Chapter 2
The alarm buzzed in the shrill annoying way that was their trademark. It was the hallmark of their kin, to steal away dreams and the brief moments where you almost reach an epiphany before being torn back to the world of the waking.
In his dream, Gabe had nearly seduced a beautiful young woman whose face he had never seen, for the entirety of the dream. She had a face, of course, but as soon as he thought upon it, the details of it disappeared into a fine mist.
The alarm had pulled him back into the cabin he shared with his sister, down the road from a tiny village in middle Greenland. If nothing else it told him that, it was the sharp cold of the air that filled the room his eyes opened to.
It was 8:00 AM.
Gabe slid out of bed, somewhat grumpy as he usually found himself to be when he first woke up. The cold Greenland air wrapped itself around him, making him regret sleeping in anything less than a full set of long johns. It had warmed since he had first arrived, but it was a relative warmed, and the cold of the morning, he was somewhat sure, would remain regardless of the time of year.
There was a flash of red from his door way, and he turned to see his sister Sara standing there, smiling.
"Good morning, sleepy head."
"What's so good about it." Gabe insisted on being petulant, hoping it would dull ever so slightly his sister's affection for being cheerful in the morning.
He rubbed his face roughly, trying to shake the last bit of sleep from his body, leaving his cheeks red and blotchy for a moment.
Sara giggled.
Each morning, Sara would say, "Good morning, sleepy head." and each morning Gabe was determined to be sulky and would reply "What's so good about it."
This neither deterred Sara nor did it increase the irritation Gabe felt. He had actually found that having someone to greet him when he woke to be something of a nicety and he happened to enjoy it a great deal.
'Of course, I can't let Sara know that or I'll pay dearly.' he thought.
Sara was aware, however. The beautiful long haired girl had attained a solid grasp on her brother's feelings in their few months together.
"I've breakfast all made up already," she went back through the doorway.
Gabe stretched and followed her out, not ready to change out of his bed clothes.
Indeed, the table was set and there were eggs steaming away on two plates, waiting to be eaten. Sara crossed the room and sat in the wooden chair that was sticking out. Gabe unceremoniously plopped himself down on the opposite end of the table, grabbing a fork and shoveling mouthfuls of food at a time, chewing just enough to swallow, followed by a drink of milk.
"You always eat so fast," Sara frowned at him from across the table, her first bite still on her fork, "It's like you have somewhere to go."
"Well we both know better than that." He coughed a bit, and took another bite of food, "I'm just not a very good conversationalist when I'm eating. So I try and get the food out of the way."
Sara looked over him, but finally continued to eat.
"Yeah sure. You aren't going anywhere, so get used to this Mr. Mason."
Gabe for his part laughed and finished his meal.
---
Kathryn sat in the dark, typing on a loud keyboard. What she could never understand was why the Deep 13 was such a difficult system to work with. She had grown up using older computers with big CRTs and keyboards that were anything but whisper quiet, but the Deep 13 was beyond antiquated. It looked bad, it smelt bad, and she was certain it would break down at any minute. She knew that it was the original creation of their secret leader of the Underground, Stephan Apex, but how he had managed to throw so many pieces of junk together and get a functioning super computer she could only guess.
'We are mere mortals before a living God,' she thought. The joke made her laugh. She exclaimed again as the computer gave her another digitized negative tone.
'Goddamn it!'
---
"Gabriel Mason"
"What?"
Glitch looked over his shoulder to see Kathryn Engelmacht standing there fidgeting like a young girl. He frowned.
She had tracked him down in one of the few cafeterias to be found on the level they confined him to. Luck had been on Glitch's side recently; he'd managed to avoid Kathryn for the last few days, but it seems it had at last run out. The tall man looked into his food, avoiding her school-girl like awe.
"That's your name, Gabriel Mason."
She took as seat opposite his, her face reddening, "I told you I would find out what your real name was. I spent the last few hours trying to pin it down on the Deep 13. It finally told me your name is Gabriel Mason."
She squeezed her hands together, "It's a very pretty name."
Glitch-- Gabe fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had only known her for the two weeks since his activation, but despite her alarmingly attractive body, her personality was a bit hard to put up with. He found himself constantly at battle with his better judgement not to cut and run when he found himself together with her.
He did, of course, realize that she cared about him, and had gone out of her way to figure out his real name.
