Zax didn’t think the enforcer and the scientist would take long to finish their tasks, so he took advantage of that time to browse through their simulations. They had estimations about where the target was expected and what state the people inside would be found in at different points in time. There were more people than he would have thought. However, the new information about the true nature of at least the wall changed a few things.

He added his knowledge of nanite constructs. He was not familiar with military grade predictive tactical simulation software; but he had worked on and with more than a few simulators, and a simulation was still a simulation. He was just getting immerged in his work when he was interrupted by a chorus of complaints:

““They work for our family.””

“Hm?” Zax turned his head back towards the voices.

““And I don’t like being ignored.””

It was of course the pair of cat-and-dog mutants. They were flanking him, frowning, arms crossed, taping their fingers in the same rhythm and in a way that drew the eye to their claws. Zax couldn’t tell if it was on purpose, and the hanger-on wasn’t in sight.

“Did you rehearse that? Uh, I can’t decide if you get along or not.” The human thought aloud.

“How could I get along with him!?”

“How could you say that!?”

And just like that, their intimidating act was broken as they turned back against each other. Not for long, but the damage was done. Zax turned back to his work, adding:

“Sorry but I’m a bit busy right now. If you have something to say, please get to the point. Concisely.”

“We came in this backwater place at the request of our family.” Dog-man managed to beat the other by a fraction of a second this time.

“Some good-for-nothing here needed help on someone with actual ability.” Cat-man followed, unwilling to let the other upstage him.

Both were content to pretend the last moment never happened. Zax waited for the rest of their tirade, but they just kept looking at him smugly, waiting for… something. He couldn’t figure out what it was; but he was content to let the silence stretch and to focus on his task. He was progressing faster than expected, the simulator was surprisingly intuitive. He would expect a military software to require specific training to use effectively, but-

““So…?””

So much for silence, and they were getting heated.

“We are more advanced mutants than you’ll ever see.”

“We are the best opportunity you’ll ever have.”

“I don’t know how you learnt about my hobby, but I still don’t know what you are trying to say.” The human answered without deviating his eyes from the holo-screen or slowing his hand movements.

“What?”

“Huh?”

The pair glanced at each other, seeing their own confusion in the other. What was going on? Why did that dotter react so weirdly? Their distraction lasted just long enough to let Zax finish his modifications and relaunch the simulations.

“There we go. Now we wait. You were saying?” Zax finally looked away from the screen, only then noticing how close to him the two had gotten. They were only as tall as he, but almost jumped back by reflex.

“We don’t know what your hobbies are and we don’t care.”

“We are Circlers and you’re a dotter.”

“The 3G itself favour us more than you.”

“Our family has more weight than yours.”

“We are the best opportunity you’ll ever have.”

“We have men everywhere.”

“Obedience is rewarded.”

“Impudence isn’t tolerated.”

The rapid fire of left and right comment would be disorientating for most, but for someone with nanites transcribing what was heard live, it was just a matter of re-reading what was in front of his eyes. There was a lot to unpack, though, and it was all very confusing.

Funny how their two speeches could work on their own.

“You are not making any sense.

You don’t know much about me, that is normal since we barely met.

I already knew you came from the First Circle; your mutations and clothes make it very obvious.

The Glowing Green Goo is a mysterious mutagenic substance, we do not understand it; but it is clear that it is not a sapient being. It does not have a personality or preferences, so it can not favour someone over another.

I do not have a family, so any family has more weight than mine. Nothing to brag about.

If you do not mean an occasion to study your advanced mutations first-hand as my hobby, I guess you meant an opportunity to rise socially? To move in to the circle? In that case, I have personal issues that make that impossible, or at least very ill-advised. I can contribute more here.

No matter where you have men, the main computer has priority. Not sure how it works outside the dot, but the main computer will ensure the Shelter keeps on running and the dot stays autonomous.

Your comments about obedience and impudence are close to basic education, although easier said than done, but I am not your son. You are too young to be him.

I do not see how most of those statements relate. And I still don’t know what your point is.”

He had other things to say, but they could be dismissing or offensive; like how the dot was economically and politically separated from the rest of the Shelter, or that the Main Families despised the dot so much only a few did a token effort to influence it, and they mostly used it as training and testing ground for their less mutated members, or how he didn’t believe two helper’s endorsement would ensure his admission, even helpers normally mutated for the First Circle, or how their mere presence was suspicious and the timing even more so.

