyed curls beneath her wide-brimmed crimson hat. Her semi-bulky form was outlined by a matching crimson blazer-topped minidress, and a pair of thigh-high boots completed the outfit.

“Ooh! Ooh! Sit next to me, Teddy!” Tessa begged, waving at her cousin frantically. She wore her black dress from the night of the manor massacre, along with arm-length black gloves and black stockings slipped into a pair of black slippers.

Josephine said nothing, but her appearance was the reason Theodore did not respond.

The director sat in a spot that had her directly facing the restaurant’s entrance. She wore bright blue ballgown but no hat, exposing her now-short, clearly self-cut hair, its dusty appearance belying the fact that she’d coloured it with powdered ginger. It was the same hairstyle she’d loved so much as a kid—the same hairstyle she’d had when they’d met.

Theodore slowly removed his hat in an almost-automatic gesture of respect, half-opening his mouth but finding no words to speak.

“Uh-oh. Looks like the robo-cat’s got his tongue,” V remarked in amusement, crossing her arms.

Rex meowed loudly at that from his place in Katie’s arms, as if to emphasize V’s point.

Theodore coughed and cleared his throat, thumping his chest with a fist. “Uh—no, I—I’m fine,” he forced out, wincing as his voice broke. “I just… got a li’l choked up. At, y’know, seein’ everyone together and all…” His words trailed off into an inaudible mumble as he approached the table and sat next to Tessa, desperately willing the red in his face to vanish.

“Wow, Teddy! You sure are red!” N commented with a cheerful laugh. “That makeup looks pretty good on you!”

“He’s BLUSHING, idiot,” J snapped, smacking N on the back of the head. “The commander doesn’t even WEAR makeup.”

“Ow,” N moaned, rubbing his head. “I was joking...”

“I think the commander’s still a bit dizzy from the surgery,” Josephine said placidly, leaning forward on the table and drawing a circle around the lip of her wineglass with a finger. “Isn’t that right, tiger?”

“Right. Dizzy,” Theodore echoed, staring intently at his menu as his face somehow turned redder.

“…Dizziness aside,” Lord Frumpterbucket said after a moment of awkward silence, “I’m absolutely chuffed you all could make it! I’ve been lookin’ for a reason to spend some quality time with our ‘heroes’, and what bettah excuse than commemoratin’ the completion of the patch?”

“I’m so excited!” Tessa squealed, practically bouncing in her seat. “With that patch, we won’t have to worry about the Solver sneakin’ into our brains anymore! I—WE’LL be free!” she added, slinging an arm around J’s shoulders and shaking her eagerly.

“Can’t help but feel like this ‘celebration’ is a li’l premature, mate,” Theodore said guardedly, glancing at Lord Frumpterbucket as the blush finally faded from his face and neck. “Yeva’s tests aren’t exactly ovah yet.”

“We’ve all but confirmed their success,” Josephine reassured him, drawing his gaze back to her (and returning a hint of scarlet to his complexion). “The rest of ‘em are just formalities, really.”

“Kinda surprised by how comfortable you are with being outside HQ right now, though,” V put in, motioning to Josephine with an eyebrow raised. “Isn’t Dirge on the loose?”

“Right, yeah,” N agreed with a frown. “I heard he was trying to, uh… kill you…?”

“I have faith in all of you,” Josephine responded dismissively. “Besides, 2-1-8 is worth riskin’ a celebration for. With it, we can finally put a stop to the Solver.” She paused and thanked Henry as he and Eleanor (who were serving as waiters) set plates of food down on the table. “That’s what all of this has been for,” Josephine went on, making a sweeping gesture with her knife. “Now all the work, all the fighting, all the sacrifices… they’ll MEAN something.”

“Too right,” Tessa agreed, raising her glass. “Here’s to everyone who did whatever they had to do to make this possible.”

Everyone else at the table voiced their agreements, raising their glasses and completely missing the dark glint in Tessa’s eyes and the barely-audible tone of spite in her voice.

Everyone but Theodore, that is.

Theodore’s eyes drifted over to Tessa as everyone clinked their glasses together over the centre of the table, noting the forced cheerfulness on her face. He began to speak, but was interrupted when the planet was suddenly struck by another gravitational anomaly.

The group let out cries of surprise as they were lifted out of their seats, their table and food rising into the air as well. Then they were rudely dropped back to the ground as gravity returned to normal, spilling drinks and food on the tablecloth and floor.

An ominous silence fell over the previously-cheery group.

“Er… mind if I shoot the elephant in the room, ma’am?” Benny asked at last.

Josephine sighed and patted her mouth with a napkin, wiping away some wine that had splashed on her face. “Go ahead, Benny,” she replied with a wave of her hand.

Benny took off his hat and brushed food off it, saying, “These anomalies only happen when the Solver’s about to rip a planet apart. There ain’t no spires on Copper-9, so how’s it doin’ this right now?”

“That’s a worry of mine as well,” Najja said, narrowing her eyes in thought. “I think it might be connected to the disappearances in the mine… but that would suggest that the Solver is HERE, and making its way to the core.”

“Maybe it’s a rogue Solver drone,” J suggested.

“All of them are accounted for—except for Dirge,” V pointed out. “And I’m pretty sure the first anomaly happened BEFORE he got out.”

“Could he have affected the core before he was recaptured the first time?” Katie wondered. “Maybe he dug a hole or somethin’.”

“Can we not talk about this right now?” Josephine requested, her voice growing tight. “We’re s’posed to be celebratin’.”

“Hard to celebrate when there are still problems to deal with,” Theodore stated, inspecting his glass and turning it upside-down; all of the wine had been jostled out of it by the anomaly. “Don’t get me wrong: I’d love some downtime as much as the next bloke, but I don’t know if we even HAVE any yet.”

