Book 3.

Zoe hesitated, her hand held over the suit control unit, her drive poking out of its slot.

"Do you need me to do it?" Hayden asked softly from the door of her work room.

She held out her other hand and Haden moved forward, intertwining their fingers. She pulled, guiding him to stand next to her, out of the way of where she was about to work.

Squeezing his fingers, she took a deep breath and pulled the drive out of the control unit. As she did, her fingers slackened a little, making Hayden tighten his grip reflexively.

She moved the drive to her main terminal to the waiting slot, pushing it in before hitting a few keys and resetting the system. As it booted up, she breathed out, squeezing and kissing the hand holding hers. "Thank you."

He shook his head and leant down, hugging her. "You and I are in this together," he said as she shakily hugged him back. "I've always got your back."

They sat there for a few moments before Zoe let him go. "Coffee please," she asked, kissing him lightly.

Smiling, he nodded his head to her before leaving her to her work.

~

Hayden made sure that, while Zoe was off in her mindscape working on Nix and whatever other problems she had, that she was regularly prodded to eat and drink, and, while he was on shift, someone else checked in on her.

Naomi padded into the room and curled up partly on Zoe's lap, partly on the chair. Zoe smiled down at the large black cat and shifted over slightly to make room. After Naomi had made it clear she wasn't going to stop visiting years earlier, Zoe had gone out of her way to get a larger, wider chair made so they could both be comfortable.

Wordlessly, Zoe scratched behind Naomi's cat ears as she focussed back on her tasks, debugging Nix's behavior.

~ I really need to make sure I put more hard stops into my systems. ~

~ You have stated such to this system previously, ~ Maison replied. ~ You also stated that humans are fallible. ~

~ Yeah, I did. Now, show me the analysis again. ~ Data flowed through her mind, showing her everything that Nix had done. She found where its programming had merged partly with the suit's original, aggressive systems. Cursing herself for not wiping the programs completely, she set about rebuilding the entire suit's systems from base code.

Through trial and error over the course of a few weeks, she rebuilt Nix and altered parts of the suit, including making the drone storage smaller, taking a less heavy duty drone and, taking previous events into consideration, including a pistol and spare clips.

The suit had storage for several weapons, but those were long gone, giving her room to store her own items. Altering the physical parts of the suit was difficult for her, but easy enough for some of the others in the base.

~

Hefting the sniper rifle, Maddison flicked the stand open and placed it on the ground. Laying down with it, she adjusted and lined up the sniper, aiming for the center of the chest piece of the suit.

"You're sure?" she said, glancing up at Zoe, who had earmuffs on. Zoe nodded and Maddison put her own earmuffs on. "Fire in the hole!" she yelled before firing several shots into the suit. As the dust settled around her, Maddison cleared the rifle before standing up.

"Clear," Zoe called as they took their earmuffs off and walked to the suit.

Zoe winced. The outside shell had been punctured and had cracked, but the underlying mesh and padding hadn't been pierced.

"Is that going to be hard to fix?" Maddison asked.

"No," Zoe replied, taking the armour off the mount. "I have molds of the pieces and we have the materials to fix it, it's just going to take a few days for it all to be replaced. The shell is basically decorative."

"Need me to shoot anything else?"

"No, thank you. Got any other plans for today?"

"I'm learning to drive a tank after lunch," Maddison replied, grinning like a shark.

"Well, have fun with that," Zoe replied absentmindedly, as she carried the suit piece back to the workshop, her mind already thinking about what to do next.

~

"As requested," the mechanic said, stepping aside to let Zoe into the room. "Several different sets of exterior plating with different paint patterns."

"They're perfect, thank you," Zoe replied, running her fingers over several of the pieces, smiling warmly at the elder man who had agreed to the task. He had been one of the people who had helped with Avi's construction and had been the first to offer to help with Nix.

"You're welcome. Do you need help moving them to your workshop? I have a trolley big enough for it all."

"Oh, yes, please, thank you. I was wondering how many trips I would have to make."

He smiled warmly. "Happy to help."

~

Sparks flew out of the robotic arm, then, as if falling sideways, rushed around the machine and to an outstretched hand. As they touched skin, they vanished, leaving small, black marks as the young man stepped forward, placing his hand on the machine. "I got it, kill the power," he said as electricity crackled out of the corner of his eyes as his hair started to stand on end.

