Three days. Three days and nights of engraving this damned thing, with all of the ink and aether and blood that I have. But it’s finally done. I lie atop the scaffolding appreciating the last rune of the spine of the Gateway, knowing that I should descend and get ready to pour the resin in, but I can’t bring myself to move. I’m tired, my aether is below safe levels, and I haven’t eaten in at least six hours. When my extremities start to shake as I relax, I realize I have a problem.
“Tessa. I think I need a trip to the recovery pool.”
What? . . . PENNY!! No, no, no. You don’t even have enough aether left to summon your shuttle you stupid girl!
I vaguely hear Tessa shouting at her interface about transportation.
I should have known you would do this. I saw that do or die look in your eye. Did I listen to my suspicions? No, of course not. Penny knows what she’s doing.
Why is she making a big deal about this? I’m just tired.
YOU ARE CONSUMING YOUR BODY TO LIVE. You could die Penny.
“Please eat, Penny. Please.”
I can feel her put stuff in my mouth and forcing me to swallow. I feel short buzz, but I’m still so tired.
***
I wake up in my recovery pool, being cradled by Tessa. “This is pretty comfy hon.”
“I am so mad at you right now. You weren’t on the verge of death, but you were working on it. I’m not sure what angers me more, that you risked your life, again; or that I should expect this behavior from you.”
I chuckle weakly. “I get that, but I can’t stop thinking about how many people would suffer if I took an extra day to get that gateway up?”
“Well, we won’t have to find out. Theodore is finishing up the housing and testing the shields while you recover. We hired a magitech technician to install the batteries that you set aside, who should be busy until this afternoon, and then, if you can walk again, we can power the gateway interface.”
You continue to be the best part of me, Tessa. Thanks for managing my shitshow. Sorry I scared you.
You should be. You were shaking the whole way back. Ugh, I think I know how Katie felt when your brain melted.
Mind if I check some messages while I recover.
Project your screens please. I like to use my body when I’m in it.
She wall-squats against the side of the pool and turns me in her lap to hug me from behind. Warmth spreads from my back throughout my body. This is very nice.
Okay system, what has my foolishness bought.
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“Tessa, correct me if I’m wrong: My title, class, and progenitor rank just combined to make a magical demon baby.”
“Penny, the tooltip says: ‘This is a Legend-rarity confluence skill.’ That tooltip says: ‘Higher rarity skills are pre-requisites for tasks and roles in service of the Matrix.’”
“Okay, Tessa. Now for the Legend-rarity question.”
//Query: Skill description – My Will Be Done.
//Response: My Will Be Done – Legend Rarity. Your Will is a force of Nature. No matter what you attempt, applying your will to a task will have a noticeable effect.
“I low-key think that Andromeda is trying to make me an Administrator.” I turn around and monkey hug my robo-bestie.
“Your experiences with the current Administrators and their curious tolerance of you would lend toward some sort of role in service of Andromeda. It is, in fact, in the tooltip.”
“Tessa, I have a really stupid idea.”
“That’s not descriptive.”
“Ass. I just got a module for aether condensing and other fun ways to die.”
“Ugh, I see where this is going. No, you can’t try it now. I DEMAND that you be on Elysium within 100km of the V’tek satellite collective before you even attempt that novel-based foolishness.”
“It’s been far too long since I told you I loved you. I love us.”
***
I convinced my protective AI to cart me out to hover above a thick Astorian forest before trying to pull aether to fix me. I can normally feel the mechanisms in my skin pulling and processing atmospheric aether, but it’s always a trickle. This time though, I PULL. Let’s spin up this vacuum. The vortex that is my heart fucking goes turbo and just reaps. I have to concentrate with multiple minds to keep my heart from eating my body and pull from the environment.
After the effort and time that it takes to calm my vortex down, my skeleton has started to receive aether again. Thank the Matrix. I didn’t know there were reserves lower than my bones, but there were and apparently I had a lot of body to sacrifice.
