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“Fire.”
MISA’s weapons protocols activated. The Swarm immediately formed homing ballistic platforms around her wrists, materializing bullets in a split second which shot at each target’s head. The older units had the weapon systems built into their limbs, shoulders, hands and other body parts. MISA utilized its Nanite technology to discreetly and instantly constructed remote weapons platforms with ammunition at the cost of its own nanomachines. It made up for the loss via self-replication.
Ten meters. Head shot confirmed.
Fifty meters. Head shot confirmed.
Hundred meters. Zeroed in. Head shot confirmed.
One thousand meters. Wind and weather conditions calculated (.001s) in trajectory. Head shot confirmed.
The scientists scribbled notes at the machine’s capabilities. New targets were wheeled in when the bodies were eaten by the Swarm. The particles would simply add more of the biomass into itself, able to replenish the bullets used and recoup some nanite loss. It’s terrifying, noted one, obviously not taking his job seriously. The ink he used to write those offending words began to vanish off the paper, being consumed as well. Immediately, he slammed a red button on his wrist.
Misa became restrained, though its robotic stance instantly returned to a non-hostile state.
“Jesus,” he voiced his thoughts allowed, wiping the paper off. The other scientists gawked at him. “It’s reading our notes. Our data, it’s…”
“Keep the tests running,” another head scientist warned them, waving off the scared scientist’s worries. “And lose the paper, for God’s sake. Are we in the early 21st century or are we in an actual Company? You, what are you made for?”
MISA’s eyes glowed red, its head turned to the head scientist. Metal sharply ripped into the air as it easily freed itself from its restraints and overrode the emergency security button the scared one pressed. Everyone was terrified, what if the Company Product damaged itself? They would see the consequences hit their salaries. It strode up before him, towering over them.
“I am a Black Wolf Company asset,” it said. The voice was enough to make each of them sweat, if the binds shattered around its arms didn’t unnerve them already. The head scientist adjusted his glasses and straightened his lab coat. “Model 007, Midnight…”
“Yes, yes,” he regained his composure and scowled at the scared scientist. He marked the MISA unit’s personality perimeters as defective, but everything else passed with flying colors. “Now, the next test. Lasers.”
The targets were further away, in sets of 1000 meters. Five targets, now ten pieces chopped in half. Those weapon systems needed some work, but not much could be done. They formed quicker than reloading a gun and firing it. Barely visible, but better to send the MISA back to the lab to see if there’s anyway to make improvements. Rockets were used later, as well as a few other classified weapons. Through the marveling of its Nanite weapon platforms and victims involuntary test subjects, one could not help but wonder what the loud weapons were for if it was supposed to be a stealthy assassination machine.
MISA was placed in offline mode for storage and later placed in the sale line as a minimum viable product. Its personality defect was never fixed, even though it was promised to be patched via satellite service later. The department had already been purged, by the very same MISA unit that they have tested the weapons platforms with that day.
•
“You’ve changed,” Genxing breathed, but his hand was on his sword. By Misa’s calculations, that small sliver of junk would not be able to harm her new and improved body.
“If you have nothing else to do, turn away now,” she warned him, along with the other Imperial Guards entering the scene.
“The way you walk, the way you speak,” he was trying her patience. “I would have never believed Jade’s talk, nor have a thought that the Seventh Daughter has grown a backbone had I not laid my eyes on you.”
That part was true, although she was certain that he meant that colloquially and not literally. However, Misa’s spine was already replaced by the new strain of Nanites. They reacted quicker than the normal Swarm, able to carry the commands into the atmosphere a lot easier than them. Talking during work hours was not really an issue, but standing and idling by was. Still, Neoma was not there to guide her and there were no supervisors currently available — She has been pinging Black Wolf Company servers ever since she’s arrived here in the background.
“I’ve been waiting to beat you with my own hands for your insolent presence in the Imperial Home,” Genxing drew his sword. Even after she easily overpowered him the first two times, he still wanted to fight? The ballistic systems were already targeting his and his friends’ heads. Using the regular Swarm nanites would not have as much of an impact with the new Swarm now. “Now that you refuse to obey, we won’t hold back to drag you back myself!”
“You and who?” Misa questioned him. Her systems have fired silently already, finding their marks instantly. “If you know I am not her, then why think you have a chance against me?”
Genxing’s furious expression suddenly weakened as he turned and saw the eight targets behind him falling to the ground into a motionless state. Each had bullet wounds in their heads, though Misa did not notice anything alter the Wagner energy inside her after absorbing their brain matter. So they were mortals, she noted.
