As the afternoon wore on, the group relaxed, wandering and exploring nearby. Zoe kept a track of both Craig and their backup through Nix, the later being tracked from the tech on broad the truck. She received confirmation that the truck was enclosed and a solid cage had been installed between the front two seats and the back. It would be cramped for the crocodile, but as long as the pair kept it stunned, they wouldn't have any problems. She hoped.

"Zoe, do we stay here, or head back to Brisbane?" Boo asked as she looked towards the setting sun.

"It's more efficient on the batteries if we stay here. Anyone opposed to camping?"

After everyone replied with a 'no', she nodded, waving for the camp to be set up.

A chorus of insects started up slowly, getting louder as the area slowly got darker. Maddison set up a small fire, while a few small lights were set up to illuminate the perimeter.

~ Standard ten meter active perimeter. Set an alert for any known to be potentially hostile creatures. Set alert for if tracked target gets within fifty meters. ~

~ Target is currently six hundred eighty two meters, not moving. ~

~ Hopefully he stays there. Only alert whoever is on watch if he comes close enough to trigger the alert. ~

~ Affirmative. Daily report compiled. Do you wish to review it? ~

Zoe paused, slightly surprised. ~ Yes, thank you. ~ The report scrolled across her thoughts. It was succinct, blunt details about consumption, down to energy use from the drones, came to her. She chuckled out loud.

"What's funny?" Anisha asked.

Sending the report to the large tablet, Zoe waved her hand towards it. "Nix did the daily report for me. Have a look."

Reading it, Anisha chuckled and waved Boo over. "Wow, that is a lot more detail than we usually send," Boo stated.

"I'll edit it before I send it. Anything anyone wants to add?"

"I've already sent pictures to Mini," Maddison stated. "Should I send them with the report?"

"No need," Zoe replied, slightly surprised at Maddison. "I didn't realise you'd spoken to her enough that you'd think of that."

Maddison shrugged. "I always wanted a little sister to dote on, and now there's a bunch of kids I can choose from. Mini just happened to be the most interested in Australia."

Zoe gave Maddison a warm smile. "Just keep sending the pictures, I'm sure all the kids will enjoy them. Do you label them?"

"I leave a short voice message with them."

Zoe lowered her voice. "Still not going too well with written words?"

Maddison shook her head in reply. "I've learnt what words are important to vehicles and some for tech, otherwise I occasionally sit in with the kids."

"You are very quick to learn," Zoe said warmly. "It always amazes me the number of adults that join us, who haven't and don't want to learn."

"I get it though. I didn't need words to survive. Now however, I at least need to learn the basics to make sure I can do what I want to. Also, thank you for making those little symbols on all the tech I use."

"No wukkus," Zoe replied, making Maddison smile. "You should let Anisha take first watch tonight."

"Will do."

~

Henrietta yawned widely as Ellis parked the truck at the outpost in Brisbane. Grabbing her small pack of clothing, she pushed the door open and slid out onto wobbly legs.

"You're in time for dinner," Keith said as he approached.

"Great!" Henrietta replied. "Keith, this is Ellis, he's from Europe, like me. Ellis, Keith here is our liaison here in Brisbane."

The two men shook hands warmly. "Welcome to Brisbane. Now, come, we have food for you."

The pair followed Keith as he led them towards the mess hall.

"What's a liaison?" Ellis asked.

"Oh! Sorry! It means, um, the person who we talk to who talks to the city for us. Like if I wanted to tell Moritz something, I could tell you and I would know that it would get to him."

"Huh, okay," Ellis replied before they were greeted by others and swept into other conversations.

~

Finishing altering the report, Zoe made Nix read over it. The suit AI gave an affirmative that it understood the changes, though still questioned the inclusion and exclusion of certain data.

~ While the reports need to be detailed, they also need to be concise. It is up to us to manage our own supplies and only in extreme circumstances when we need something we don't have or cannot obtain, that we can request anything. Reporting that we found a bioluminescent whale is, while not overly important, it is information and, in the future, something we can study. And, I'm sure you've noticed, but humans are lazy, but also inquisitive. ~ Zoe retrieved previous reports from the Community hub. ~ Here, these are my reports from my previous assignments. Scan over those, that will give you an idea of what is expected in the reports. Once you've done a report, I want to approve it. ~

~ Affirmative. Analyzing. ~

Zoe flicked the report off to the Community comms, receiving a received reply a minute later.