"Thanks Dr. Engelmacht. That was nice of you." He sipped his coffee.
She smiled happily, picking fries from his tray and munching on them.
"By the way... What's the Deep 13?" He frowned slightly, looking at her face, obsurving it. Her glasses were large and placed on a delicate and slightly upturned nose. She had full lips which were often pursed in thought. Her freckles were cute, which provided a good balance to the otherwise model like quality of the rest of her body. He found himself wondering how she became a scientist, and at such a young age.
Kathryn noticed his gaze and swallowed, her face lighting up, happy to enlighten him.
“Deep 13 is the super computer that runs just about everything in this complex. Its primary use, though, is to create the personalities that run the BioSuits.” She explained regally.
"So it created me, my personality I mean."
"Yes! Deep 13 created your personality, and I created your body."
Gabe though about that for a moment and wondered how comfortable he was with this woman knowing ever intimate inch of his body.
"So does that make--"
'Mother my Mother?' was the thought he stopped himself from saying.
'Mother is my mother? What does that mean?'
Kathryn tilted her head in confusion, wondering why he stopped short like that.
Gabe shook his head, "It's nothing."
"Hmm," Kathryn was less than satisfied with that but made it a point not to pry when she could. She was desperate to keep herself in Gabe's good graces and was aware how her personality could be grating to some people.
"Dr. Engelmacht, you said you're 23, right? How did you get into this at such a young age?"
Gabe was somewhat startled when Kathryn jumped to her feet, grabbing his tray.
"Oh my I've forgotten! I have a meeting to go to. It was nice talking with you! Gabe!" She bussed his tray for him, leaving Gabe to frown in thought.
'I gotta be careful with that one.'
He sagged in his seat, doing his best to ignore the few lingering stares that had been on him the entirety of his meal. He knew he was different, if not just because he had an artificial body then it was for the metal claw they had thankfully replaced with an arm. If not that, it was the mop of purple hair that was arranged messily on his head. No matter how he looked at it, he was a fairly obvious target for attention. Engelmacht certainly didn't help things. She was, as he had noted earlier, a very attractive woman. She also had a way of displaying her most eye grabbing features without seeming to understand what she was doing. Gabe felt reasonably confident that she realized exactly what she was doing, but at times her personality was so air-headed that he wasn't sure if his judgement was right.
"My name is Gabe, hmm?"
It felt right, in some ways. He had already begun to get used to being called Glitch, but then again, he had a feeling he would be getting used to a great many things as his purpose there unfolded.
---
Time sped forward for the newborn BioSuit. With ease he relinquished his temporary handle and became comfortable with being Gabriel Mason, the Type 05B.
Whoever was in charge, with prodding from Engelmacht he suspected, had started his integration into the society of the Underground. Gabe soon found himself with access to several levels of the facility, from laboratories to gymnasiums, to the residential section where he had his own private dorm. He was curiously pleased with his dorm. Something about having his own bed and his own bathroom made him feel like a normal person. It was true that he lacked a concrete knowledge of what a real person was, but the feeling at very least was true to his imagination.
Despite his misgivings about Dr. Engelmacht, Gabe spent a great deal of time with her. He was not oblivious to the suspicions others cast on him, and had found it hard to make friends, or even acquaintances, in the times he deigned to leave his room. The initial weeks of his stay found him keeping to himself, while exploring as much as he was allowed to on the floors he had access to. When he was thoroughly familiar with his environment, this of course lost interest for him. It was only then that he became better acquainted with Kathryn.
He had not lost his distrust for her, but had cautiously lowered his guard so that he could enjoy her company. Once some of the novelty of his presence had worn off, Kathryn had become much easier to be around. He no longer felt like a new toy when he saw her looking at him.
Kathryn, of course, did her best to spend as much time with her new BioSuit charge as she could. Her work, which normally consumed her, crawled by at a snails pace as she thought about the time she was missing with Gabe.
Gabe counted himself lucky that she had work to do, but did enjoy for the most part the time they spent together. The Underground had apparently and extremely limited number of past times, and sitting, talking, and learning from the Doctor seemed to fill a great deal of his spare time nicely.
---
A month had passed since his activation and Gabe was beginning to tire the situation. He would spend hours a day, destroying books from reading them so often, their content less than stimulating most of the time.