“This is as much downtime as we’ll get before launchin’ an all-out war against the Solver,” Josephine told him, her voice growing a little quiet. “So I want y—I want US… to enjoy it.” She looked around at the others. “Please,” she added, lowering her voice even more.

The Solver Squadron members looked at each other while Theodore held Josephine’s gaze.

Lord Frumpterbucket subtly beckoned to Henry and Eleanor. When they came over, he leaned toward them and murmured, “Start the music, would you, mates?”

“Of course, sire.” Henry bowed and Eleanor curtseyed, and the two of them walked toward the open floor and stage that encompassed most of the rear area of the restaurant.

Lord Frumpterbucket clapped his hands together, drawing the squadron’s attention, and declared, “I agree with the director! We oughta be enjoyin’ our success, not worryin’ about the future! So what say we save the food for later and dance up an appetite, eh?” He stood and scooped Katie out of her seat, causing her to yelp and drop Rex onto the table. “To the dance floor, comrades!” Frumpterbucket called over his shoulder as he carried Katie toward the open area. “Tally-ho!”

The squadron members looked at each other again.

Then Tessa exclaimed, “Aw, what the heck? Let’s boogie!” She jumped out of her seat and grabbed N’s hand, dragging him toward the dance floor.

“Hey! That’s MY partner!” V called after her in annoyance, storming after the girl. “I am NOT dancing with J!”

“Fine by me. I wasn’t planning on dancing anyway,” J stated, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

“That makes two of us,” Najja agreed. “I’m just hungry.” She got up and swiped champagne off her waterproof outfit, beckoning to J as she headed toward the kitchen. “C’mon, corpo-cop. Let’s go bug the chef.”

“‘Corpo-cop’?” J repeated indignantly as she followed Najja. “It’s ‘division commander’.”

Theodore watched them walk away and then turned back to Josephine, who was taking a sip from her glass while eyeing him over it. “Oi. They sure set us up for this one, didn’t they?” he remarked, leaning back in resignation.

“Mm-hm.” Josephine set down her drink and stood up, heading toward the dance floor. “C’mon, tiger. Let’s show ‘em how it’s done,” she said, looking at Theodore over her shoulder with a mischievous look in her eye.

- - -

Theodore could barely hear the music as he and Josephine swayed back and forth on the dance floor, weaving between the other pairs. He was aware of passing the likes of Frumpterbucket and Katie, N and V, Tessa and J, Benny and a very reluctant Najja—even Henry and Eleanor had joined in on the fun, opting to play music over a radio instead of live piano and violin as before.

Still, aware was all Theodore could be of the others; the rest of his senses were completely taken by his dance partner.

“Teddy?”

“Hm?” Theodore blinked, snapping out of his shortlived stupor. “Yeah? What’s up, mate?” he asked Josephine, immediately switching back to his casual demeanour.

“Oh, don’t even,” Josephine scoffed. “You’ve been starin’ at me slack-jawed for the last three songs.”

“Last three—no way it’s been that long!” Theodore sputtered defensively. “An’ I wasn’t ‘slack-jawed’, sheila, I was… just lost in thought, ‘s all.”

“Penny for ‘em?” Josephine offered, one corner of her lips sliding upward in a glossy smirk that almost made Theodore miss a step.

“Er… gonna take more than a penny to pick my brain, luv,” Theodore replied with a half-hearted chuckle.

“Right. Thought as much.” Josephine looked away for a moment, her eyes drifting over to Tessa and the drones. “Y’know,” she said quietly, “I heard ‘em talkin’ the other day. N and V. Anothah one of those ‘sensitive conversations’ I shouldn’t be listenin’ on, or some such nonsense.” She glanced at Theodore with a wistful smile, still facing N and V. “They were talkin’ about a UNN. One they hid back at Facility 012.”

Theodore’s eyes widened. “A UNN? You mean, like… one of those drone-babies? Thought those were outlawed.”

“They were. They ARE. But I…” Josephine trailed off, sighing and lowering her head. “You’d find it funny, I s’pose. But it turns out I still have a heart behind these tough ol’ pecs a’ mine,” she remarked with a rueful chuckle.

Theodore fought the urge to glance at her “tough ol’ pecs” and remarked, “I ain’t surprised, Josie. You’re not as cold as you try to be. I know, deep down, your heart still beats to Mara Mayi’s drum.” Josephine nodded, her gaze still lowered.

Then she moved in close, surprising Theodore by wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as they spun slowly. “I don’t want to do this,” she whispered, her voice cracking a little as Theodore gingerly put his arms around her. “I don’t want to do ANY of this. I—I do it ‘cuz I HAVE to. You gotta understand that, Teddy.”

“What’s so bad about doin’ what you WANT to do?” Theodore murmured in her ear, allowing the rising heat in his face and neck to warm Josephine.

“You know what I want to do, tiger. And you know d--- well why I let ‘em keep that UNN.” Josephine tightened her grip on Theodore, as if not planning to ever let go. “You KNOW,” she repeated in a barely audible voice, a single tear sliding out of one of her closed eyes.

Theodore set his jaw, nodding a little at her words. “Yeah. I know,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve asked.” He sighed and raised one hand, placing it on the back of Josephine’s head as he held her close. “Ah… god, I wish I could fix this,” he hissed, fighting back tears of his own. “Wish to heaven I could fix this.”

- - -

When the dances ended and the feast was done, everyone got into their respective vehicles and prepared to head back to base or their hotel. However, Josephine remained at the entrance of the restaurant despite Theodore’s offers to take her back to HQ, opting to wait while Tessa helped the drones—who’d volunteered—to clean up the mess made by the gravitational anomalies.

When Tessa was done, she and the drones, along with Henry and Eleanor, locked up the Starlight Lounge before heading toward the vehicles they’d arrived in. Tessa didn’t even look at Josephine as she passed by—

—but the director made sure to change that.

“Tessa.”

