Bark walked up closer to Gary. “Since this was our original goal, we might as well get on with it. I want to know about Rina’s nanites. How do I get my own? What did she do to get a different system than the rest of us?”

“One inquiry at a time, Bark.” Although Gary’s voice was robotic, there was an almost human reflection as he sounded annoyed with Bark. He’s a literal talking head on a podium. “I cannot answer any of your questions because I do not have the answers.”

“Why not?” Bark stomped his foot as he raised his voice.

“Because I have no interaction with this Rina’s nanites,” Gary answered in an even tone.

I stepped around Bark. “Then tell me how you know I have an artificial soul."

The light for Gary’s eyes flickered several times. “I do not have a means of visual feedback like you do. But I see through the system, as I am intrinsically integrated with it. But now I understand why it is you look like you do not belong. It is because you do not.”

I clenched my jaw for a moment. Someone else is telling me that I don’t belong. Why do people keep doing that? “I decide where I belong and what I do. I’m sick of hearing that I have to die, that I don’t belong, or that I have to do this or that.” I pointed at the robotic head as I stepped closer. “Why is it so hard to let me just live? I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“That is not my problem.” Gary’s response aggravated me. I curled my hand into a fist as I was about to punch him. “My role is to simply provide answers to inquiries.”

My fingers ached as I clenched my fists.

“Then answer my inquiry about Rina’s nanites.” Bark pulled me away from Garry.

“Will you two settle down?” Killa marched her little self between Bark and Gary. “You’re acting irrational right now. Rina, you're upset; I understand that. But Bark, you need to give Gary a chance to talk to Rina to get the answers you want.”

Bark’s frustration was palpable as he paced in front of the robotic head. “This is ridiculous. You’re supposed to be connected to the Nexus. You’re supposed to know things. So, why don’t you know about Rina’s nanites?”

Gary’s mechanical voice held a hint of exasperation, “I have access to the Nexus, but not all knowledge is accessible. I am restricted from certain data. The Nexus is not all-knowing. And Rina is an anomaly.”

Killa turned and looked up at the golem. “Then what do you need to learn more about the nanites.”

“Direct connection.” Gary’s response ceased all movement as we just stared at him.

I blinked. “And how do you do that?”

The podium opened up a secret door that revealed a plaque with an indent of a handprint. “Place your hand in the center, and I will do the rest.”

Killa and Bark stared at me for a moment. Well, what do I have to lose? Hopefully, this will give me some more answers.

I did as Gary said and placed my hand in the indent. My hand was clearly smaller than what the hand was made for. But I concentrated on the feeling of the stone, only to realize I couldn’t feel it. My skin scraped across the stone with the slight movements of me curling my fingertips, but again, I didn’t feel anything. Reduced tactile feedback. What was I expecting?

A click interrupted my musings. Suddenly, a metal spike was protruding from the center of my hand. The pain took a second before it caught up with what I saw. Before I could dislodge my hand, two hooks extended out of the spike and pinned my hand to the plaque.

I screamed as I felt the pain. My knees went weak as I tried desperately to pull my hand free. As much as it hurt, I couldn’t take my eyes off the sight of my impaled hand. I tugged and pulled, but my hand was thoroughly trapped.

I couldn’t escape, so I started punching the metal head in the hopes that it'd free me. The clang of metal on metal joined my endless screaming as I threw punch after punch at Gary’s head. It didn’t change anything, and I could feel my heart rate rising. My nanites were trying to repair the damage and force the spike from my hand, but even they couldn’t do it. There were even warning messages in my vision to remove the foreign object.

I’m trying! Do you think I enjoy this? Does it look like I’m having fun here?

Killa joined me and tried to pull at the hooks pinning my hand. She got as far as I did and was saying something, but I drowned out her voice with my wailing.

Without warning, the spike lifted, unpinned my hand, and retracted back into the hand imprint without leaving any sign it was there to begin with. Reflexively, I recoiled my hand and cradled it. I watched as the bones were shifted back into place and the muscles filled the hole.

When the metal layer of my skin folded back over and returned to normal, I finally returned my attention to the evil robot head. “What was that for?”

“Direct contact with the nanites was required,” Gary answered. “The information I acquired was... unexpected.”

Bark arched an eyebrow. “Unexpected, how?”

“To start with, her nanites are not unlike a golem by definition.” Gary paused for an uncomfortably long time. None of us moved or said anything. I barely remembered to breathe as I waited for more information that I knew had to be coming. “But instead of one intelligence controlling a single body like every other golem created, it is one controlling many. I did not know that was possible.”

Orange is actually really real? “Is she, it, some kind of artificial intelligence?”

“Who?” both my companions asked simultaneously.

“Uh…” How do I say this without sounding completely nuts? “The system created a voice that communicates with me and helps me use it, sort of.”