Except for the last sentence, the whole speech was stated in a monotonous voice and steady speed, neither aggressive nor submissive. He sounded like he was reading a prompt, which took the wind out of the pair’s sails long enough to let him finish.

Once he was done though, they immediately and noisily voiced their displeasure. A discordant duet that grated the ear and didn’t make sense. So much for synchronisation. But point for them, even if they got way too close for comfort, they didn’t point their claws at him. It was close, but at least they had some manners. The conversation ended up getting back on track.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“You insulted our men.”

“Me? When did I insult anyone?” Zax was confused.

“You said they lacked training.”

“Severely, even”

“Yeah, and tried to get them out of the task force.”

“It’s an insult.”

“To them, to their skills, to our family’s training, and to our family as a whole.”

“Do you even know who they are?”

“Err, from your mutations, I assume the Brahn Family, or at least a subsidiary? They’re experts in physical reinforcement that often lead to actual animal hybridization. It could’ve been the Yokai Clan, but you mentioned a family, not a clan. Heard it was a big deal for them.” The human added with a shrug. “And I don’t know what kind of training your family give your men, but it really is lacking. Everyone moved away when I arrived full speed and shouted, as they should when someone with those blaring colours arrives in this situation, but those two didn’t react. Like, at all, they just stayed on the way, trying to look stalwart. They almost slowed me down, you realise? If they wanted to stop me, they wouldn’t have acted any different. What do helpers need bodyguards for anyway? Important people from the Circles aren’t sent in the dot, and especially not just to help do someone else’s job in a non-biotech power centre.”

“Our family has their reasons and they are none of your business.”

They don’t know either?

“We ordered them to help your enforcers.”

“We didn’t have to, and they could have refused.”

“If they want to stop you, you stop.”

“Of course they will want to stop a guy coming at them full speed.”

“That’s the whole point of a blockade.”

“Apologies. Now.” The last one -the cat one, as it was- uncrossed his arms and pointed down, putting his other hand on his hip.

“I see. You are right that you didn’t have to order your men to help, but only because they would have had to go anyways. It’s part of the rules of the dot: private security is allowed, and even encouraged in some cases, but during emergencies they are requisitioned based on proximity. If your men happened to be the closest of the situation, they were to immediately follow computers orders and procedure. If enforcers were closer but more men were required, yours would have been taken if they were close enough. Provided it didn’t put you in danger.”

“As if our men would follow your junk’s orders over ours.” The very idea was so ludicrous it wasn’t ever worth getting worked up.

“Er, if they didn’t want to be fired, they would have no choice. I wouldn’t expect helpers to know, but as private enforcers they definitely did. Any private security force has to agree to follow those rules to be officially recognised and allowed to practice. I am sure there are differences in the Circles, but they were warned of it when they passed the border anyways, and they would not have been allowed to enter without agreeing.

Else, it can only mean they came in illegally, or that they were not recognised in the first place. So let me ask this: does your family employ illegal task forces, and does your family encourage illegal activities?”

That revelation really rocked them both. Their authority could be stripped away just like that?

“Of course everything was in order.”

“You advised us to send our men to help. Why did you not tell us that?” The question was turned to the third man originally present, but they then remembered he had left a bit earlier. Smart man, he definitely played them.

“To make you feel more involved?” Zax speculated.

“Anyway, even if they knew they had to help, it doesn’t mean they had to let you pass. How could they possibly know that?”

“Right, back on topic:

Because basic education anywhere in the Shelter includes knowing the emergency protocols, and basic enforcer training includes what it means when someone with these clothes arrives running and shouting at such a scene, as well as the appropriate responses.”

“The Circle’s…”

“The colour codes and principles of the protocols are the same in all the levels of the Shelter, specifically to prevent confusion. That is why you should know what this red and blue mean, even if you do not know why someone is wearing them.” Zax pulled his shirt collar. “In the dot, those are drilled in us all along our education and regularly tested and refreshed. It is supposed to be the same in the Circles; so if you do not know, not just your family’s, but the education of all the First Circle must be reworked, and the computer was too lenient in what it let “organics” decide by themselves.

Unless it’s just you, but I’d be rude to assume that. I’ll just let the main computer do as it will with that information.”