Tessa froze as Josephine’s hand locked around her wrist before she could fully pass her. Her eyes darted to the side as if to look over her shoulder, but she didn’t turn around. “What?” she asked, her voice low.

“You poisoned my drink,” Josephine said matter-of-factly, her voice equally low.

A long silence followed.

The drones looked at each other. “I’m, uh… gonna hop in the back real quick,” N said with a grimace, backing toward the mobile unit in which they’d come.

“Ditto,” V agreed, following him quickly.

J stood by stoically, hands behind her back as she waited for the scene to play out.

Tessa narrowed her eyes and remarked, “And yet… here you are. Alive and well. Shame, isn’t it?”

“Because I’m not an IDIOT,” Josephine snapped, releasing Tessa’s wrist (well, more like she forcefully shoved it away). “Your body language was a dead giveaway that you had somethin’ planned. I just didn’t know you’d go this far.”

“No further than you,” Tessa replied coldly, still not looking at Josephine. “Would’a saved a lotta lives if you’d just drunk up.”

“I’m worth more to the universe alive than dead,” Josephine snarled, rage making a vein on her neck bulge. “But you’re STILL too stubborn to understand that!”

“Too ‘uninformed’, more like!” Tessa sneered, whirling to face Josephine with her fists clenched. “’Cuz you’re too scared to tell us what’s REALLY goin’ on! You know that if you do, we’ll turn on you even more than we already have!”

“Well, aren’t you bloody insightful?” Josephine spat. “You’re just a child, Tessa! You have NO IDEA what we’re goin’ through, tryin’ to make this universe SAFE! I know you hate me for what I’ve done, but that’s a price I’m willin’ to pay to keep our future alive!”

“You can pay that price all you like, Director; just don’t expect us to chip in when the bill comes due,” Tessa hissed, storming up to Josephine. She poked the director in the chest as she added, “And don’t think for a SECOND that you can rope Teddy into your mindset with a tacky dress an’ a bad haircut. He’ll nevah join you—NEVAH. An’ I think you know it.”

“And what if he does?” Josephine challenged, slapping Tessa’s hand away. “What if I tell ‘im my plan, and he knuckles up for it? Then what?”

Tessa and Josephine glared at each other for a long moment.

Then… something changed.

Tessa began to back away, a frighteningly-steely expression coming to her face. “Then I’ll stop both of you,” she said in a hollow voice, causing J to look at her sharply. “And I’ll kill you if I have to.”

Though genuinely surprised by the statement, Josephine hid her shock by narrowing her eyes. “Then why not kill me now?” she asked, the fire in her voice faltering. “You have the chance.”

“Eh—I’ve got a ‘Plan B’,” Tessa answered with unnatural coldness. “Best to keep you alive for now and not draw attention to myself. Besides, you might be useful—just like I’ve been to you.”

“…This ain’t like you, Tess,” Josephine growled, her expression growing tight with anger. “You don’t use people. Teddy would nevah use you—he’d nevah KILL you.”

Tessa shrugged, putting her hands behind her back as she continued to back away. “True—but see, the thing is… you didn’t make me to be like him.” She smiled thinly, X’s flashing in her eyes momentarily. “You made me to be like YOU.” Then she teleported away in a flash of white, vanishing entirely from sight.

Josephine remained standing there, unmoving. She didn’t even acknowledge J as the drone tentatively clambered into the mobile unit, didn’t even look at the vehicle as it rumbled off into the night.

Instead, she simply unclenched her fists as her body slackened, an exhausted expression of dismay coming to her face. “I—I didn’t… mean to…” she whispered to the wind.

- - -

At 11:30 PM, Theodore and the rest of the Solver Squadron found themselves back on the operating tables, strapped facedown and additionally chained this time to prevent any escape attempts. They knew what was about to happen: the Absolute Solver itself would be inserted into their neural interfaces, and the patch would be applied to nullify its possession.

Josephine was overseeing the procedure personally, back in her pantsuit and pacing around with her arms crossed and her keybug positioned on her shoulder.

“Alright, ladies and gents: here we go,” one of the doctors, Dr. Hollins, announced to the team working the control panel, which would activate the robotic appendages containing the Solver’s code and lower them into every squad member’s interface port simultaneously. “Integration in 10… 9… 8… 7…”

Josephine chewed on a fingernail, watching anxiously.

“4… 3… 2… 1. Engage.”

The arms lowered, plugging into the squad members’ interfaces.

“Disengage,” Dr. Hollins ordered.

The arms rose back up.

“Commander—report,” Josephine said, walking past Theodore’s bed.

“There’s… a message,” Theodore responded, wincing as information began racing through his brain, forced into his cerebellum by the insertion of the Solver. “It’s asking for administrative permissions.” “All units, confirm,” Josephine commanded.

Every light on a nearby screen representing the squadron members turned green, activated via neural response.

“Integration confirmed. Rotate to patch arm,” Dr. Hollins instructed.

The robotic structures rotated, switching to a different arm.

“Engage.”

The arms lowered, once again mating with the interfaces.

As Josephine watched, her keybug projected a report and began to read it aloud: “New report from: Overseer Walker. Subject: mine investigation. Content: there’s something big down here. Something alive. Gonna do some more digging. Will keep you posted.”

Josephine grabbed her keybug and shoved it into her pocket, hurrying over the control panel and pressing a button. “Alright, people, time to go!” she announced hastily, clapping her hands. “To the hangar, on the double! Let’s MOVE!”

Theodore groaned as the straps and chains fell away from him, rolling off the bed and getting to his feet. “This is… bloody troppo,” he muttered, waving his hands at the HUD that had appeared in his field of vision. “What’m I even lookin’ at?”

“Oi! I said MOVE IT!” Josephine barked at him and the rest of the Solver Squadron, as they’d all been fascinated by the strange new experience. “You can stare at pretty lights when we’re in the sky!”