One evening, while with Kathryn, he finally decided to bring up his problem. Kathryn tended to dominate their conversations, with Gabe occasionally interjecting a question or opinion. She was a talkative woman, which he hadn't noticed deviated substantially from her behavior when she was not around him. When she finished the train of thought she was on, Gabe posed the question that had been on his mind.
"Dr Kathryn," he began.
He had refused to drop the, "Doctor," from her name despite her protests.
"What exactly is the Underground planning on doing with me?"
Kathryn crossed her legs, an action Gabe had long since learned to glance tastefully away from. As much as he suspected she might enjoy it, and he himself might enjoy it, he felt a bit distasteful when he caught a particularly good look at her often lacy underthings. She sipped her coffee loudly for a moment, forestalling her answer.
"Why do you ask?"
He sighed at the obvious delaying tactic.
"Look, I was pretty much dropped here without a clue. That wouldn't be so much of a problem but apparently it caught you guys off guard too. Obviously I'm something special, or at very least something unique,so I can't imagine why I'm being made to spend my time sitting in my room reading paperbacks."
He had a point. The boy was a multi-million dollar machine that combined the most advanced technologies the world had ever seen, and unfortunately he had been relegated to what amounted to a captive summer vacation. Kathryn could sympathize, though she wasn't very sure how to respond. She placed her coffee cup back on its saucer, the sound of the ceramic echoing loudly in her ears.
"Well it's not surprising you'd be antsy. The truth is I'm not sure what they plan to do with you."
'If it were up to me I would keep you here for myself, and let you live a life of comfort and bliss. But of course it's not my choice.'
He watched her with a mixture of disappointment and irritation on his face, hoping for something more from her.
She pumped her fist, grinning at Gabe.
"Don't worry, I'll ask around and see what we can do with you. Even if it's not what you'll end up doing, we can figure something out to at very least entertain you in the mean time!"
Gabe managed a smile. It wasn't perfect, but he appreciated the fact the Kathryn would make the effort.
"Thanks Dr. Kathryn. If it gets me out of my room I'll be happy."
Kathryn smiled, and her thoughts slowly drifted as their conversation died into a semi-comfortable silence. She somehow doubted that he would be happy when confronted by some of the things the Underground could have him do t hat would get him out of his room. Her thoughts turned to Sara, who had been much like Gabe in her willingness to perform for the Underground.
'She was like an energetic child, ready and willing to see and try new things. Gabe is similar, but he has the misfortune... or maybe the luck, of not having a clear path laid out before him.
She hoped she could find something for him to do, or convince the council to give him some sort of responsibility. She knew it might be difficult. she hoped dearly that Gabe wouldn't suffer because of her mistakes. She knew her pull in the council was very weak.
'He doesn't know about my legacy of failure. He also doesn't realize that many people see him as the embodiment of my failed designs, a machine that's not controlled or understood.'
---
"Hey Gabe, what's up!"
Sara knocked on the frame of the window to his bedroom, startling him out of a silent daydream he was having. He jumped a bit, then saw her at the window. Looking into her clear blue eyes he yawned and stretched.
"Oh, hey."
Midday had come. It was summer time.
"What's wrong, you look so serious." She tilted her head, looking over him, assessing what might be the trouble.
Gabe shook his head, a small smirk on his lips.
"It's nothing, just spacing out a little."
Sara pouted; she could still see in his eyes that he was trying to divert her from the truth. She looked at the frame and stuck her arms through, climbing in.
"Hey now what--"
"Don't just sit there, help me through."
Like most things in the cottage the window was somewhat small, making it a bit difficult for a woman of Sara's proportions to squeeze through comfortably. Gabe got to his feet and held her arms as she worked her torso through. She managed to get her bottom stuck, which she looked back at with a frown.
"Come on, one more big pull."
Gabe looked incredulously at her but decided not to press the issue. He grabbed her under the arms, careful to avoid touching her breasts, an effort wasted when she pressed them against him as she wrapped her arms around him for leverage. He gave one great pull, forcing her backside through the window frame and letting them tumble unceremoniously cumbered into a pile on the floor.
Gabe found himself centimeters from Sara's face, her lips moist and red, eyes focusing with nearly inaudible whirring on his own. He attempted to swallow but couldn't manage.
He was keenly aware that there was an intensely attractive woman pinning him to the ground at that moment, her large chest pressed against his masculine one, her legs parted, straddling him. He kept his eyes forward, on her, lest he be found obviously looking down her blouse.