Tomas nodded and pulled a switch nearby, shutting the power down to the robotic arm. "You got an exact location now Sparky?"

The other man nodded as the electricity subsided and his hair floated back down. "Yeah, it's right here," he said, reaching into the machine and touching a bundle of wires. "That cluster."

"That's not an exact location Sparky," Tomas stated.

"Close enough," Sparky replied. "Anyway, this should be the last one. Aren't you excited at all?"

"Of course I'm excited," Tomas replied. "I'm also exhausted, it has been a long day."

Both of them glanced outside where snow fell heavily, visible only due to the bright lights shining out from inside. "That's fair," Sparky said, stretching and yawning. "At least tomorrow we can start kicking this off."

Tomas nodded. "It is about time," he replied, agreeing.

~

Standing in the control room, Zoe watched with a few others as the first machines in the line picked up engine pieces and started placing them together while others screwed, bolted and riveted them into place before the engine block moved down the line. The energy in the room grew as the engine circled the building, dangling from chains attached to the conveyor above the other machines.

Tomas walked nearby, watching over the entire assembly process, making notes on a small tablet as he did. A serious look plastered on his face, a complete contrast to everyone else. He did not want errors and, while this wasn't the first time these machines had been tested, it was the first time the complete process was done.

As the final parts of the engine came together and the machine arms moved back and away, the new engine, the first built in many years, came to rest on a trolley designed specifically for it. A burst of applause and cheers broke out from the room and Tomas's serious expression lightened as he relaxed, patting the newly made engine.

Zoe was the first to look over the engine, followed closely by mechanics and others in charge. Her own father ran a hand over the engine before giving Tomas a warm handshake.

"I've seen your designs and I think they're well suited for our new world," Rene stated to Tomas. "You have full authority to pull on whatever resources are needed to get more vehicles created."

"Thank you sir," Tomas replied, beaming widely now. "It will still be a few days before it's done, but Alpha will be done very soon."

"That is excellent news, which I'm sure the council will want to hear, and all in time for solstice." Rene patted Tomas's shoulder before joining his daughter on the outside of the crowd.

"Another step closer," she said in French to her father as she looked over the assembly line.

"We have many more to go," he replied. "Are you going with the Australian contingent?"

"Yes."

"Make sure you pack light clothes, it will be very hot there."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"I know how to look out for myself papa," she replied, leaning into his shoulder. "But thank you for worrying about me."

"I'll never stop worrying about you love, you are my only child."

"I'll be with Boo, Tyson and Maddison, I'll be fine."

"Just come back to us in one piece."

"I promise I will."

~

"You're not going to get air sick," Boo said to Tyson, amusement evident in her voice as they boarded the cargo plane. A few familiar faces smiled in greeting as they found their allocated seating.

"I know, just trying to tell my stomach that my brain is okay with this." Tyson stowed their small bags underneath their seats, clipping a strap in over each of them. "I still can't get how Maddison wants to learn to fly this thing."

"Well, you've seen how quickly she took to other vehicles this past few months, does it really surprise you that she wants to learn how to fly?"

"Not really." Tyson sat heavily in his seat.

Smiling faintly at him, Boo leant over and kissed his cheek. "Your own studies have been coming along well though. No other adult would be able to learn three new languages at once and in such a short time period."

"Eh," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I cheat though."

"Don't sell yourself short," she replied as they buckled in and held hands, waiting for take off.

~

"Hello dears," Marnie said warmly, scooping the twins into a big hug as they stepped into the airport building. "Zoe, great to see you again." Releasing the twins, she poked Tyson's stomach. "You have been eating properly."

"The Community has spoilt us," he replied, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You look great too mum."

"All the hard work we've put into making the airport ready for this day has helped tone us all up." Spotting Boo standing close to Tyson, Marnie waved her over. "Come come, you must be Boo. Nice to finally meet the girl a certain adopted son won't stop talking about."

Tyson blushed slightly as Boo glanced at him before she bowed her head to Marnie, who laughed and scooped the younger woman into a big hug. "None of that formal stuff with me girl, you're basically family. Now, let's go see to unloading your plane, we can talk more later."

~

"Are you sure what you're planning on wont hurt you miss?" Ryan asked as he fidgeted with the armband.

"No, but, there are more resources at our disposal to help with handling your Talent." Activating the helmet of her suit, she turned to Boo nearby. "Okay, let's do this."