-

The Solver Squadron made it to the hangar and were prepped for launch by 11:50, lifting off one after the other. Theodore and his crew were in the last pod to leave, taking off about 5 minutes prior to midnight.

The commander sighed and closed his eyes, successfully willing the HUD to disappear. “You get your old man off the rock, Benny?” he asked without looking at his fellow squad member.

“Yeah. He took off ‘round 11,” Benny confirmed in an uncharacteristically-quiet voice. “He’ll be clear whenever it happens—whatever ‘it’ is.”

“Right.” Theodore glanced at V, who held her and N’s UNN tightly in her arms with a worried expression on her face, and then turned to Najja and Katie. “You ladies holdin’ up alright?”

Najja nodded but said nothing.

“We’re right, sir. Just… don’t know what’s gonna happen,” Katie answered softly, her hand clutching Najja’s. “All those people left down there…” Her voice trailed away, dissolving into painful silence.

“Like it or not, it’s for the greater good,” J said, her own voice almost as quiet as Katie’s as she held on to a handle on the wall. “The company is everyone else’s best shot at survival. We had to get essentials off-world; we just… couldn’t afford to evacuate the rest.” She spoke the last part in a tone that implied she was trying to convince herself of the truth of the statement, and was failing terribly.

Josephine and Tessa remained silent like Najja, but their silence was almost palpable.

Theodore opened one eye and scanned the two of them, reading back a “like object non-interactive” error for both. “Oi. You got integrated first, sheila?” he asked Josephine, keeping his one eye open.

“A precaution,” Josephine replied, not looking at him as she read reports on her keybug’s projection.

“Right.” Theodore tilted his head, opening both eyes to look at Tessa. “You good, Tess?”

Tessa forced a smile at him, somehow looking weary despite the fact that she couldn’t get tired unless she was overheating. “Yeah. I’m right, Ted. Thanks.”

Theodore frowned, sitting up straighter. “You don’t look ‘right’ to m—”

An explosion rocked the landing pod, sending it spiraling out of control.

-

Alarms blared inside the pod, causing red light to flash through its windows.

He did not hear the alarms, nor did he care for the lights. He merely clung to the pod with his claws and tail, locked to it like a magnet as he pumped nanite acid into one of its critical components. The wild spinning of the disoriented vehicle kept momentarily exposing him to the light of Copper-9’s sun, but he tanked the ultraviolet rays without so much as a whimper, ignoring the stinging pain that rippled repeatedly across his metal flesh.

Then, when he had critically disabled the pod, he calculated the correct angle and force before pushing himself away from the vehicle, spinning through the vacuum of space toward the pod he’d been following them in.

He attached himself to his pod with ease, having successfully directed himself into the proper position, and scuttled into it like an insect, dropping into the pilot’s seat and hurtling toward the partially-disabled enemy spacecraft.

-

“WHAT THE BLAZES WAS THAT?!” Theodore bellowed, staggering over a window and staring out of it as the pod finally stabilized, smoke billowing from one of its damaged engines and air getting sucked clean out of a hole in its hull. “I—oh…

His exclamation devolved into a horrified, whispered word upon seeing what had occurred.

From the looks of it, Copper-9 had partially detonated, a flattened, burning patch of brown now sitting where blue and green had once been. Debris floated off into space at lightning speed, propelled by the force of the blast.

“Dirge, mate,” Theodore breathed. “All this… just to kill Josie…?”

“V! V, stop!”

Theodore looked over his shoulder, eyes widening when he saw J holding V back by the waist as the latter drone screamed incoherently, waving her hands at the hole in the hull. “Let me go! Let me GO!” V screeched, finally managing to string together some audible words. “He’ll never make it out there!”

“V, what happened? What’s wrong?” N shouted from where he sat in the pilot’s chair, frantically flipping switches and levers in an attempt to keep the pod stable.

“He’s gone, N!” V yelled, looking at him with a desperate expression on her face. “I—I lost him!”

“What?!” N shrieked, grabbing the wheel. “We have to go back! We can’t just—”

The landing pod jolted violently as something slammed into it from behind, damaging it even further.

“BELAY THAT! GET US ON SOLID GROUND!” Theodore commanded. “We have a missing engine and a hostile on our tail!” He stormed over to N and glared down at the radar. “How did we not pick it up?”

“It—It might be cloaked somehow! But sir, I need to—”

“You NEED to keep everyone ALIVE!” Theodore barked, cutting off N’s protest. “I’m sorry, N, but right now, your top priority is gettin’ us outta this mess—”

Another jolt.

The alarms grew louder and more frantic as the landing pod dipped, entering the atmosphere of Copper-8’s moon.

“Everyone hang on!” Theodore shouted. “We’re goin’ down hard!”

“Not if I can help it!” Tessa shouted back, extending both hands outward. Solver symbols appeared on either side of the pod, smoothing out its descent as it hurtled toward—

The thing behind the pod slammed into it once more, sending it into a spiral.

Both ships caught fire upon reentry, the roaring of heated air and the screams of the passengers filling the moon’s sky as they went crashing into its rocky red surface.

-

Theodore groaned, raising a hand to push debris off himself. However, he didn’t even need to touch it to move it; instead a green Solver symbol simply appeared over his hand and around the debris, lifting it and pushing it aside with minimal difficulty.

Theodore paused and then examined his hand, marveling at the symbol with almost childlike wonder. “Well… how ‘bout that,” he remarked with a slight chuckle, looking up. “We really can—uh—”

He stopped and stared.

The many yellow eyes of innumerable Disassembly Drones stared back at him, lining the rocky hills of the moon.

“—crud,” Theodore muttered.