They both eyed me as if worried. But Gary spoke up first. “An entity connected to the Soul Nexus’s system would make sense. But I also noticed that the nanites are infused with an unclassified energy source.”

That might be the cosmic energy that Orange talked about before. “Have you heard of cosmic energy?”

Gary’s eyes went dark for a moment before lighting back up. “There is no such substance or phenomenon to my knowledge.”

Bark scratched the back of his head. “So what does all this mean? How can I get to use the same system as her? More importantly, how does any of this information help me get use of her nanites?”

“I don’t know what’s going on anymore.” Killa shook her head and started pacing.

“Please, one inquiry at a time.” Gary really has a one-track mind or something. Why can’t he handle multiple questions at once? “I have determined that Rina can no longer live without her nanites. They have become so ingrained into her biology that if they were to all be removed, her body would shut down. Because of that, the nanites will not function outside of her biology.”

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“Her system?” Bark pleaded.

“I can’t access any information about it. Assume that you will not be able to integrate with the same system.” Gary’s words seemed to break something in Bark. There was a subtle shift in his face as his body seemed to shake.

He jabbed a finger towards Gary. “And why can’t I get the same system as Rina? She gets some upgrades from her nanites, and I want that. I need that.”

“I cannot provide you with her nanites because they are not simply a matter of acquisition,” Gary replied, its digital tone tinged with impatience. “Rina’s system is distinct due to unique circumstances. Attempting to integrate those nanites into your body would be unstable and could prove potentially fatal.”

Bark shook his fist at Gary. “Fatal or not, I don’t care. I want those nanites. I need them, and I’ll take the risk. No matter the cost, I will succeed at climbing the Nexus and become the fifth.” He then turned to me. There was something terrifying about how he looked at me.

Killa stepped in front of Bark, placing her hands on his hips. "Bark, what has gotten into you? You need to listen to Gary. If he says it’s dangerous, we need to consider..."

“Consider what?” Bark snapped, cutting her off. “Another alternative? What if there are none? What if my people have to stay in the Nexus and suffer for hundreds more years because I couldn't make it? No way. I can’t allow that.” One of his hands went to his belt as he pushed Killa to the side.

“What… what are you doing?” I took a step back and held up my hands.

Bark pulled out a dagger I didn’t know he had. “You’re holding back. You need to share the wealth. We’re a team, aren’t we? So give me your nanites, or I will take them.”

I took another step back. Orange, please tell me there’s something I can do. There has got to be a way to share my system with him.

It is impossible to integrate with another host that has already integrated with another system. The golem is correct. Any attempt to assimilate the host’s nanites into another host will likely be lethal for the recipient.

My heart raced as I backed away from Bark. Then my back hit a wall. “Bark, please, don’t do this. You’re my friend, and this won’t work. I’m not lying. My system agrees with Gary. This could kill you.”

Bark glared at me more intensely. “If you were really my friend, then you wouldn’t be hogging all that power for yourself. You would be helping me climb the Nexus.”

“But I am helping you.” I held out my hand. “I want to reach the top with both of you.” Before I could react, Bark had grabbed my arm. Panic surged within me as I watched him raise the dagger over his head in a reverse grip. “Bark, no.”

“Stop!” Killa shouted.

Her arms stretched and wrapped around the arm holding the dagger. The dagger lurched towards me but stopped. Bark then drew one of his swords, spun around, and brought it down on Killa. Her body split in two and fell into two puddles. Before I could make a move or say anything, he drove the sword into my gut, clipping my lung and pinning me to the wall.

“You’ll survive this, don’t worry.” Bark’s voice sounded distant.

I coughed up some blood that had slipped into my lungs. “You killed her.” My voice was hoarse.

Bark didn’t react. “She’ll survive too. In a minute, she’ll be back to her old self. By then, I’ll have your nanites.”

I grabbed the blade and tried to pull it out, but Bark pushed back and was much stronger than me. He sliced the palm of one of his free hands and then stabbed me in the shoulder. The blade slid inside my collarbone, and I started feeling the nanites working to repair the wound in my gut.

Bark pulled the blade from my shoulder and dug his cut hand into the wound. The nanites started working on the shoulder wound, and I could feel them pushing out his fingers as they repaired the damage. But the sword prevented my stomach from getting healed.

I gripped the sword even tighter as I closed my eyes. He’s willing to hurt Killa and me to get what he wants. He never cared for me. It was my nanites he didn’t want to lose. Well, fine. After this, we’re through.

After Bark’s fingers were pushed out of my shoulder by the nanites, he pulled out the sword, and I dropped to the ground, not realizing I couldn’t move my legs. He hit my spine, didn’t he? The warning message in the corner of my vision confirmed it. My legs twisted at unnatural angles, but I didn’t feel any pain until the buzzing where the sword had cut through me continued. The pain was the first thing I felt, as I then felt that I could move them.