She lent back on her chair, stretching in her armour, still internally debating whether she should sleep in it or not. It was comfortable enough. The times where she had slept in it were proof enough that she could do it, and it wasn't terrible in the morning. It was, however, easier to get to sleep without it. She made up her mind as she took off her gloves and felt the cool breeze.

"You should have a dip in the river before it gets too dark," Anisha said as she approached, wringing out her hair. There is a nice little pool nearby. Just be careful, the stones are mossy."

Zoe nodded, glancing towards the fire where Boo and Tyson were cooking.

"I'll let you know when it's almost ready," Tyson called out without looking up from what he was preparing. Boo swatted his shoulder, making Zoe chuckle as she finished taking off the suit, leaving the boots, control unit and headset on.

Following Anisha, she was led to a secluded, brush surrounded pool. The water swirled lazily in and out from the nearby stream, a pleasant gurgling noise where it ran out of the pool, across some rocks and back into the main stream.

"I'll leave you be," Anisha said, throwing a wave over her shoulder as she left.

~

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Zoe played with data as she relaxed in the cool water, her mind wandering through the satellites. Since the accident several months earlier and her practice with it since, she'd figured out some limits and had pushed her abilities.

Flicking through the list of satellites in orbit, she flagged a few for further acquisition. She couldn't link any further than directly with Nix, so as part of the suit upgrades, she had upgraded the transmission equipment in the suit. Even with the bulk of the suit back at their camp, her link with the control panel made it feel like she was still wearing it. But from there, if it could receive and send a signal back, she could access it through Nix. Any further than that was blocked directly for her, but she could work through tech to affect things further away, like she had previously.

Requesting info from her network, she sent feelers out to where things were happening. Within a few heartbeats, she received a confirmation of active satellites outside her network, some above northern America, some above asia and a scattering of others around the world, including a small cluster to the south of her, where her intended destination was.

"Zoe, dinner is ready," she heard faintly through Nix's connection. Groaning, she stood, shaking as much of the water off as she could before dressing.

"Zoe?"

She picked up her headset and opened the comm. "Yeah, coming."

"You got lost in data again, didn't you?" Boo said, a smile in her tone.

"Was checking on the satellite network while I had a moment. All good, I'll be there soon."

As she approached the camp, the smell of roasting meat wafted past her, making her stomach rumble.

Boo held a plate out to her, a strange looking baked bread stuffed with meat and some vegetables they had gotten from Brisbane.

"What's this?" Zoe asked, poking the bread. It was thick and crunchy on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside.

"He called it 'damper'. It's flour, salt and water, mixed thick, put in some foil and buried under the fire, in the coals and dirt. I like it." Boo retrieved her own half eaten meal as they sat, all five of them chatting happily as the night set.

~

Henrietta woke early, the morning chorus of wildlife still something she hadn't gotten used to yet. Checking her tablet, she saw a message for her. Curious, she opened it, expecting something from her mother.

Request received: Transfer to Cairns outpost.

Update: Reviewed. Request granted.

Additional: Henrietta Johnson, you are to work closely with our teams in Australia, being one of the faces of our home. I can't guarantee that you will be able to come home often, but I am sure that you will find a welcome there. You will do us all proud.

Gregori Romanowski.

Additional information sat below the message, including who she was to report to and when, but she glossed over it. Henrietta stared at the tablet and the message for a moment longer before she started to re-read it. Part way through, another message came in for her. Noticing it was from her mother, she opened it, still numb from the shock of her request being granted.

"Baby girl!" her mum said, excitement in her voice. "They just told me they granted your request! I'm so proud of you. Call me when you can, okay?"

Snapping back to reality, she called, her mother answering straight away. "Hi mum."

"You got it! You said you wanted to stay there, that's great!"

Henrietta smiled shyly. "You're not mad?"

"Oh, baby girl, I'll miss you, but I'm proud. Gregori asked me how I felt about it before approving the request. We can still talk every day."

"You'll be okay by yourself?" Henrietta asked.

"Of course, I still have the young ones to help with. You'll be able to visit from time to time, so we won't be apart for too long."

They sat in silence for a few moments before a knock on her door distracted her. "Who is it?" Henrietta called out.

"Ellis. I'm ready when you are ready to go."

"Okay, I won't be long!" she called back. "Mum, I have to go, we're going to catch a crocodile today."

"Take pictures for me. Love you."

"Will do. Love you."

~

The pair delayed long enough to eat before heading out, following the path the others had marked for them.

Ellis drove along the roads until they had to drive off road, where Henrietta took over. Following the path, the truck bounced along water washed animal trails, leading them down to the river, where they turned and followed the other trucks tire marks.