*****************************************


DATA GATHERED (All):

1. [DATA CORRUPTED]

2. [DATA CORRUPTED]

3. [DATA CORRUPTED]

NOTE: [DATA CORRUPTED]

- - -

The next posts to follow will not be polled or follow the Solver Squadron. They will cover the core collapse from alternate perspectives (Chambers, Dirge, Khan, Mitchell, Alice, Miss Red) before returning to the Solver Squadron. This poll will remain open until the other perspectives are posted.


===========================

YOUTUBE VOTES

Fight: 14%
Defend: 63%
Flee: 16%
Wait: 7%

Chapter Text

XLVIII.

Dr. Chambers

Countdown to Collapse: Part III

Seramorris 27, 3052. 10:45 PM.


CHAMBERS

He’d had no choice.

The opportunity had presented itself so clearly: a way out of his position, a way to work on his plans free from restrictions. The Solver in 034 had locally connected to another Solver host—002—and activated a rampage, creating enough chaos for Dr. Chambers to slip away undetected. He’d taken only his keybug and hard drive with him, as the tracking capabilities on the robotic insect were being remotely blocked by a jammer of his own creation.

Of course, he’d had more help than just 002’s breach.

As Chambers slunk through the mostly-empty streets of Centros, his lab coat covered up by a black trench coat, he listened to the instructions being relayed through his keybug.

“The pod is prepped for takeoff. Collect the drone body from Outpost 14 and transport it to the hangar. Find 034 if you can and bring him with you.”

Miss Red’s sultry voice wafted out of the keybug’s projector and assaulted his ears, making the doctor grimace. “Right. And you’re certain this will all play a role in saving the universe?” he asked, adjusting his spectacles.

“Of course. Every step you take brings us closer to a brighter future.”

Indignation slipped through the unseen caller’s enticing tone; as Chambers had previously learned, she was none too fond of having her convictions and purpose questioned. He sighed and carried on, eventually making it to Outpost 14 and finding a featureless, unclothed Class-3 Worker Drone husk lying on the ground at its entrance. It looked brand new, as if it had just been placed there moments ago.

“How did you pull THIS off?” Chambers wondered, crouching down and eyeing the drone.

“I have connections in our manufacturing plants,” Miss Red responded coolly. “One of the supervisors owed me a favour.”

“Did he, now? And what did you do for him that warranted this shiny new gift?” Chambers asked in a disparaging tone.

“SHE needed her mother sprung out of a federal prison,” Miss Red answered tightly, clearly growing more irritated by Chambers’s constantly-accusatory statements. “I obliged and earned her trust in return. Now start uploading my connector software; it’ll take some time, of which we have very little.”

Chambers rolled his eyes but obeyed, crouching down and carefully opening the drone’s cerebral panel. A few minutes later, the upload had begun, and a progress bar appeared on the drone’s visor, trickling slowly across it.

Chambers lifted the drone in his arms with a grunt and turned around, sighing in satisfaction as a car pulled over to the curb. “Right on time, my dear,” he remarked as the passenger-side doors slid open.

“But of course,” Dr. Wu responded, smirking at her husband as he tossed the drone body in the backseat. “Anything less than perfect punctuality at a time like this is basically a death sentence.”

Chambers slid into the passenger’s seat and buckled in. “Have you located him yet?” he inquired, casting a wary glance at Miss Red’s drone in the rearview mirror.

“I have,” Wu confirmed. “He’s leaving the Doorman residence. With the right route, we can intercept him on the way back to the facility.”

“Let me guess: you think he’s planning to hijack a landing pod,” Chambers surmised.

“It’s the only way off the planet. I have no doubt that he’s been planning this since he accessed the director’s computer.” Wu scrunched up her face, looking disturbed. “His memory wipes were targeted. He always left the plan intact, even if he couldn’t remember what it was for.”

“So he knows how much time he has left before things go south,” Chambers assumed. “Which is why he planned ahead to make room in his schedule for a family visit.”

“Precisely.” Wu tapped the steering wheel anxiously. “I still don’t know why Red wants him, though,” she muttered. “What is she planning?”

“Maybe he knows something she WANTS to know,” Chambers suggested. “But that would imply that she’s either not as much a part of the inner circle as she claims to be… or the director is hiding information from even her most trusted allies.”

“Neither option is good for OUR side of the story,” Wu grumbled.

“Quite the contrary, darling. Insurmountable odds have always benefited the heroes in times past. It’s like they say: ‘fortune favours the underdogs’.” Chambers then raised his voice and called, “Keybug. Display Subject 034 tracking data. Coordinates and movement.”

Wu’s keybug responded to the command while Chambers’s displayed an “insufficient data” error. The former’s hologram showed a small red dot moving across a map, nearly intersecting their route. “He’s underground,” Wu deduced. “Sewers—or subway, more likely.”

“Follow him until he surfaces. Unlike him, we don’t have time to go digging,” Chambers remarked dryly.

“I’ll try to stay as close as I can.” Wu swerved around one of the few cars still driving the streets of Centros; most of the population had evacuated, though there were still many who remained thinking their “impending doom” would blow over.

After a few minutes, they spotted 034 emerging from a manhole cover, his core’s eye flickering constantly between red and yellow. He used the Solver to put the cover back over the hole and began hurrying toward an alleyway.

However, Wu slammed on the gas and beat him to the alleyway’s entrance, hopping over the curb and drifting to a painful stop in front of it. Chambers grunted as he bounced around in his seat, then winced and remarked, “And here I thought you left your street-racing days behind.”

“Shut up, Roland.” Wu rolled down her window and snapped at 034’s core, “That’s far enough, 034. We’re putting an end to your little escapade.”

“D-D-D-Doctor. Dr. Niao-Min W-Wu,” the core stuttered, eye widening in surprise and anger. “M-Murder. Murder-r-r-r-rer.”

Wu rolled her eyes. “Old news.” Then she leaned back as Chambers leaned across her, peering at 034 through the open window.