The entire time, I stared at Bark, who wouldn’t look away from his trembling hand. “It tingles. Is it supposed to feel like that?” He dropped his sword and dagger as he stumbled back several steps. “Did it work?”

I coughed up another spot of blood as I could feel my lung finishing healing. “The tingle means the nanites are working.”

Bark’s eyes widened. “I did it. It’s really happening.”

I pushed myself up. “Was it worth it? I hope it was because after we leave here, I never want to see you again.”

Bark snapped his attention to me. “Why? What’s wrong?” He grabbed my shoulders. “Don’t you see? Together, we can save my people now. I can finally be free of this hell.”

I slipped from his grip and ran away from him. “What’s wrong? You attacked me.” I pointed to Killa, who hadn’t reformed herself yet. “You attacked Killa. All because you thought that you could get my nanites. Even after we told you it wouldn’t work or that it was dangerous, you wouldn’t stop. No, I thought you were friendly. Killa told me you were friendly. But now—now I don’t know who you are.”

“Rina, I never wanted for it to go this far.” His voice quivered. “But I need to be stronger to save my people. Your nanites are the strongest thing I’ve seen in years. If I have your nanites, I can make a difference, a real difference. I’m not the first to try to save my people. But we’re still trapped. Nobody’s succeeded. I didn’t want to be yet another failure.”

I held my hand to my shoulder. Even though the wound was gone, I could still feel its sting. “I can’t trust you anymore.”

Killa, who had reformed herself, threw her arms up and yellow tentacles wrapped around Bark’s arms and legs. They pulled him into the wall as they restrained him. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right here, right now.”

Bark looked at us. “You don’t understand! I was desperate. I can see that now. But I saw no other way. My people need to be freed from the Nexus, and I couldn’t let this chance slip away. Extreme goals require extreme measures.”

Killa’s form rippled as she stared in disbelief. “How can you honestly believe that?”

“There is no justification for any of this, Bark.” A tear slid down my face. “I trusted you. And you stabbed me. All you wanted were my nanites. Am I nothing else to you?”

“I…” Bark started coughing. His cough didn’t sound right, but he swallowed hard and tried to talk again. “I’m sor…” He fell into another coughing fit. This time, blood flew out of his mouth.

Bark’s face suddenly twisted in pain. Blood began seeping from the corners of his eyes. His nose started leaking blood too. Killa released him from her magic, and he fell to the ground as blood oozed from his pores. He staggered to his knees and rolled onto his back, clutching his chest.

“Bark?” All traces of anger in Killa’s voice were gone.

“I told him they would be unstable,” Gary chimed in. I almost forgot he was here. “The nanites are rejecting his body and purging his body of his DNA.”

I turned to stare at the robotic head. “What can we do?”

“Nothing,” he answered. “Bark will die. I warned him.”

“But…”

“You warned him.”

Gary's right. We did warn him. He did it anyway. I returned to watching Bark sprawl on the ground, convulsing as Killa knelt next to him, wanting to do something. I said I never wanted to see him again, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see him die.

Blood soaked the floor as it continued to pool around Bark even while his thrashing was starting to slow down. His clothes were soaked in blood, Killa was kneeling in the same pool of blood, and I stood at the edge of it all. As the blood inched closer to me, I took a step back.

His seizure slowly subsided, leaving Bark trembling and barely gasping for breath. His eyes stared ahead, blank. Killa placed her hand on his neck and then under his nose. A notification above my shards told me I received twenty-three thousand two-hundred and twelve shards and five stat points.

“He’s dead.”

The simple proclamation horrified me. He was one of my first friends. I wanted to climb the Nexus with him. I wanted him to free his people. He’s dead, and I received credit for killing him. His death is my fault. Instead of helping him free his people, I killed him.

Killa stood up and walked over to me. I backed away from her and Bark until I was as far away as possible. My back hit a corner as tears poured down.

“Rina, calm down. What’s wrong?” Killa reached out to me. I shirked off her touch.

“It’s my fault. I killed him.” The words bubbled out of my mouth.

Killa flinched, but then ran up and hugged me. “No, no, you didn’t. He made his choice. He did this.”

I looked her in the eye, tears streaming down my face. “Then why did the system just give me the credit for his death?”

She froze. Her mouth opened and closed without saying anything. She went back to hugging me, and I closed my eyes and hugged her back. And for a few minutes, we stood there with Gary silently letting us come to terms with what just happened. When I opened my eyes again, the air was colder. It was cold enough that I could see my breath.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” A feminine musical voice called out. “You can run, but you can’t hide.”