The room they stood in was part of a small building a few kilometers from the airport, well out of the range of his Talent. Zoe had a spread tools and small machines on a table next to her, ready to work on bolstering the armband for Ryan.

Boo stood to Ryan's side, placing a hand on his head and on his chest, closing her eyes in concentration. "Okay, go," she whispered.

Zoe removed the armband and felt Nix reacting to Ryan's Talent. It felt, to Zoe, akin to being on the edge of the field. With Boo and Nix protecting her, she set to her work, quickly upgrading the device and attaching it to a new armband, a larger one. After barely a few minutes of tinkering, she slipped the armband up Ryan's arm, nodding to herself as she slipped a battery into one of the open spots. As it connected, she felt the pressure in her head vanish instantly. Sighing in relief, she smiled and touched Boo's shoulder.

Opening her eyes, Boo breathed out heavily. "It's all done?"

Zoe nodded as Ryan flexed his arm. "It has a backup battery insert, so you can charge the battery while one is in, then insert the fresh one before taking out the old one. There's an extra few packs I've rigged up to fit in it too. How's it feel Ryan?"

"Fine, it's almost like it's not there." He stretched his arm out and up, moving it back down. "That is a lot more comfortable."

Beaming, Zoe started packing up her tools and the loose components. "Boo here is happy to try to teach you self control."

"Hey now, don't speak for me," Boo said playfully. "But yes, like you, I have to control my Talent so that it doesn't affect others, and because of the control I've practised, I can affect other people. I'm happy to teach you as much as I can."

"Thank you miss," Ryan replied.

"Firstly, I'm not miss, I'm Boo."

"Yes miss, I mean, Boo."

"I like this one," Boo said to Zoe, patting him on the shoulder.

~

Joe and Pat sat at a table in a darkened room, the heavy curtains drawn across the window helping to keep the room cool from the intense heat outside. Zoe's helmet was mostly deployed, leaving her face exposed, a few strands of hair moving out from the air flow leaving the suit. Nix had increased the air conditioning inside the suit to accommodate the fact that there was a sixty degree temperature swing from her home in the north to where she was in the south. Tyson, Maddison, Boo and a few others sat or stood around the room, all relaxed.

"Everyone from Llandilo and most from Asquith agreed to leaving," Pat stated. "After you three kicked the hornet's nest, they received reinforcements from the south, we believe from Melbourne, maybe another coastal city. No, we're okay, they're leaving us alone up here, you lot managed to take out most of their vehicles, they can't spare much to come for us and we were happy to walk."

"I'm sorry Pat," Zoe replied quietly. "I didn't mean to make life more difficult for you."

Pat waved his hand at her. "The Pact would have made life hell eventually. Because of you, we have a place to go, we still have our families and our freedom, and if any of us want to stay, we have been offered homes up north. Mackay and Cairns have been in contact and we have done some trading. We are fine with the choices that have been made and hold no resentment towards you."

Tyson patted Zoe's shoulder. "Change was coming regardless of you, you just gave other options."

Nods and smiles greeted Zoe as she scanned the room. "Then we may have to do a couple of trips to get everyone over to Europe, or north along the coast."

"Don't worry about the second half," Viv stated as she entered the room during Zoe's sentence. "We hit the coast last night and we're ready to transport anyone who wants to come with us." She shook Zoe's hand and nodded to Pat. "Good to see you again Zoe."

"And you," Zoe replied, making room for Viv to pass.

"Didn't expect to see you here," Joe said as quietly as he could as she sat next to him.

"Needed to stretch my legs. Reece is in charge while I'm gone and the council agreed to me coming down. I needed a holiday, figured I'd spend Christmas on vacation."

"Well, we're going to make a party of Christmas," Pat stated. "It's in a few days, but we have been planning a feast. Zoe, please extend our invitation to everyone, we don't want anyone to miss out."

Zoe beamed with delight, promising to relay the invitation as the meeting broke into several small groups.

~

"No wonder you need so many layers," Boo said in German to Tyson as she swapped her drenched blouse for a tank top.

"You'll learn to love the heat," he replied back in fluent German. "It's when the humidity kicks in that it sucks the most." As Boo finished changing, he lead the way back outside and to where they were needed.