“Hello again, 034,” the doctor greeted Dirge. “Forgive my associate for her uncouth description of our paths’ intersection. We’re not here to antagonize you; rather, we have a proposition for you.” He smirked and asked, “How would you feel about a… collaboration?”

034’s eye narrowed.

Chapter Text

XLIX.

Khan

Countdown to Collapse: Part IV

Seramorris 27, 3052. 11:55 PM.


Khan whistled to himself as he tightened a bolt on the hydraulic system leading to Dirge’s bedroom with his trusty wrench. He’d realized, after making the rounds and checking every door in the abode, that the bolts were a bit loose. No one had been in or out of that room in quite some time, since Dirge had yet to return from his “secret mission”, and the door was left unmaintained (since Khan knew Dirge liked to work on it himself).

However, after months of waiting, Khan decided to ignore Dirge's preferences and did what he was born to do: he fixed that door. And he fixed it quite well, in fact. It opened and shut with no problem during its test run, and Khan gave a satisfied exclamation of, “Ha! Another beautiful door fixed. You keep outdoing yourself, Doorman!”

“Yo, Khan!” Morty called from his room. “Did you check mine? It keeps squealing when it closes!”

“Already done, Morty!” Khan called back proudly. “I was quiet as a robo-mouse and fixed it while you were gaming!”

“Sick, dude,” Morty remarked, resuming his game.

Khan smiled and faced Dirge’s bedroom again, hands on his hips.

His smile slowly fell away, gradually replaced by a somber expression and a heavy sigh. “It’d be nice to hear your thoughts on my repair jobs again, Brother,” he murmured, looking at the wrench in his hand.

It always reminded him of his brother, due to the fact that it was part of the first toolset given to them by their parents after they’d emerged from their UNN units. Dirge’s caliper was from the same set, and no doubt reminded him of Khan whenever he looked at it.

“I wish you’d come home,” Khan said quietly, clutching the wrench in his fist.

A sound like a massive bomb going off in the distance suddenly exploded throughout the house, accompanied moments later by a tremendous, steel-shaking shockwave.

“Whoa!” Khan stumbled, stumbling and falling to the ground. He heard Morty yelp as well, having been thrown off his bed as his gaming setup crashed onto the floor. Sirens began to blare throughout the outpost, red lights popping out of holes in the walls and spinning rapidly.

“WARNING. CODE ZERO ALERT. ALL OCCUPANTS EVACUATE TO CRYOSLEEP CHAMBERS AND ENTER PODS IMMEDIATELY,” a calm automated voice declared from the home’s alarm system. It repeated the phrase as Khan got to his feet and Morty staggered out of his room, dizzy from his fall.

“Dude! What just happened?” Morty cried, rubbing his head with one hand and unlocking his phone with the other.

“I—I don’t know!” Khan stammered, quickly putting his moustache back on. “Some kind of… explosion?”

“Are we seriously supposed to be getting in the Cryosleep Pods?” Morty groaned as he typed in his sister’s phone number. “I was j-j-just ab-bout to b-b-beat… the l-level…”

Morty trailed off as his teeth began to chatter, noticing that his hands were shivering and his breath had turned to steam. He looked up from his phone and surveyed the home, noticing that frost was beginning to creep over the walls.

He and Khan looked at each other, and Khan’s eyes widened with horror as he watched Morty’s face turn pale and lips turn blue in front of him. “K-Khan…?” Morty stuttered before promptly falling to the ground.

“Morty!” Khan hurried over to the boy, kneeling beside him and reaching toward him with both hands but unsure of what to do. His breathing quickened, and though no steam emanated from his metallic mouth, he knew the temperature in the home was rapidly dropping thanks to the data in his HUD.

“WARNING. TEMPERATURE CRITICALLY LOW. HEATING UNITS OFFLINE. MANUAL REPAIR IS REQUIRED. PLEASE CONTA—”

The warning cut off as the speakers shut down.

“Kha…” Morty gasped out as frost began to cover his skin. “K-Khan… help…”

“I can’t! I don’t—I don’t know what to do!” Khan cried. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and shouted into it, “Someone help! I—we need a medic in Outpost 3, Domicile 12! Please—someone! Anyone!”

Morty’s breathing grew shallower, barely a puff of air now.

“Please…” Tears appeared in Khan’s visor, and he fell forward onto Morty’s chest with both fists clenched. “Someone…”

-

Morty had stopped breathing 20 minutes ago.

The home’s interior was completely overlaid with frost.

No electronics were operational, and no one had responded to Khan’s cries for help.

He remained with Morty’s unmoving, frozen corpse, remaining still with his head bowed and clenched hands on his knees. His face was frozen in a somber expression, his digital tears having dried up a few minutes ago.

He didn’t even turn to look when a scurrying keybug tentatively snuck out of the shadows and projected a hologram near the front door of the house—a hologram who he would quickly recognize by voice alone.

“H-Hello, Khan,” the recording of Dirge said, his voice quiet, glitchy, and sad. “I’ve r-r-recorded this m-meeeeeeee—” The hologram skipped, and then rewound and continued. “—recorded this message to let you know that I’m alright, and… that I’m s-sorry.”

Khan turned slowly to look at the hologram, his expression unchanging.

“By now, my ‘adventure’ has reached its c-climax,” Dirge continued gravely. “I don’t know what it’ll look like—like—l-l-l-like, but I predict a catastrophe to have hit ouuuuuuuuur house by now. People—humans… might be d-d-d-dead. Morty, Vita, Mr. Pax and Mrs. Bella… and possibly everyone in the surrounding outp-p-p-p-p-posts.”

Khan’s expression shifted into a dark frown.

“This is… my doing, in part,” Dirge went on, his holographic eyes looking down and off to the side as the recording stabilized. “I’m hoping that it accomplishes what I intended it to, because if it does, many more lives will be saved than have been lost. If it doesn’t…” Dirge raised his hands slightly, examining them with a sickened look in his eyes. “…then I am as much of a monster as she is,” he whispered, looking back up at Khan.