Sara could be counted on to have orchestrated this. He let himself relax a bit on the inside. The scenario stunk of one her plans. She was growing adept at reading him, knowing what would make him uncomfortable and what would not. He sensed, just a bit, that she might be testing the waters for something. Sitting atop him as she was, it made him wonder how far she would go, and how much he could take before drawing the line.
His lips tightened and his eyes widened a bit as she began to bounce on him, her face made up to look innocent but her eyes betraying her amusement.
"So, you gonna tell big sister your problems."
Gabe pushed her off of him, propping himself up and getting to his feet. He looked up at the red headed woman, who despite their twin heights, often towered over him by benefit of taller shoes. She regarded him smugly.
"A lot of trouble to get me to tell you about a daydream." he said.
She leaned into his shoulder, looking in the same direction he was, "Ah, but day dreams are good windows to go through. They show us a bit more accurately where someones mind lays, since you fall into them naturally."
Gabe choose to ignore the obvious references her metaphor made to her climb through the window just then.
"I'm not gonna get out of this hmm?"
"How could you say no to a face like this!" She pressed her head against his, a cat's smile on her lips.
"Well fine. You've made an issue out of nothing. I was just thinking about the Underground."
Sara's expression soured, "Why are you thinking about that place?"
"You said daydreams are windows. You didn't say into what. At very least it was on my mind."
Sara sat on the bed, patting the spot just next to her. Gabe intentionally gave her a bit more space than she indicated so she scooted closer.
"I suppose it's not surprising, I was just curious."
"Do you think of the Underground often? I try not to, but if I get to the point where I have to try not to the process has already begun. The memories filter in and the more I resist the stronger they are, more vivid."
Sara looked at her knees, black stockings stretched over them, hiding the pink of her flesh. They were spotted a bit with dust from their tumble but otherwise were not worse for wear. Gabe understood that's not what she was focusing on.
"I'm sure I think of that place daily. Considering, it would be difficult not to, given our situation. Sometimes I think I haven't but then I realize how many things it touches in my life. I am a product of my environment, after all. We can't forget that you are from there too, and I while don't make the connection all the time, there are times I worry, recall what they did to me, what they did to you, and suddely I can't stop thinking of it."
She paused, Gabe could tell she was searching for the next part of her thought, linking up the words in her mind that she wanted to say. He put his arm around her, hand on her waist, to encourage her.
"The day you came turned out to be one of the happiest days of my life. Obviously, it didn't start that way, but in retrospect... Before, I thought of you often. I thought of the Underground often. I thought of what they did to me and what I've become."
The organs inside Gabe's body felt as though they were sinking. He knew where her thoughts lay.
"Now that you are here, it doesn't weigh so heavy on me. There's so much more to my life now than dwelling on that. The only time when it really affects me..."
She hesitated and Gabe's suspicions were confirmed.
"... the only times it really gets to me is when I see the scars in the mirror. I really can't escape them can I Gabe? It's not just memories, I've been marked for life."
The scarring that resulted from her Viral activation had affected his sister deeply. He found it hard not to become misty eyed. Her isolation here, all the pain in her life, had started that day in the Underground.
"You're beautiful. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. Don't ever forget that."
Sara grabbed the front of his shirts and pressed her face against his chest. Gabe slowly stroked her fire red hair as she composed herself.
She took several shaky breaths, but managed to keep her tears at bay.
"How often have you been thinking of there?"
Gabe's mind moved slowly, "Often, too often recently."
"Why?"
"I've been having dreams about that place," he said softly
"And...?" She looked up to see he was staring out the window again.
"And... I've been thinking about Engelmacht."
---
Stephan Apex quietly rubbed the bridge of his nose under his thick framed glasses. Like most council meetings this one had devolved into a petty shouting match between the various members, each person's project was more important than the next, and compromise was never, ever an option.
The Underground Council was the supposed ruling body that directly controlled the actions of the Underground. The Council was mostly composed of several members from within the Underground itself, people directly under Stephan Apex. The rest were key members from the various corporations that had become intimate with the goals and aspirations of the Underground itself. These people, in throwing their lot and resources in with the Underground, meant to take an active role in the directions it took. This was both a move to bring them closer so they would feel more connected to the cause, and thus more willing to contribute to it, but also made them easier to see, and thus easier to control if they began to stray. So too was the added bonus that by including them in the council, the companies were implicated in the conspiracy, and much less likely to betray them.