The small town, for it now numbered almost six hundred people, was set up along the nearby roads heading towards the coast. Lodgings for them had been provided in a small shack, barely more than a room with a bed, but more than what Tyson and Maddison had kept in the car park many months back.

~

"We'll celebrate when you return," Hayden promised.

"You sure?" Zoe asked, worry on her face.

"Of course. It has already been given the green light for the extra two weeks. Plus, with you there, the sat net is widening and we should be able to find out more about what's going on in the south."

"Okay, as long as you're okay with it."

"Mon amor, if I wasn't okay with it, I would be powerless to stop it anyway, as the mission isn't going to be cut short for one man's desire for his love to return home. You are safe there with everyone around you and with your modified Nix watching over you."

She nodded. "Okay. Look after Naomi for me please."

Hayden laughed. "I will, but you know perfectly well she looks after herself. Good night mon amor."

"Good morning moya lyubov'," Zoe replied with an amused smile as they disconnected.

Stretching and yawning, she fought the urge to curl up and go to sleep in the middle of the day. The adrenaline of the previous trip had helped her with the jet lag, where now, while she wasn't stressed, her body was telling her to sleep.

Turning the cooling up on her suit, she pushed out of the little room she'd used for her conversation, entering into the airport building. People were moving back and forth, unloading essentials and helping to set up lodgings for the international arrivals. Quickly finding where she could be of help, Zoe pulled a low trailer packed with tools and construction supplies. A few locals gawked at her, but everyone just kept out of the way, making sure to give her clearance.

"You didn't have that before," Pat stated after her second trip.

"I actually got it in Newcastle," she replied. "Ryan had drained it with his Talent, making it impossible to use without hacking it, which I was able to. It also has a modified Avi in it."

"Oh, g'day Avi!"

"Sorry, I should have clarified. Nix is the suit version of Avi and has no way of responding other than through tech." She pulled out a small hand tablet and passed it over, allowing Nix the connection.

"Greetings Pat," Nix said through the tablet, a curiously non-gendered, but definitely Australian voice.

"G'day Nix. Nice voice you got there."

"Thank you Pat. Zoe gave me this inflection as a reminder of where I was acquired. Maddison and Tyson assisted with programming my voice."

"Grouse of them," he replied. "You just look after Zoe, alright?"

"As that is my designation, I intend to."

Pat smiled faintly at the tablet and Zoe as he handed it back. "That Nix of yours is right chatty."

"Got that trait from Tyson," Zoe replied as she started unloading the supplies.

~

Zoe mentally scanned the reports from the last few months. Tiahna had joined the town and had even volunteered to scout Sydney with the other scouts. Most of the reports were badly misspelt and had inconsequential parts, but Tiahna's were to the point. Seeking her out, Zoe thanked her.

Tiahna snorted. "Seemed like a waste of time saying anything not important."

"Agreed, and if you agree to a little training, you could be an amazing spy. Would you come back with us?"

"I'll let you know after the party," came the reply before she left abruptly.

~

~ Jumino status, ~ Zoe requested. After a few moments, satellite footage of the ship came back, still beached.

~ Reports from Mackay indicate that the ship's crew were sentenced to execution. The ship has been claimed by Mackay, but remains beached and needing repairs. ~

Frowning, Zoe didn't comment as she moved back to the data from the scouts. The Sydney base for the Bloodless Pact was inoperable, though scouts had reported a new base in the south west of the city and a trade route heading inland and south.

Reports from Europe interrupted her as new reports were being lodged at home. Forward bases for the Community were being set up in Prague and Vienna with probes being sent further east.

~ Communications have been noticed by a long range satellite, ~ Nix interjected. ~ Origin appears to be North American continent. ~

~ Show me, ~ Zoe ordered.

A voice immediately came to her mind, the words in French, but the accent unfamiliar. "... plies received. We are sending a fresh logging load back via the river."

The voice stopped and another replied, also in French. "Good. The Americans are paying well for the lumber. Stupid pricks can't grow a straight tree."

Zoe smiled faintly as the pair signed off. It was the first clear communication she'd managed to catch, indicating that at least two other groups were out there, possibly willing to trade.

She felt a touch move her slightly, making her open her eyes. Marnie smiled warmly at her, waving her to join her. "The party has started love, don't miss out now."

Following Marnie out into the open, Zoe broke out into a smile, temporarily forgetting about the other parts of the world as she joined in the party.