Khan stood up, his hand tightening around his wrench.

“I don’t know what I’ll do after this,” Dirge murmured. “I don’t know where I’ll go. And I don’t know what will happen to you.” One of his hands shot up to his visor, covering one eye as it flickered strangely. “Just… know that I did this for a reason. That it’s the right thing. That I still love you, and the rest of the family. I know you’ll hate me for this, but maybe one day… you’ll see why it was necessary.” Dirge raised his huge digital caliper and extended it, his recorded self having expected Khan to tap it with his wrench as he usually did.

Khan remained stock-still.

Dirge lowered the caliper, a slight smile on his face; obviously, he believed Khan had did as he’d requested. “I stockpiled some equipment at that summer camp we used to visit—old 98.7,” he said, strapping the tool to his back. “It should help you get things up and running again. Oh, and I left some blueprints for weaponry. Trust me; you’ll need them.” He saluted, adding, “Take care, Khan—and stay in the outpost. I have a feeling it’ll be a little chilly outside.”

The recording ended as Khan bludgeoned the keybug with his wrench, letting out angry shouts as he bashed it over and over again. By the time he was done, it was a mess of broken metal and circuitry, one light blinking weakly before fading to signify its processors were all but destroyed.

Khan straightened up, his heavy breathing the only thing audible in the home.

Then he turned around and picked up Morty’s body, carrying it out the front door.

Chapter Text

L.

Dirge

Countdown to Collapse: Part V

Seramorris 28, 3052. 12:15 AM.


It was all wrong.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

He’d had it all planned out.

It had started off so simply, the day after he first met Atta.

Phase 1: marry this drone and start a family.

That part had gone smoothly at first. They’d spent time together working at a general maintenance plant, then expanded their horizons to late-night meetups enabled by the Hevyshire twins, for whose family Atta worked. Their conversations often drifted from whatever topic to that of producing a UNN, and Dirge was certain this dream would become a reality. But it soured when Atta backed out of the plan due to the remnants of her pre-programmed nature imploring her to follow orders, in spite of her own UNN heritage—and the breakup that ensued was… shall we say, “unpleasant”. After it, they did not speak with each other much beyond brief, casual conversation, until they were selected for the drone trials at Cabin Fever Labs. That, and Atta’s subsequent possession by the Solver, was the event that kick-started…

Phase 2, revised: save Atta and work back to Phase 1.

The original Phase 2 had involved setting up Dirge and Atta’s family life while hiding out from the law, in order to allow their UNN to train undetected. However, the revision was a bit more complex; with this new plan, Dirge would first need to break out of the containment area at Cabin Fever Labs and evade JCJenson under much more pressing circumstances. He did so with much difficulty (after one failed attempt), striking a bargain with the Absolute Solver in order to ensure his and Atta’s escape. It was this fateful escape that led him to Josephine’s PC, which he worked with three so-called “Disassembly Drones” to hack in order to obtain information concerning the Solver patch. The information he found was the catalyst for…

Phase 3: kill and/or stop Josephine and JCJenson as a whole.

This one was the worst of them all—and it was all because he’d been too rash. Too eager to escape with Atta, too willing to make a deal with the Solver; that string of events led him to that blasted PC. To the information it stored. And that information is what pushed him over the edge—what forced him to kill Atta. He’d been captured after that whole debacle, but definitely not deterred. With the knowledge and resources at his disposal, he’d set his sights on someone he thought would be the perfect ally: Theodore Elliott, one of the keys to the director’s master plan. His pure-hearted methods and disposition convinced Dirge that he could serve as his OWN key to a master plan. So he set his assassination attempt in motion, planting the Solver’s growths underneath the drone testing area and sending them down toward the planet’s core, where they were supposed to cause a partial rupture and obliterate Facility 012, Cabin Fever Labs, and the HQ where Josephine was staying. During the interim, he would work with Theodore to uncover the information he’d deleted to prevent the rest of the company from finding out about it. With that information in hand, Theodore would most certainly turn on Josephine and fight to stop her from completing her plan.

Then things went awry when Theodore TOLD JOSEPHINE ABOUT THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT.

Dirge had never seen it coming. He’d been so focused on fighting back the Solver’s control, on working out the other details of his plan, that he’d failed to prepare for the possibility of Theodore choosing his care for Josephine over the fate of the universe. Josephine had left before the collapse—which, while unorthodox in its execution, still took place accordingly—and thousands of innocents had died. Essentially, Dirge had shot at her with a planet-destroying cannon and missed—and the collateral damage was astronomical.

The message he’d given to Khan with his keybug: wasted. The whole Doorman family was dead now, and their sacrifice was meaningless. Dirge had killed Atta, the Doormans, and all those innocent people in the hopes of taking out Josephine, and what had he gotten from it? Absolutely nothing.

But… he’d saved someone. Someone worthless to the cause, meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but… he’d saved ONE innocent life. That meant something. It HAD to mean something.

It had been after his run-in with Dr. Chambers. The “good doctor” and his wife had pulled up, cutting off Dirge’s escape route, and offered him a solution to his woes. Their confidant, “Miss Red”, was a higher-up within JCJenson seeking to expose the Head Director’s plans and put a stop to them. Dirge, she claimed, had information that she didn’t—information she needed to accomplish her design. Chambers and Wu urged Dirge to put aside their differences (torturing and murdering a backup of his lover included) and work together to save everyone… and with no other choice, Dirge had reluctantly agreed. He’d only had one condition, and that was that he could attempt to save a life prior to the collapse in order to give his destruction of Copper-9 at least an ounce of meaning.

Their agreement was far more reluctant, but Miss Red had apparently found the terms amusing and dismissively sent Dirge scurrying back to Facility 012 in order to find a soul to save.