The very nature of the Council made it necessary to provide secrecy for the members involved. To accomplish this, all members had their identities obscured by a projection system that masked their faces. The only identities they maintained while in session were numerical designations shown prominently on each member's face. Stephan Apex sat at the head of the table, his features masked in darkness, the number one bold on his face. Not all members were physically present: the council's place of meeting was located deep in the Underground. Most often the only people physically present were those who worked in the Underground itself. Occasionally Apex would deign to come down and take his seat at the long obelisk like table, but more often than not would project his image from his top floor office in the New Century Apath corporation building located hundreds of feet above, on the surface. Their corporate members almost exclusively broadcast from their home offices. Apex knew the names and vital information of every individual in the room. Only one or two knew that it was he that controlled the Underground, or had any idea of the connection between him, the Apath Corporation, and the conspiracy.
Apex realized with a small internal sigh that if he had actually been a tyrant, he would have had many of these people executed, and those he didn't brutally subjugated until they bowed to his every wish. Of course, if he were a tyrant there would be little need for a Council. He realized he needed these people, but was also keenly aware that it seemed every move they made served to irritate him.
The only live members in the room that day were Dr. Engelmacht and Dr. Hughes; even Apex had opted to stay in his office instead of making the trek down to the bowels of the Underground.
Apex noted with distaste that yet again the major source of conflict in the room was between Engelmacht and Hughes, and only Engelmacht and Hughes. He may not have been a tyrant, but Apex was not about to allow such flagrant stupidity keep him in that meeting any longer than was necessary.
"Doctors, if either of you don't shut up immediately, I'll send both of you to be frozen in the cold storage tanks!" he bellowed, the sound of his voice crackled loudly over the speaker.
The table quieted. Apex was more than slightly amazed that such a group of powerful individuals could be so easily intimidated. Although, then again, that was part of the point.
“Is there any NEW business we can scream at each other about?”
Engelmacht’s arm was raised so quickly it could almost be heard cutting through the air.
“Dr. Engelmacht, you have something to say?” Stephan was aware of how obvious the answer to this question was.
“Yes sir, I do.” She got to her feet.
“This ought to be good,” chortled a tiny, Germanic voice from across the table.
“Shut your face you kraut.” Snapped Engelmacht, catching the irony too late when she recalled her own ancestry. Dr. Hughes only laughed harder, which Engelmacht decided to ignore.
"As you all know, recently the Type 05B, for reasons we cannot explain, was activated, and gained an Artificial Intelligence. We do not know the origin of this AI, other than the fact that it is neither the Dummy AI or the Dummy AI Plus. As such, it has been temporarily named the Glitch AI."
The room had become silent and she noted that even Hughes was warily listening t0 her. The Type 05B had been a topic of interest as of late.
"As a fully functional BioSuit, the Type 05B has shown similar proficiencies to that of his sister, the Type 05A. He is smart and personable and more than that, he cost several million dollars to design and construct."
The quick shift from background information to a call to action was not wasted on the Council.
"He is sitting in the Underground with very little to do and so very much potential. We do not understand some parts of him but as far as I can tell we will never be able to understand it. Tests have revealed nothing, nor have the investigations into where the AI came from. He's becoming restless, and we don't need another escape incident if we can help it. He has a fully functional virus system, we could have him in the field--"
"NO"
The voice boomed from across the table. Hughes eyebrows knit together in a deep frown.
"It would be utmost foolishness if we were to do such a thing. To allow something we know nothing about into the world would be madness"
"Nothing, we've been studying him for nearly a month now. If anything we know he's not dangerous in the same way some," she was forced to pause, using her own failures as evidence to help Gabe was still trying, "We know he's not dangerousin the same way the Type 02 and the Type 03 were!" Kathryn rejoined.
The Council broke into murmurs at this, realizingthe personal stake the faceless woman before them had put in this. They may not have known her name but they did know of her history.
"No, it's moronic. If we had any sense, any thoughts towards using this Biosuit in service to the Underground ,we would purge his AI and load it with the Dummy AI Plus or the Hughes Beta."
There was a louder commotion now around the table. Hughes' egotism was becoming well known. Some agreed with the idea to purge the unknown AI, others were not as certain.
"You can't do that, he's a living person. WE owe it to him not to simply destroy him because he didn't have the benefit of a normal birth."