The pair didn’t know what to answer. They only just realised how much they reflected not just their family, but the Circle as a whole and what an impact it could have. Fortunately, they were spared the need to have the last word when the simulator beeped his preliminary completion and Zax dived right back in.

“Too many scenarios… but already sorted by type? Neat.” The programmer muttered to himself as he kept on refining the results. “Let’s just keep the best case, worst case and most likely scenarios. Now-”

He didn’t get far before the task force, led by Enforcer, came to get him on their way. The bargain materials would arrive soon. Zax briefly explained what he had done and what was still lacking. Enforcer nodded an acknowledgement, pouring over the results and assuring that Lab Coat (whose name was Mart, apparently) would get it when he got be back. Then the briefing of the operation started. Enforcer repeated Zax’s warning and examples almost to the letter, so he didn’t have anything to add about that.

The plan was straightforward: they would all go to the patch on the wall, Zax would attempt to convince the Core to let them in with the metals as a bribe, then the force would go in, find the missing people, stabilise those that could be, and bring everyone back ASAP, the corpses too if possible. Zax would most likely just stay close to the entrance to ensure it stayed open, and only come if the rest of the Core was indeed made of nanites and if he could affect them, which was an even bigger “if”.

Everybody was tensed listening to the speech, which was appropriate, but the civilian couldn’t hep but feel it was still premature. It wasn’t even sure he would be able to talk with the Core defences, let alone convince it to let them pass. That is, until he glanced at their gear.

Medical supplies, detectors, foldable stretchers were normal. Emergency, hyper-nutritive rations made sense to help with healing. The body bags though, almost made him puke his heart out. They were fully ready to find corpses. Maybe even only corpses. It was then that the full weight of what they were about to do hit him. He already knew, intellectually, of course. That was what he had signed up for. But it only dawned on him what they risked, what could happen, what was at stake.

He used to boast about going above and beyond the necessary, and what every inhabitant should do, and the normal decent thing to do, and duty as a person, but it was the first time he was actually useful in an emergency. If they failed, if he failed… the very idea was terrifying. It weighted heavily on his shoulders. He couldn’t let himself fail.

He felt a new sense for the tension the others emitted. And they lived that every day? A new dose of respect for those specialists filled him.

The team leader finished his explanation. A few questions were asked here and there, and Zax barely heard cat and dog. He hadn’t noticed they had been called too.

Lab Coat arrived soon and before Zax knew it, they were at the foot of the wall and he was getting ready to attempt communication. He put his backpack down, it hadn’t left his back since he took it in his private workshop, pressing a button and revealing it for what it was: a giant Zax-box.

The function was the same: controlling a specific batch of nanites, but more powerful. It had more autonomous functions and could interact with more batches, each way bigger than a standard dose.

The nano-technology expert first used it to detect any outgoing wave, explaining what he was doing as he went. He tried every trick his Big-Box could, but as expect it didn’t work. The wall didn’t emit anything it could detect, and didn’t react to any of its emissions. It was no surprise, if interfacing with the wall was easy, it wouldn’t have been an unpassable barrier for so many centuries.

That left trying the more direct approach: interfacing directly with his own nanites. Ignoring the surrounding gasps, the human raised his hand and slowly pulled it closer, still trying for a wireless interface before initiating contact. He closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on his nanites feedback, until it happened.

[Connection attempt detected]

[Unknown interface]

[Creation of new hybrid interface]

[Alert!]

[Intrusion detected]

[Firewall ineffective]

[Anti-virus ineffective]

[Mainframe breach imminent]

[Emergency shutdown]

It all happened so fast his brain could barely follow. Without his experience he wouldn’t even know something had happened besides his nanites suddenly not working, but he realised the Core had attempted to hack him, totally overcame his safety measures, and his emergency program had shut everything down as a last resort.

His nanites had to use their last resort in less than 0.3 seconds. Impressive, he was surprised they could go that far.

“What happened? How do you feel?”

The Team Leader’s voice pulled him out of his musings, he had forgot to update them aloud.

“What do you…”

Zax understood when he failed to get his hand off the wall. The cause was obvious: his arm up to the wrist was still against the wall, but his hand had disappeared. The wall had swallowed it, and no amount of forcing and twisting let him break free.

His nanites were safe from the Core, but his body was taken hostage.