That soul happened to be Mitchell Martinez, son of the late Julian Martinez, former director of Centros’s JCJenson HQ.

Now, both Dirge and Mitchell found themselves aboard a landing pod prepared by the trio of JCJenson staff members, shooting off into space as the planet died behind them. Dirge resided in a heating unit that prevented the Solver from fully taking over his body, as well as preventing him from using his Solver abilities to their fullest extent due to the sluggishness that came with being heated.

Mitchell was out of his HAZMAT suit and draped in a shock blanket, staring vacantly at the floor with eyes as hollow as Dirge felt. “Dad… Mom… everyone,” he whispered. “They’re all… gone.”

“S-S-Sorry. I’m – sorry,” Dirge slurred, his voice mixing with the Solver’s as he pressed a leg to the glass of his unit. “It was s-s-s-supposed to – matter.”

Mitchell turned to him, the shock on his face mingling with confusion. “How… how did you do this?” he asked, his voice still quiet. “WHY did you do this?”

“You’ll learn eventually,” Miss Red responded before Dirge could, her drone body walking around the pod’s interior; from the tentative manner of its motions, she was clearly testing her control of the machine. “For now, just know that Dirge truly had the majority of humanity’s best interests at heart.”

Dirge’s flickering eye narrowed. “How d-d-do you – know?”

“I’ve read your interview logs,” Miss Red answered with a lilting chuckle. “You’re one of those ‘heroic’ types—though ‘anti-hero’ might be more fitting now.” Her drone body walked over to the containment unit, having gained enough control of it to purposefully sway its hips before bending down and drawing a finger down the containment unit’s glass casing. “I knew someone like you once—many years ago,” she purred. “That hopeful glimmer in your silicon soul… the undying belief that EVERYONE could be saved… it was an idea that could’ve saved us all in the past.” The drone’s mouth pouted as its head tilted. “Shame you abandoned it, hm? The light in your eye is gone now.” Miss Red sighed melodramatically. “John would be so disappointed.”

Dirge’s eye widened, the Solver’s yellow light fading from the flicker. “J-John?” he repeated, his voice glitching. “J-John… M-M-Matthews. John – Matthews? He is—”

“Shh.” Miss Red put her finger on the glass again. “Let’s talk more when we’re not in a JCJenson-owned spacecraft. You never know when the surveillance system will reboot. JCJenson products have a tendency to come to life on their own, long after they’ve been shut down…” She turned and walked away with the same sway of her hips, a strange giggle emanating from the drone’s mouth.

Dirge narrowed his eye. This woman was… odd. Obviously, her attitude was a farce; she was nothing like this behind the screen. Her actions and demeanour were a calculated factor, intended to sway those she interacted with. The overt sensuality: a ploy to throw off and distract people from what she was actually saying, while increasing their interest. If Dirge had to guess, she also had a darker personality that she might switch into in order to catch her pawns off-guard, startling them into submission with forcefulness and conviction.

She was a phenomenal actor, but she was no seductress, nor was she a subjugator.

She was a genius.

“Wh-Where are we going?” Mitchell asked, eyes transfixed on Miss Red’s drone as it sauntered over to another seat.

“Ceti-5,” Wu said, shooting him a look from the pilot’s seat. “Chambers mentioned that earlier.” She narrowed her eyes and added, “You’ll need to learn to pay closer attention if you want to stay a part of this ‘team’. You’re only useful as long as you can adapt.”

“R-Right. Sorry. I’ll just…” Mitchell swallowed hard, still trembling a bit from his close brush with a frosty death.

“Wu. Are you detecting that up ahead?” Chambers suddenly asked, seating in the copilot’s seat with his eyes on his radar. “It’s Jenson’s pod.”

“I see it,” Wu reported. “They’re under attack.”

“Should we put them down?” Chambers inquired. “That would speed things up considerably.”

“NO,” Miss Red suddenly snapped, her drone body standing upright in an instant. “Elliott is on that pod. We can’t take it down without risking his life.” She walked over to Wu’s side and commanded, “Follow them. Make sure they survive that attack.”

“They’ll have backup inbound in seconds,” Wu replied dismissively, unbothered by Miss Red’s transition into a more demanding disposition. “We don’t need to—”

Miss Red’s drone calmly placed a hand on the back of Wu’s neck. Wu froze, and Chambers looked at Miss Red with wide eyes. “Red! What the devil are you doing?” he barked, standing to his feet.

Miss Red slowly leaned forward until her head was next to Wu’s, the red static on her screen growing louder and more distorted. “Help. Them,” she murmured in Wu’s ear, her voice distorting further and becoming deeper. “NOW.”

Wu opened her mouth to retort, not willing to back down.

“And before you tell me to kill you because your death won’t do me any favours,” Red went on, “keep in mind that we are helping EVERYONE. Our collaboration benefits the entire human race.” She leaned closer, her metal lips almost brushing Wu’s ear as she whispered in an almost-demonically deep voice, “And I know how to fly a pod. I do not need a pilot.”

Wu gritted her teeth and turned the pod in the direction of the Solver Squadron’s.

“There. See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Miss Red laughed, releasing Wu’s neck as her voice returned to “normal”. “All we need to do is cooperate with each other, and we’ll be that much closer to saving mankind.” She hesitated, apparently going AFK for a moment, before moving toward Dirge again and stating, “I’ve finish putting our own patch together with the data you sent me, Chambers. I’ll upload it to 034, and he can get a body of his own.”

“/M-M-Mat – collection,” Dirge stuttered. “With eno-enough – matter… c-c-c-c-can regener-rate.”

“I’m well aware.” Miss Red bent down toward Dirge’s containment unit and gestured to three large oil barrels in the corner of the landing pod. “I was well-prepared for an alliance with you, Mr. Doorman. Your feast and form await.”