"He's a tool, and a dangerous one. If we can't control him, he's worthless."
Apex let his voice be heard, "Obviously it is too early for him to be used for tasks outside the Underground."
Kathryn began to sag in defeat, before an idea popped into her head.
"Ah, what about the Dive Machines? We could use those, give him real world experience without having to risk letting him free. We could even test to see how likely he is able to follow our orders, and if we should consider giving him broader freedoms."
Hughes began to protest but Apex raised a hand to stall him.
"I see no problem with this. He is your responsibility, Number 7. I leave it to you. Please report your findings as they become available."
Hughes grunted in dissatisfaction, returning to his seat. He leaned to the side and whispered to the man next to him.
"Potential or no, the Type 06 will wipe the floor with him."
---
With more than a slight bit of bitter over-enthusiasm, Gabe flung a security guard over his shoulder with starling ease, the man impacting behind him on the mats. Two more rushed at him, and he barely moved his body enough to dodge their attacks. This was not because he was unable to dodge them with greater ability, but that he was exerting the minimal possible effort in avoiding each of them. When they passed him he spun and struck them both in the back, using their momentum to push them over.
He sighed with a tired sort of resignation. He'd spent the last week similarly outclassing every opponent who came his way, which were mostly in the form of the now bruised ego Underground security corps.
Kathryn had made the suggestion that he maybe train in some martial arts. He had then been enrolled in a class with several other employees. It had taken less than a day for him to master several forms of the fighting arts, which had been implanted in him before his birth. He dropped out of the class thereafter, much to Kathryn's dismay, and had begun to spar in the Gym, taking all challengers.
'They haven't touched me in days, and I've dropped the pretext of using a particular style. I use whatever feels right at the time and then everyone is horizontal on the ground.'
The men were fit and athletic too, which made the situation even stranger to watch from the outside. The slim man, barely moving, single handily taking on all the off duty officers of the Underground, emerging without a single blow landing on him was very impressive.
Kathryn watched Gabe whenever she had time-- the sight of him exerting himself even slightly titillating to her. She had a bit more time than she had before; she'd been diverted from design work to focus on other projects while the TestType 06 was being developed. She'd devoted her attentions to examining the BlockSystem that underlies the BLOCKSabre. Other scientists let her go about her business on her own. They were purposely distancing themselves from the Doctor. Her previous failures were well known.
Kathryn shook her head, trying to shake free the bad memories that threatened to flood up.
'The past is the past and if I let it overwhelm me I wont be able to enjoy my present,' She looked meaningfully at Gabe who was stretching while some of his partners got themselves worked up for another go.
Engelmacht shook her head as she caught Gabe's eye from across the room. The memories faded. She waved at him and he waved back, before being rushed by another fighter. Kathryn gasped as it looked like he was going to be clothes-lined, but he dropped into a split and elbowed the man in the gut. The man's forward motion was used to toss him over Gabe's purple topped head. He pulled himself to his feet and ran over to her.
One the tension from being an outsider eased, Gabe had begun to get more comfortable with Kathryn. He was still quite obviously an outcast to many of the people in the Underground, but the slight variety of social interaction he was able to foster had done wonders for his mood. He was beginning to enjoy Kathryn's company at the end of the day.
"Hey babe." Gabe grabbed a towel from a hook on the wall adjacent to them, wiping the sweat from his body. He picked up his shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head. Kathryn stole a look at his trim belly while his face was covered, before immediately meeting his eyes when they appeared.
"Hello Gabe."
"What brings you down, you've been a little sparse lately, Ms. Doctor." He grinned, then leaned his head back a bit so he could muss his hair into proper shape.
She tensed a bit, enough for Gabe to take notice. He eyed her warily.
"Well..." she began to tap her chin.
Gabe had noticed her doing that before, it was a nervous tick: she was about the tell a fib. He had picked up on the habit and knew to take whatever she said next with a grian of salt.
"I missed you and so I stepped out to see you."
'Ah, that much is true. But it's still not why you came.'
"Oh? Is that all?" He circled around her and then grabbed the soft spot on her sides, under her ribs, tickling her. She yelped and jumped, pressing back into Gabe. He laughed and let go of her, while she spun and put her hands to her chest.
"Don't doooo that." she pleaded.
"Then tell me why you really came."
Kathryn stopped short at that. She looked around to see some sort of escape but it was inevitable that she had to tell him.