Rounding a corner through the trees, they came across the camp, Maddison waving them to park next to their truck.

"Hey you," Maddison said to Henrietta. "Zoe told me of your request to stay here. Hope you like it."

"Thanks," she replied, still a little shy around the older, more experienced people.

Boo collided with her as she stepped away from the vehicle. Wrapping her arms around Henrietta, Boo hugged her waist, excitement in her eyes. Henrietta bent down a little to hug back gently. "Proud of you girly," Boo stated happily. "You'll do great. Have your assignment details yet?"

She nodded, releasing Boo and reaching for her tablet. She stopped as Boo shook her head and touched her arm. "It's not important right now, it's just good to know where you're needed. You'll fit in here."

"Thanks," Henrietta replied, waving to Zoe, who waved back. "Where is the crocodile?"

"Just over five hundred meters from here," Boo replied. "He came a bit closer last night, but otherwise hasn't moved."

"Will this be dangerous?" Ellis asked.

"Only for me and Zoe," Maddison replied, tightening her sword belts. "Everyone else is to stay in vehicles and far enough away. Zoe and I get to do the dangerous stuff."

"And only because I have Nix," Zoe said, approaching the group. She smiled up to Henrietta, the young woman almost two feet taller than her even while she wore her suit, which added a few inches. "Told you."

Henrietta smiled warmly at Zoe. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Zoe replied. "For now, we have a croc to catch."

"Gunna wrassle me a croc!" Maddison yelled excitedly.

~

~ Full power to stun weapons, take over targeting for me. ~

~ Affirmative. Research shows that crocodiles can charge on land and exceed thirty kilometers per hour. Advice; do not approach within ten meters without assuring crocodile is stunned. Research shows that the bite force of a crocodile can exceed sixteen thousand newtons. Advice; avoid its mouth. ~

Zoe stared blankly for a second before nodding. ~ I didn't need to know the numbers, but thank you. Advice received. ~ The weapon array spun into life and started its charge cycle as they passed the one hundred meter mark, closing in on their target.

The plan was simple, Zoe would stun the creature and Maddison would warn of any reactions with Tyson relaying. Once they were certain it was down, the pair would move in and bind its jaws. Zoe had studied videos she could find and had mistakenly shown Maddison, who now wanted to jump on the back of the croc. Once it was bound, then the truck would approach and Henrietta would help with loading the animal. Between them, Zoe was confident they could lift it.

~ Fifty meters. Targeting. ~ A ping appeared on Zoe's visor as they approached, the crocodile on the other side of the river from them. Maddison was already on the other side, closer to the animal. She started to lag back, allowing Zoe to approach first. ~ To ensure accuracy a minimum distance of twenty meters is required. ~

~ Noted. I'll get as close as I can from here. ~

~ Estimated closest safe distance to be two meters, thirty one centimeters. Safe distance may be breached due to suit enhancements or if the animal is stunned. ~

~ Thank you Nix, ~ Zoe replied, exasperated at the suit. ~ No more advice please, let me think. ~ She could feel the system wanting to tell her more things, but not doing so on her request.

The crocodile seemed to track her as she walked alongside it on the other side of the river. She stopped directly across the river, barely five meters from it, raising her array.

Zoe, hold up, something's off.

Shifting her aim to the side, she lowered her arm and turned towards where the vehicles were, about fifty meters back. "What's wrong Tyson?" she asked through the comms.

"I can sort of read it. It's not in a language I know, but the thoughts are more human than I would expect. Hell, it feels almost like a feral mind."

"A feral? Huh. Does that change our plan?"

"We could try talking to it," Boo said after a moment. "But if they don't understand us, then I have no idea."

Zoe flicked open her helmet and flipped the visor out of the way.

~ Maintaining combat stance, ~ Nix said. Zoe gave a silent approval.

"Hey," she called, taking off her left glove, raising her hand and waving. "Do you understand me?"

The crocodiles head moved a little towards Zoe. No recognition, just focussing on sound, Tyson said. Let me try something.

Zoe felt Tyson open up, drawing her into a group with Maddison as he pushed gently at the crocodiles mind. She understood now, more than she had before, what Tyson meant and felt. The previous time he had shut down due to overload, but now, he gently prodded, sending friendly feelings.

I have no idea on how to make someone shift back, other than to ask. He tried sending images of what he thought it would look like to change from a crocodile to a human, but didn't get anything back. I'm out of ideas.

Zoe breathed out heavily, not aware she was holding her breath. Running her hand through her hair, she signalled for Maddison to retreat and the truck to back up while they planned.