Chapter 60: Love of a Believer
12:03 AM
August 1st
Ripley’s Second Day as a Metal Heaven’s Initiate
Everyone was soft asleep when I got out of bed, for a criminal gang they were early sleepers, the mess hall was huge and there were still quite a few people awake. Mostly drugged out of their minds and talking to themselves. So… who could harm me for a little careful stroll?
I’d just made my way to the Scrap room, carefully sidestepping some discarded limbs clattered on the floor when… oh fuck. Seated on the Arachne bed, running his slender four arms along the Arachne’s two remaining limbs was the Priest of this chapel — which was in fact a hollowed out megastore in a ruined building — Norgwal Sromnik.
“My priest.” I regarded him with a bent knee… by the Founders, if Mirage or Diamante could see me now.
He ran all four of his thin wiry arms along the Arachne’s form. In comparison to the general recruits I’d spoken to, Priest Norgwal was articulate and precise with his speech, unnervingly so. “This beautiful piece of machinery was unearthed within the caverns of a crushed SynTec lab 40 odd years ago. It’s no wonder you’ve come to appreciate it, it’s performed even my own modification. A sacred tool of our chapel.”
“It really is remarkable.” I met his eyes… was I supposed to look at him directly? Or was it rude to stare? “I couldn’t sleep, new bed… new faces. I was uncomfortable, if I can admit that. This is not yet my home.”
“Please, we aren’t savages. A home needs to be dwelled in, lived in, breathed in, before one can call it home. Anything can be a home, anyone…” He caressed the machinery, almost making me want to leave it here in the dust. “In fact, I believe it isn’t a home you are looking for.”
The Priest followed my prone body. “Stand up child, face me. I want to witness you firsthand.”
That made me very uncomfortable. “If I may—“ shit was I supposed to call him ‘father’? “—Priest Norgwal, how did you know I was interested in the machine.”
“My eyes.” He pointed up to black beads planted across the entire room, like the entire room was one giant spider. And I was trapped in its web. “Merely lended to me by the Allseeing. The Allknower.”
“The Absolute Eye.” I bowed lightly.
“Yes, the MALtitan that resides at the core of the Old_Data.” He punctuated the last two words with a smack of his lips. “The forbidden fruit humanity has yet to suckle on. Do you truly know what separates us from the Orthodox faction of our coven?”
He stared at me intensely, from everywhere, I could feel the violation in my bones. Fortunately, I had spent the night learning what I could to blend in. “We worship the MALtitan as it is, an unknowable creature that has unified Earth’s knowledge. It is not a god, it is but a creature with unclear motives. The Orthodox on the other hand view it as an almighty deity, that by worshiping and feeding it, they may come to be unified under its grasp as part of the Eternal Source.”
“Clever, you’ve learned quickly. But unfortunately, that is not what separates us, it has to do with one man, The Iron Devil or as we call him, The Silver Saint.” I flinched at that name, Diamante was, to my suspicions, The Iron Devil. “For when he descended upon our old Archbishop, he unshackled us from the paltry teachings of a hypocritical order. They wish to become one with the MALswarm, we seek to overcome them. To ascend to godhood by consuming their knowledge and power for our own, even if it means casting our humanity aside. When the Hammersmith came to us, he had mastered his control over the MAL’s progeny within him, tamed it and fed it. And it fed him, I will never forget the sight of him, and how our… betters attempted to thieve off him.”
I didn’t like where this was going.
“Deep within you child, at first glance, I sensed a harmony — a resonance between powers unbecoming of humanity and your mortal shell itself. I have a gift unlike few others, whereas many searched for material wealth with vision, I sought a world unknown to it. And my inner-MAL responded, emparting me with a sight few can witness.”
“You can see into our Warp Energies?” I asked.
“Into your Aether, child.” Ah, so he was one of those nutjobs.
“Then you know what I am…” Shit, I’d really gotten in the thick of it.
“Lost, a fickle lamb with no proper teaching to harness the power within. Weak, but blessed with the hymns of an oath he is yet to learn. You are no Orthodox, you are no believer of our Titan.” His four arms extended like long, thin millipedes, stretching and curving like an octopus.
I saw razor sharp prongs on each side.
“I can read your destiny as easy as I read text, every breath you speak radiates your next action. Your uneasiness, your pain, your suffering, your ambition. All toiling deep in the cauldron of your soul, out of balance, yet seized forcefully to a standstill. Your grief only builds, but it does not lessen, it stagnates in the back of your mind, dwelling in slumber until the slightest tap on it’s neck awakens that beast to consume you.” The four arms snaked in the air around me, tiny microscopic lenses on it consuming my form.
“You’re right. A Personality Editing Matrix, that’s some Analyze Feature you have.” I breathed tight, afraid the slightest flinch would beckon him to strike me down.