'It was partly my idea anyway. Oh well...'
"The Underground council says they've been pleased with how quickly you picked up your fighting abilities. They were afraid since you didn't have a normal activation that you might not have access to some of the fighting abilities we expect a BioSuit to possess. What they want to do is test some of your other skills inside a VR experience."
Gabe frowned, then raised his eyebrows, "Wait that's all? Why wouldn't I want to do that? Sounds fun."
'Well it's not going to be fun for you, not if you don't like killing.' she thought.
"It's nothing, I'm just nervous because of the council. It'll be fine."
"If you say so."
"Don't worry," she said, only partially believing what she said, "you'll see."
---
Gazing around the room with a dissatisfied look upon his face, Gabe only grunted as Kathryn called him over. The room was massive and completely empty as far as Gabe could tell. The walls were covered in metal paneling, and the ceiling was nearly 20 feet high.
"What is this place?"
Kathryn held onto her clipboard with an iron grip, trying to stop herself from shaking with excitement and nerves.
"This place is just a box, but inside the far wall there is a Dive Machine. It's ridiculously complex, and takes up about the same size as this room."
Gabe quirked his eyebrows but remained silent.
Kathryn, wondered if he expected more explanation from her.
"Ah... there's a seat that comes out of the wall for you to sit in, and a console that I can monitor you from out here with."
Gabe examined the wall, looking for a seam that might reveal the chair she was talking about. He looked until the wall split directly in front of him, its segments folding apart and a plush leather chair emerged slowly. He checked over his shoulder and saw that Engelmacht had walked across the room.
"I'm just going to assume that I'm supposed to sit here."
From across the room he could almost make out Kathryn nodding. He moved to sit, but stopped short.
"It's, like, safe... right?" Gabe questioned awkwardly.
Without a second's pause Kathryn rushed to his side, attempting to ease his concerns.
"Oh, don't worry! It's perfectly safe. Sara used to love this thing."
Gabe frowned.
"Who?"
Kathryn turned bright red and dropped her clipboard.
"Uh.. uh--" She had gotten a hold of the clipboard only to have it tumble from her hands again, spinning across the floor.
"Is something wro--" Gabe was cut off as Kathryn stood straight as a ruler, her clipboard caught in a death grip by her side.
"No! Nothing's wrong! Never mind!"
Gabe blinked at her incredulously as she composed herself.
"It may sting a bit when you first connect but otherwise it completely safe." She finally managed to croak out, too embarrassed to face Gabe any longer.
"Right," He narrowed his eyes at her blatantly suspicious behavior, but finally sat in the chair anyway.
Kathryn moved to the far, far right wall.
"Are you ready?"
Gabe gave a curt nod forward, face set.
"Do it."
There was a snap and all the lights in the room dimmed. What sounded like a huge turbine began to spin just centimeters behind Gabe's head. His chair began to vibrate. A roaring sounded in his ears that blocked out whatever it was Kathryn was yelling at him, her mouth opening and closing in front of him, her eyes moist.
The chair back seemed to fall out from behind him and he crashed into a flat position. It gave one final shake, and then sank backwards into the machine. The roar was dulled inside. From the darkness there was the sounds of whips, snapping against metal. Gabriel, sealed in the heart of the thundering machine, felt slithering tubes begin to wrap around his body, tying him to the chair. The last thing he remembered was the feeling of being shot by a gun about a thousand times along the back of himself, and then the alarming sensation of his consciousness draining out through the tubes that had trapped him.
[welcome home]
---
Kathryn jumped as she heard Gabe's muffled yelp from within the machine, which had now quieted to a dull hum while it worked away. She scampered to a terminal next to the hatch where Gabe had disappeared into and began typing furiously.
"He should be connected now."
The picture of the screen scrolled rapidly as information passed across it at the behest of her keystrokes.
"Time to start it up."
She grabbed a headset that hung neatly out of the way and adjusted it so it fit snugly on her head. After a quick check to make sure the mic was receiving, she pulled a lever next to the monitor. The machine began to roar again and Gabe's voice came through her headset.
"What-- What the hell am I seeing?"
---
After that last blinding moment of pain, vast grassy plains had sprung up before Gabriel's eyes, stretching onwards into infinity in all directions. A gentle wind blew across the landscape, making the thick green grass sway under its caresses.
"This is virtual reality."