“You wretch!” Genxing suddenly lunged at her with a blinding speed, but a shadow flashed overhead and intercepted his blade with a loud clash. Something or someone, managed to block that strike of his before she could. A green aura surrounding her was all she needed to know — the conman came back to her out of the shadows where he was watching her from. “You!”
“Picking on a lady,” the one eyed man scolded him with a devilish grin. “Imperial Guard or not, that is not allowed on my watch!”
The man faced off Genxing with a confident gaze, but her Swarm was able to detect a rising current of energy flowing out of him. It overshadowed the Captain of the guard, who glanced at his dead men and back to him. Finally after a standoff that grew tense, reason seemed reach his mind so he sheathed his sword.
“I’ve heard of you, the Thief King, Mist,” Genxing sneered. “You’ve no profit in siding with this wench. Why try to protect her now?”
Mist ignored his insults, instead glaring back at him with an impenetrable determination. He is a viable source of karma energy, she noted. The Imperial Guard himself must have been aware of the green aura surrounding this supposed Thief King, but had a faint green aura of his own so he backed down without another word. Mist sheathed his family Heirloom, while giving her a grin.
“Your support is appreciated,” Misa greeted him. She could turn back to her mission.
“Not even going to ask why I saved you?” He scoffed, but there was sarcasm in his tone. No, she realized that the humans called that sarcasm as playful. Judging by the slight color complexion in his face, Mist was indeed interested in her romantically or captivated by something she had. Love is illogical, Misa’s subroutines would scoff if she wasn’t already busy. “It’s because you’re beautiful, beautiful. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“Unprofessional behavior in the workplace is not tolerated,” Misa said without hesitation. “Your flattery is more than what is necessary.”
“Hard to get, huh?” Mist chuckled. “I am a man who knows his limits. But how are you so powerful? I wish to understand you.”
“My make and model are able to be looked up on the Company’s website…” Misa realized she was speaking out of habit. Most of her Neural Imprints were locked inside the White Room. She sighed. “I did nothing but defend myself.”
“Those dead men say otherwise. What kind of magic is that?” Mist’s only eyebrow raised at her. Magic? That term was illogical, but things could be different in this realm. “I could also sense your power. I know you can sense spiritual energy too. Everyone says you’re useless, but I know the truth.”
“Then get back to work,” Misa instructed him. “There’s nothing more to say.”
“You’re unique,” Mist persisted. The City’s walls were easy to navigate through in these back alleyways, but this annoying pest pelting her with compliments and questions irked her. His presence would at least ward off any other strangers. “Please, I must know how to get as strong as you. My family depends on it.”
Misa stopped and examined his emotional spectral hologram. A sweep revealed that he was protecting someone, although the individual involved with him did not matter to her. How strange, she mused. The man was not lying about that matter after all. Her Swarm may need new calibrations.
“You can follow,” she said as recompense. Even Black Wolf Company had outside contractors every once in awhile. “But why else?”
“Because you’re strong and pretty, boss!”
The answer was honest, which must have amused the Swarm’s Human Host.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“The work site is at the edge of this city,” Misa casually said, dropping her guard. This dog was a fool for liking a machine, but a useful dog at the moment. “Do you know anything about it?”
“The South Gate, boss?” Mist suddenly switched his tone. Seeing that she wasn’t weary of him, he beamed with new enthusiasm. Misa did not care how he addressed her as long as she got answers. “Merchants gather there all the time with the Demons.”
“… Demons,” Misa repeated. Another potential lifeform comparable to humans here or perhaps something worse, given the historic references humans of hers in regards to demons.
“They’re not allowed in the Imperial City, Your Highness,” Mist said. As a thief king or whatever that Genxing labeled him, she assumed he was used to dealing with them. There was apparently history here as well, but soon the only history that would be allowed to exist was the eventual takeover of the land by Black Wolf Company so it did not matter. “Their land is further south, tainted by demonic spiritual energy.”
That explains the withered landscape she discovered when she did aerial surveys over the locale, but she had yet to investigate why her drones were destroyed. Perhaps some kind of demonic influence ruined those lands. She was used to pollution, so it did not bother her. Her Human Host might be affected which needed to be taken into account before she journeyed there. Perhaps, the new and improved Swarm Nanites gathering inside of her body could handle the pollution in that area. These people were quite superstitious, though since their interpretation of the Wagner energy was seemingly rooted in magical or religious beliefs. It was illogical to believe in either, but deep down, perhaps rooted in her Human Host’s biological origins she could not refute their claims. The Wagner levels in the atmosphere were rising and she did not say another word.