“It is no mere Feature, that is the name the architects of this cursed world design them to be. We use their frames, live in their cities. They claim this world to be theirs, that they have the right to judge and condemn us. Hypocritical, when they perform the same sins they slander us for, saying our strive for perfection is but an imitation of cruelty. But perfection itself is a slander to our cause, we do not believe in it. Every human should come out to embrace their own truth, to become one with the powers bestowed within them. Not to render themselves into some false perversion of what it means to be human.” He raised his arms to his side, the four tentacles ready to lash or embrace me.
“You know what must be done.” He said, and the words dug into me. “You must release yourself, and let that pain swallow you. Even if it hurts, it’s who you are. Everything that made you. Or will you let this Implant continue to tame you, when you should be feasting upon it’s worth?”
“You’re right.” I opened myself up to the grief in my heart, a release as it stabbed right into my chest. I gasped for breath, memories welling up of names I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten.
“That’s right, open yourself to the man that lies drowning within. The one who can become a god should he find it within him.” He stepped closer to me, and I felt compelled to do the same. All I wanted right now was for someone to hold me… Even if it was a tentacled Priest who creeped me out.
His tentacles pulled closer, and for once I felt that this was a man who I shouldn’t fight. He truly was just a simple believer, something in those eyes told me he genuinely was trying to help.
But my grief multiplied with something far more vile.
‘Grief’ X ‘Greed for his Function’
Yes, as fucked up as it was. I never released the Personality Matrix, but I did stroke that beast sleeping within, enough that even it’s stirring wakes dragged claws through my chest. That had been enough to fool the believer.
My left arm shone Gold, one last sight of this man’s belief flashing before a blade pierced into his chest, my breath ragged on, a terrible, unstoppable force yanking at my diaphragm. I forced the multiplier to stop early, my sight clearing as the tears stopped falling.
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“You were… so close…” His tentacles graced my face, before they loosely fell along with the rest of his body.
“I know… but not today… not now.” I was honest, I hoped. “I have a job to do.”
“Then when…” His dying gasp rang through me, then it was stuffed in the back of my head where hopefully I would never hear it again. Removing his Frame had been simple, once I loosened up the six clamps the thick slab came free with a writhing Bronze BUG still stuck to it.
I slotted it into my Mimicset, replacing and quickly absorbing the previous Analyze BUG installed into it, focusing it on Technician.
Technician V.1.12 has updated to V.1.13
Effect: Increased immediate identification of Shardware
The newer BUG slowly unwound as I got to work, first I pried out those eyes of his and moved onto the four tentacle arms… they were fascinating. Then, I went to work on the Arachne… which was when alarms went out. “ALERT. HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL HAS BEEN KILLED.”
Oh shit, I got to deconstructing quicker. I was familiar enough with the structure from my time with Anderson to recognize the moment each arm joined the larger structure, and snapped the pivot at that point. Wrapping both Arachne-limbs up using the tentacles as a rope, I grabbed what I could, hoping I could blend in with the chao-
Simenry walked in on me fastening everything together with his Priest’s arms.
“DEADWIRE!” He bellowed out the wrong name, that massive Wrecking Arm cannoning the room as his legs became mechanisms to turn him into a living bulldozer.
Thought Multiplier: ‘Preservation Matrix’ X ‘Getting the fuck out of here!’
The crude multiplication worked wonders, turned out I really was leaning on both so they amplified one another in a feedback loop that stabilized me enough to launch my claw out at the ceiling, jumping as a boost to use the Livewire to swing me above Simenry’s head.
“Oi! I’ll castrate youse motherfuckerrr!” He charged right at me, but my environmental awareness heightened by the Matrix led me to use my recent Mantis Legs to hop off a wall, reeling myself with the Livewire to launch me forward incredibly quickly. I rolled on the floor out the open archway into the larger lobby, immediately deciding to play the one card that worked the entire time here.
“Simenry killed the priest!” I pointed hurriedly to the freshly awakened Metal Heavens initiates.
“What?” Some of them scratched their heads.
“Don’t listen to him!” Simenry charged through, behind me, once again my multiplied Matrix saved my life by sending a burst of Gold Energy through my legs to drive me high into the air.
“He’s got a… Gold!” One of them pointed out.
“Get him!” Everyone charged or shot at that.
Fuck the priest, I guess. My Implant was more important to them.
High in the air, I pointed my claws parallel to the ground and fully unveiled my Gold for them to see. The ten pristine wires, like hair of a divine god, shot out from both claws to dig into columnar supports, slingshotting me quick enough I practically flew over their heads…
Though I’d fucked up the calculation a rough bit, my right Claw still had a higher output so I was leaning right and at this rate would smack into a wall… thank fuck for Preservation Matrix. My right leg swung out, extending a sharp sickle from my knee that bathed in Gold Energy. I took the impact roughly, my knee whining as pounds of stone and concrete burst through the dragging sickle slowing my catapult. Then with my left hand, I reached out to the entrance, a large ravenous crack into the outside air from which we’d descended.
I was a little off, smacking just below the entrance but my arms took the brunt of the effort. Unlocking both knees’ sickles, I jabbed them into the stone to support myself, using them to climb free and heave my ass over to where my bike was parked.
