----- Chapter 5 : The South Tower -----
Sue sat next to the bed, in her hand she cradled the heavily bandaged hand of Cassie, who lay there sleeping. Bandages covered every visible bit of skin, the only sign that anyone was even alive under all of it was the shallow, rhythmic rising and falling of her chest as she breathed.
Sue's cheeks were damp and her eyes red from the effort of crying earlier. Even as she played back the events of yesterday in her mind, the flood of emotions caused tears to well up in her eyes once more.
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The VR field underwent massive instability, manifesting as the tremors and even the fireballs that fell down upon them. Sue just managed to catch a glimpse of Cassie as she disappeared from view, a direct hit and so consequently removed from the VR field. There was no way for Sue to have known at the time the full extent of what had happened.
Sue did not hesitate for a milliBeat longer, dashing for the exit faster than she thought possible. The trip a blur in her memory, her only concern was her own survival, but the end result was being stranded alone in the second VR field: The spaceship. Based on designs of Coral's old orbiting space stations it was a confusing maze of cold metal walls and twisting corridors.
She had located a communication sphere and the Lab filled her in on the situation. They warned her that the VR field instability meant that injury fail-safes in place could not be guaranteed to protect her. The news that Cassie had been hurt filled Sue with dread and she had insisted then and there that she wanted out.
Natasha Milarose herself stepped in with a deal. If a partner was provided and they resumed the observation mission, then Cassie Opia would be granted an automatic pass. What choice did Sue have?
Two Beats later, her new partner entered the VR field. He was a plain white HUcast of the strong, silent variety. He was called Mandroid and he initially caused Sue no small measure of consternation when he produced an ever so familiar purple scythe. It calmed her fears only slightly when he assured her that it was merely a replica but from that point on she made sure she kept an eye on him.
The Android Kireek had also wielded such a weapon. When Ash had mutated she had asked Kireek to capture him and he obliged her by almost killing him with it. There was more to it than that, but it was another story for another time.
Mandroid proved to be more than capable. His immense strength allowed them to cut a swathe through the stronger enemies scattered throughout the environment. With the job made easier, Sue could concentrate on remaining a comfortable distance behind their target, namely Elly Person and her protector.
Their quarry got themselves in a couple of sticky situations but Sue was instructed not to intervene, even if she had it would probably ended in a battle for IDs. When the mysterious FOmar had materialised to assist them was when it got really weird.
That night as the four of them had sat on the beach of Gal Da Val Island and discussed what had happened, she could not fully comprehend it all. Even now it seemed so fantastical as to still hurt her brain as she struggled to understand.
That mysterious FOmar was Calus, an Intelligence obtained from the systems controlling the research labs in the secret mining facility. Except there were two of them...? Calus had been integrated into the VR simulation systems and had contacted Elly to take the exam. Sue in turn had been hired as a neutral observer, though they had never fully explained the whys and the wherefores of the mission to her.
Following the completion of the exam by three of the teams, the simulation had ended. Sue wanted nothing more than to check up on Cassie's situation, but Natasha Milarose warned her that it was not over until she said it was. She was right too, Elly Person was contacted again by Calus. She and her protector sneaked through the Lab's main transporter down to Gal Da Val Island, a place she was becoming very familiar with.
Gal Da Val Island was some kind of secret research base for the Pioneer One scientists. It crawled with their lethal experiments, science run amok. It was also much closer to sea level than the plateau selected for the Central Dome, giving it a tropical feel. Situated in an often fog-filled bay lay the research facility itself and that was where they touched down.
Calus directed them go to the 'Control Tower', the tallest building in the southern section of the base but only half the height of the East or West Tower. At this point Sue and Mandroid confronted the pair, Sue had even made a veiled threat to the 'Hero of Ragol'!
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Sue smiled at that thought. She would probably have been chewed up and spit out in the blink of an eye, but in the heat of the moment sometimes rash decisions get made...
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Elly and the Hunter convinced them to at least see through what they were doing, maybe foolishly, Sue had given in. Mandroid and the Hunter led the charge to clear a path to the top of the tower, Sue and Elly following close behind. Though Sue had teamed up with the Legendary Hunter previously, the difference in power since then was very noticeable. Mandroid was no slouch in the fight stakes and the two of them formed an awe-inspiring combination.
The top of the tower held secrets, things done in the dark to hide them from the scrutiny of those in power. The three principal Intelligences: Calus, Olga and Vol Opt, were created by something called the MOTHER system, but their story did not end there. Doctor Osto was working to push them onto the next evolutionary step in conjunction with D-Cells recovered from the Ruins.
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That had reminded Sue of something that Kireek had said to her the very last time she saw him.
"Did you know that humans created Androids to fight their wars for them? When they turned on their masters they created genetically engineered versions of themselves, the Newmen, to fight their wars for them." He had told her.
"But that was over a thousand years ago." Sue had replied.
"An age for you, yesterday for me. Tell me, when your kind turns on them, what will they create?"
What indeed? But her thoughts were interrupted as Cassie stirred slightly and then gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
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