It was time to see what a Demon was.
Sensing something like unease from the man at her side, she looked at him with an odd expression.
“Ah, boss,” Mist slowly started. “Don’t give these guys anything, okay? I’ll watch you from afar, like last time, yeah? Be safe, boss.”
With that, he vanished and left a faint green aura behind that no one else seemed to notice. Misa watched it dissipate. So that’s why they call him Mist, whoever they are. She noticed a bag of coins had mysteriously appeared in her robe’s pockets and tilted her head. Sucking up to superiors was such a human thing to do, she couldn’t help but feel satisfied with his concerns even if they were coming from his own interests. This bag should probably cover some kind of cost. The Swarm had already marked where the massive source of karma energy was generated, so she ignored the sweep’s revealed holograms of potential new aliens. If they were not glowing red with hostility then they were of no concern to her.
Misa approached the strange and cloaked man in charge of a wagon’s stall, who was arguing with a few more cloaked individuals. They immediately parted when they noticed her, while she scanned all of them. These aliens were truly alien on the outside, but it was obvious to her that they were going to try and scam her or something equally nefarious. Their skin was red and purples, suggesting no biological advantage besides looking more like a predator. Their insides were also resembling typical human anatomy, but their blood was clear. Insect-like? Were these red meat suits simply exoskeletons instead? Before she could examine further, the demon in charge spoke up.
“What’s this?” He glanced at her. “Someone fancy here?”
The demon’s voice was quite raspy, registering in her ears in the same language the humans of this world used although it seemed he was not accustomed to it. It appears that the local alien life had multiple languages, but calling this species “demons” seemed rather rude.
“A pretty human,” the demon sniffed and snarled. Misa decided to take it back. This creature was quite rude. As soon as he stopped sniffing, he paused. “Quite the powerful Pretty, aren’t you?”
“I do what I must for the Company,” Misa confirmed that she was indeed strong, though they probably took her Host's beauty as a weakness. The demon’s lips curled into a conniving smile, sensing a deal coming up that could bring him coin. Such an outdated form of exchange, but the bag wasn’t hers. Judging by the DNA samples touched on the bag, she had realized that the Thief King took those coins off the dead bodies back where they first met within a blinding speed.
“Then I think you should be seeking power,” he grinned. “Pretty, you must have come all the way out here for Us from the Lord’s home. Then I bring a gift to you Pretty: These wares for you. They are packed with spiritual energy. Go on, go on. Take one.”
His hands had six elongated fingers with claws on their arms, but Misa could see that the demon was no slouch through the cloak. The wares he had were placed on a silk cloth. He sat behind the stall, yet his head almost bumped into the wagon's canopy. Spheres, iron colored, Misa noted as her Swarm began to analyze both him and the strange objects. They were definitely the source of the elevated Wagner levels in the area. The demon on the other hand, had muscles that were honed from battle and training. It would be tough to crack the demon’s meat suit if a confrontation happened. Her Human Host could not accept the losses at the moment. She simply lifted the bag of coins and said flatly.
“Order confirmed. I’ll take all of them, then,” Misa took the seven spheres without hesitation. The demon looked at her in surprise, but then let out a vocalization. A laugh, she confirmed. It was laced with mockery, but the Nanites were already relaying information about them to her.
System sweep: These cold “spheres” are made out of condensed gaseous Wagner energy, held together in a solid state. The resulting deposition yields an odd material similar to Irons and Nickel, containing ferromagnetic properties yet is more dense. The Unstable Energy may take some time for internal Swarm systems to fully undo its odd magnetism, but will add enough energy to generate a new Swarm capable of interacting with Wagner energy in a somewhat efficient manner once processed. New Swarm nano-technology will be dubbed MK1 NANITES and will be imperative in order to complete Phase 1: Life Support.
“Payment processed,” Misa said blankly. She did not care for the lost coins, but the addition of MK1 technological improvements gave her Human Host a deep sense of excitement. Some emotions were quite enjoyable to have, Misa considered them fun to have despite the looming fact that they were probably going to be regulated by Overwatch Neoma when she is rebuilt.
More laughter interrupted Misa’s inner processing and a red finger pointed at her from the bottom of her vision. More locals were crowding around her. They must have been curious about the arrival of her, a strange human, but she was not at the stage to start seizing future Black Wolf Company property yet. The finger in her view shook as its owner jeered.
“You, a frail human, think you could handle all of that?” He howled. “Let’s see!”