Gabe jumped as Kathryn's voice came from the sky.
Before Gabe could venture a question, Kathryn began to explain.
"This is a virtual battle field. I am connected to you by headset. Anything you say will be transmitted to me, and anything I say will be transmitted to you. I can even monitor what you see, to a limited extent. If what the Type 05A said is any indication, 2D representations could never recreate what you are seeing."
"Type 05A... That's the Sara you mentioned, isn't it?"
As only silence came over the line, Gabe could almost picture her tapping away at her chin, trying to come up with an explanation.
"Ah... yes, but lets not dwell on that right now." Was Kathryn's eventual reply, unable to come up with a suitable fabrication quick enough.
In the distance Gabe began to hear the sounds of marching, hundreds of footfalls stomping towards a goal. Though he could barely make it out, he thought he could see something coming over the ridge to the east.
"You are about to be tested on your ability to remotely command a theoretical BioSuit army."
As the troops came closer, he saw that they were all identically uniformed, with identical builds, and each of them with the same platinum blond hair. Their faces too were all identically shadowed.
"Am I really able to do this?"
There was a pause on the line.
"Actually, so far as you have been designed, you are not able to do this in the real world, which is fine because there is no BioSuit army to speak of. However, in VR you should find yourself very much able to control this small of a force."
There was another pause.
"If I remember correctly the Type 05A had a limit of about 10,000, give or take a few dozen men."
Gabe found himself strangely disturbed by the reply. It was as if the Kathryn he knew was replaced by the true woman that the rest of the world saw her as. The calculating tone in her voice, and the disconnect from what she said and what those words meant disturbed him. The implications of a BioSuit army put a cold fear in his belly while at the same time made a suppressed part of him call out for joy. He chose to ignore both parts and instead focused on what was happening on the field.
In the depths of his brain he felt a connection bloom. Hundreds of tiny thoughts began to pour into his head. They threatened to overflow and drive him mad. With a bellow, he silenced them.
"STOP!"
[STOP!]
Though he had yelled aloud, the voices in his head indeed stopped. Down on the field, so had the BioSuit force, halting some 40 yards from him.
"Did... I do that?" Gabe asked quietly, awe struck.
From the west, another force appeared. As it passed the crest of the hill, and came towards the flat lands where Gabe's force resided, a man in shrouded in black stood behind it.
There was an electric crackling in Gabe's head, and the enemy forces seemed to focus.
[Attack.]
The man in black thrust a sword into the air.
The enemy began to charge.
"Jesus Christ!" Gabe shouted as they closed with alarming speed.
He started to panic. Hundreds of men (and women?) who seemed intent on ripping him limb from limb were careening down at him and there was nothing he could do.
"Gabriel! Lead your troops!" Engelmacht sounded from above.
There was a ripple in time.
Instinct took over.
Where Gabe's left arm had been, was now replaced with the metal tube and claw of a Prosthetic.
It shot forward.
[Troops focus. Defensive position. Prepare for incoming enemy. Separate in the hopes of surrounding. There is no line. Fight.]
His purple hair was tussled by the wind on one end of the field, while blond hair blew gently on the other.
Then, there were screams, and blood, and death. The green disappeared, and the skies turned grey.
* * *
In the end, Gabe's forces had won, but by a negligible number. There were three BioSuits left on the field by the end of the exercise, and only two of them were in one piece. Gabe reflected upon the horrible violence and savagery the two groups had demonstrated. Armed only with blades, they hacked each other to pieces, and when their blades were lost or broken, they bit and scratched their way to victory. They disemboweled each other, chewed through each others throats, gouged out eyes, cut off tongues, anything they could get their hands on. They weren't people, or even soldiers. They were monsters, and beasts, and animals.
Gabe and the man in black, across the way, watched. The last one standing, who had one hand buried in the belly of an opponent and the other holding his own guts in, flickered and disappeared from existence. A beat later so did the landscape, leaving only white and the two men. The man in black soon vanished, and then too did Gabe.
[farewell]
Mother watched intently, chin in her hand. No one could detect her presence. She felt the pain of seeing so many BioSuits die, and yet pride in her Vindicator's success. Against a human army, he would suffer no losses, no set backs. He would cut them down and march across them until she sat at the head of the world, with him as her knight.
Her avatar vanished from the Dive Machine. A single feather fluttered through the air, and then nothing.