“While I appreciate that you are now within measurable levels, this had a destructive influence on the environment and your ship.”
“Yes, but, I can now go test the gateway and walk on my own again.”
Tessa scoffs in my brain but gives up on her potentially fruitless protest and flies us back to Penbroke Pavillion.
When we land, I look over the gateway arch and mix the small vial of chemicals into the bucket of tree resin and start pouring it in the engravings I couldn’t protect before my medi-vac. I use about half the bucket before I finish, but I mixed the whole thing and I hate to waste it. But whatever plans I had for the rest of this bucket flew out of my mind when I see a puff of frizzy red hair tied up behind a severe face of concentration and stark beauty.
I teleport tackle the technician and latch on like a fucking leech.
The technician starts laughing and hugs me back. “I wasn’t ready to see you yet, but this reaction feels excellent.”
“Can I kiss you?” She nods and I dock with her lips.
Somehow, minutes later, she’s rolled on me and is currently looming on me with a satisfied smile and a sexy tooth biting her lip. “I expected more . . . resentment, uncertainty, anger?”
“My love, no matter how you got there, you were taken advantage of and violated. I will never sleep in that house again, but I forgave you mere days later.”
“As much as I think your easy forgiveness foolish, I will take it. I also have to finish this arrangement. Please consult me in the future, Penny. Your Magitec is serviceable, but artless.”
“You may be hiding behind your expertise, but . . .” I tangle my fingers in her red curls. “I just hope you’re back to stay.”
“I’m not finished atoning, but I don’t plan on avoiding you any longer.” She kisses me and I get lost in it. This is why Katie and I are so dangerous together. The universe could die while we focus on each other and we would only notice the aftermath.
“I should, uh, let you work then. I still want you in my life Katie. Whatever that turns out to be.” She smiles fondly before petting my cheek a moment then returning to work.
>K] Remember when I told you I need you to the detriment of myself? I’m there again love. You are the most exquisite death I can imagine at times, but then I remember that if I plan correctly, I can love you for a practical forever.
We have time, love, and I will always come back to you. Your orbit sustains me, but sometimes I feel guilty for taking all of your warmth. You deserve all the planets and satellites that worship the gravity of you. [<
>P] Katie, when you get poetic, my knees get weak, but don’t leave me this way. [<
>K] I won’t avoid you anymore, but I don’t deserve to be with you right now. Just . . . please give me time? [<
>P] Okay, Kay. Whatever you need. [< Seeing her beat herself up makes my soul hurt.
She turns from her work, placing a hand on my face with a sad smile and strokes her thumb twice before getting back to work.
My skin and brain are buzzing with the contact, but I know that this is not a return of my loving wife. This is a reluctant vigilante that doesn’t want to disappear, but will for a time. Well, if she won’t stay, at least she’ll do the gateway work better than I ever could.
As anxious as I am about the reunion with my Katie, the Gateway is energizing and slowly coming to life. Focus Penny. The gorgeous ginger vampire is just here as a technician and not a world-ending seductress to take you home and give you orgasms into oblivion. A demigod Empress can dream okay?
Afternoon has come and gone into early evening and I find Katie has disappeared, but the lingering excellence of her work plagues me. UGH!!! Tessa, please save me from this acute brain cancer.
No can do. Atropos is talking to us again, and well . . . she said we could interface again.
You smitten fool! I love this for you. Well, enough lollygagging.
I key up my interface and ask Tessa to link her scaffolding prep with my simulation. Everything seems to check out after a twenty-minute crunch and we’re ready to portal.
“I don’t know if it’s my class or just me, but I wonder what kind of things I could break with gateway technology.”
Tessa swears in my brain and keys my aether to the activation sequence. Without consulting me whatsoever, she engages the Gateway and with a satisfying surge, the shimmering portal stabilizes.
//The Human Empire of Astoria has established a permanent gateway network. May prosperity move ever forward//