Misa held one of the spheres up and looked at it with a questioning look. According to her vague knowledge, perhaps the sphere is taken orally? Medicinal tablets were phased out a century ago in the first half of the 2000s due to basic healthcare improvements (for suitable and eligible members of society, of course), but she could not tell. The Swarm could potentially melt it down, but was not efficient enough to do so in public.
“Pop it in your pretty mouth,” the demon merchant chanted with his fellow men. “Give it a good crunch. Let us see what a Demonic Energy Pill will do to you… If you survive the eternal overflowing—“
Misa, without another word, took one of the golfball sized pills and swallowed it whole. With aid from the Swarm, the pill was absorbed within her system with little discomfort. The demons fell into a stunned silence, obviously not expecting the pretty woman before them to be so decisive or suicidal. Other shady humans gawked at something else that she was not aware of. The effects of the pill instantly activated, accelerating the revival of the dead nanites flowing within her body but warnings soon appeared.
SYSTEM ALERT: Host Life is improving at an unstable rate, causing overall system stability to overexert itself. If completely overloaded (>100%) the Host will die from excessive work. Release of energy is required to reduce life expectancy and Wagner energies to 50%.
Current Life: 59%
Host’s life is in danger!
They watched as Misa frowned in complete silence, probably thinking about how other humans failed and expecting her to die or something. Interesting, she thought. If the Host’s life expectancy grew above 50% the System would warn her of overloading. Her Swarm became increasingly productive, yet would die out at an unsustainable rate. Obviously, if the Swarm died out, than her Great Chain would expire. Why it could not be reanimated was obviously locked from the Swarm, a clever trick done by Black Wolf Company’s top leaderships back when they were still strong. The demons were watching Misa as if she would explode in anticipation.
Current Life: 77%
System sweep: Expelling excess overloaded Nanites is recommended.
Misa lifted her arm and immediately let out a stream of energized Nanites with the expected cold efficiency of a Black Wolf Company machine. Minutes after a sustained blast, her life percentage has stabilized to 50%. The spectacle terrified the Demons as her Swarm’s systems adjusted the estimated life expectancy to four months, assuming no unexpected bursts in Wagner levels. Misa, however, could not make that guarantee as she glanced at the six remaining Demonic Energy Pills. They still exuded elevated karma energy, but their shimmering and spinning seemed to match her own energy levels. Her new MK1 Nanites had already determined they were useless. Now that her mission was complete, she was about to give the pills back to the gawking demons and dismiss them but the shopkeeper blurted illogical factors at her.
“Y-You, Pretty, lived?” The demon breathed after the fireworks of overloaded Swarm particles concluded their show. “Breakthrough?”
“Of course, my systems are always top class,” Misa’s Host shrugged indifferently. She could not suppress the Host’s quirks. “Was I supposed to die? Betraying a client has deadly consequences. What is a breakthrough?”
“You just gained 66 years of infernal spiritual power,” he wheezed. “No human could withstand that. Pretty, your body’s spirit has just completely changed.”
“Oh,” Misa replied blankly. The quarantined energy seemed like a reactor inside of her now, just now beginning to spool up or a factory core producing a strange power within the Host. Curiously, small condensed Wagner energy byproducts spat out of her new core, which the Swarm greedily consumed and created new MK1 Nanites. She turned after handing the flabbergasted demon the six remaining pills.
Overall, her opinions and assessments of the Demon alien species were unmoved. Misa did not care for any differences between Humans and Demons since she had to figure out a new objective for the Life Support. If she had to eventually upload her Swarm into a new Great Chain, then the original Host needed to be secure and hidden behind top Black Wolf Company security. Back in Earth, that company faced many opposing corporations and underwent numerous sudden “involuntary” leadership openings. It had to relocate its headquarters and develop these defenses.
Fortunately for Misa, that knowledge was backed up in every Nanite within her Swarm. Efficiency was rising, causing a smug feeling proliferate inside her. All that she needed to do is find an underground area in order to build and prepare Phase 1’s completion quietly. The polluted lands south of here will definitely help deter half of this world's population away from her, Misa concluded that she will head over there immediately. That was until her Swarm sweep warned her of some curious news.
Alert: An ally, ID: “Thief King, Mist” is under attack.
Since when was he registered as an ally of the Company? The hologram’s aerial view appeared in her eyes, revealing a secluded location nearby where a blue dot was facing against multiple red dots surrounding it. Misa’s Host was gaining influence upon her Swarm, because she found herself walking directly to the location. This “Breakthrough” seemed to be an extremely dangerous liability that she would have to deal with later… After she investigates the so-called ally of her’s.