Throwing the lump of spoils I’d taken into the duffel bag lodged under my bike, I fastened it tight as the engine revved. Only for the rumbling of other engines to follow suit.
Oh shit… I was in my first car chase.
Well, bike chase.
———
Shots whooshed from behind me, clattering on the walls of the stone tunnel as I revved the bike to it’s fastest speed. Well, the fastest I was comfortable with… oh fuck it!
Thought Multiplier: ‘Motorcycle’ X ‘Preservation Matrix’
The third usage of Thought Multiplier left me heaving and queasy, dangerous things to feel when you’re going more than a hundred miles an hour. Blurring forms of cars passed me, several swerving as they saw stone chips burst to my side or above me. My instinctual multiplication gave me just the prowess to maneuver the tight curves. The tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly, the wind whipping in my face as I steered away from one dangerous crash to another every second.
I gathered there were two cars chasing me, and one other motorcycle who was quickly catching speed. Would this day ever end?
Warpcode sufficiently read.
Features available for mimicking: Analyze V.2.17; Network V.2.12
I took the gamble of using the Priest’s Implant, I could barely see anything right now so I kept my control over mimicking the Network Feature. As my brain reoriented itself to work with foreign machinery, I felt a thin hum from the world passing me by.
Update Summary:
* V.1.00 Protocol: Warpcode Symphony cannot be completely mimicked, instead a heightened attunement to sources of Warpcode can be detected through electromagnetic frequencies.
* V.2.00 Protocol: Override cannot be completely mimicked, instead the Adapter can attempt to use natural knowledge of Warpcode or pre existing DataCleavers to gain access to a Warpcode based system’s functionality. This requires a direct uplink.
Oh well, the second one was basically useless! What on earth could I even uplink myself to? I was riding a motorbike in a cramped tunnel! Wait a second, the biggest hum right now was in fact… coming from the motorbike. Alright then, I jabbed my claw into a small computer beneath the steering, letting one fingernail reach the internal wiring while I returned the rest of the hand to controlling the vehi-
Warm blood drenched down the back of my ear, a sharp pain crawling from down across my entire neck and arm. I didn’t want to touch it right now, my mask had luckily deflected that direct headshot, but the dented metal pressed into my temple very stubbornly.
Direct External Link Established… attempting Override using DataCleaver: Twilight’s Starbeam V.3.2
Override Established on Haithama Stellaris Bike [Model: 2489] Limited Edition
Instantly, my vision expanded to encompass the two front cameras, four side cameras and two back cameras of the bike. Right, it was technically able to drive itself, but I doubted it had a high-speed chase setting! Still, my Preservation Matrix adapted… my own thoughts merged with the bike as I used its own self-driving system with the matrix.
Letting go of the steering wheel, I marveled as the bike cleanly swerved to the subconscious safety of the matrix. I picked up the pistol holstered to my side, cursing that I couldn’t use the multiplier right now to magically improve my aim like I did to show off against Diamante.
But something interesting did happen, focusing on that three dimensional view gifted by the bike, I could see the three chasing vehicles even with my back turned to them. And I could see the lock-on markers honing in.
Praying I wouldn’t shoot an innocent bystander, I waited for the yellow marker to turn red, taking much longer than usual. Then my arm moved in position and my fingers squeezed, a flash of the muzzle followed by blood bursting where I needed it. The biker’s body flew down his bike, ragdolling in the distance and causing many cars to swerve or stop to a standstill. My second bullet shot on Metal Heavens had splattered blood onto a car windshield, a third shot not needed as the remaining car slammed into the one with a dead driver.
I afforded myself a gasp of breath… that was badass.
And I wish I could have said I drove off into the sunset. But I didn’t, it was past midnight…
Sirens popped up behind me. Red and blue flashes as a police car screamed out through a speaker. “You’ve just shot out two bullets in a public street, slow down your vehicle and surrender!”
Excuse me? The police appeared… now?! Fuck that, I sped up, easily cutting past the traffic and finally emerging into a cross-junction where I skimped through, spotting something I could use to my aid.
Slowing my vehicle until it rest near a curb, I shot out a single finger at a street light, charging Twilight’s DataCleaver into it. I felt the uncomfortable backlash of a voice drill into my head, stabbing needles into it but mellowed down in seconds by the DataShield Mirage had woven into my frame.
[YOOoooou ArrrRE attTTempting A FElllony bY iNtruDDing oNNnn CItY-]
The Intrusion Countermeasure silenced as the DataCleaver cut through, and I gave a single command to the streetlights… all of the one’s in the cross-junction. Green light.
It was chaos. Hell hath no fury like New California’s traffic’s scorn. Nobody bothered to wait, instead from all four roads cars drove on only to brake seconds before impacting another, creating a pileup and a lot of very profane road rage that blocked the police from chasing me. Satisfied at the list of crimes I’d committed today, I steered on away. No more sirens to interrupt me.