The vehicle wasn’t much to look at: a four-door sedan of the typical round-roof aerodynamic quality. But the doors were so banged up and the back window was a gaping hole where something had shot the glass to pieces. And she wondered if they could even ride in it with all but the driver seat missing. Bolts were bent and burnout from where the seats were either yanked or blown out of their place.

“System, are you sure this can be a getaway car?” Veronika voiced her concern and yelped when something sparked from the bonnet.

Her hand instinctively reached for a gun at her hip holster and noticed for the first time that she didn’t have one. Nor one magnetically strapped to her back, where there should’ve been a plasma sniper rifle.

[It’s better this way. The weapons you lost weren’t compatible to your current ability. Not to mention, the kinetic back holster on your armor was badly damaged by that well-timed gunshot at your back]

“I also had one to the back?” Veronika felt around her back, not feeling any pain or indication of punctures.

And the bullet wound to her side was mostly healed, free from infection and no longer hurting: it hadn’t been an issue in the end.

[Your armor barrier was able to deflect the damage, and absorb the majority of impact to your side. Both times were caused by your trusted squad mate]

“You know, System, I think you’re just laughing up the ‘trusted’ bit way too much.”

System didn’t respond, but somehow Veronika sensed a bemused chuckle from her. Another spark from the bonnet drew everyone’s attention to the front of the car. Kami tentatively sniffed the surrounding air.

“Don’t see anything wrong.” He grunted and nudged her to take a closer look.

As Veronika was making her way closer to the bonnet, she saw her face for the first time in the cracked side mirror and gasped. A weird feeling of uncanny ran through her entire body, with thoughts that it couldn’t be a coincidence.

[I detect alleviated levels of neuron activity within the amygdala, which is impacting indexing] System’s voice blared through Veronika’s mind, with warnings and sound alerts going off.

“My face, System! It’s my face!” Veronika was staring at the mirror image of cool dark narrow eyes with long curved eyelashes, and strands of long, fine dark hair swaying against the gentle angles of her jawline: brushing against full lips.

Wu Chen’s eyes and hair had been raven-black to draw out the pleasant and flawless complexion on his snow-white skin.

It was almost the same image she was seeing in the mirror. Even the way her wispy fringe side-swept her round forehead and her long hair was messily held up in a single ponytail to dangle over a slender shoulder. How could her face be almost similar to her past one. The only difference was the level of masculinity. This was beyond a coincidence. It had to be.

[Warning! Warning! Neurotransmission spikes are driving up heavy imbalance. Pain receptors impacted] System continued to blurt alerts in Veronika’s mind.

A chaotic swell of spirit energy caused sparks to emit off her body and strike the car door and bonnet. So much so, exposed inactive wires connected to the rusted battery had ignited to bring the device online.

The car trembled as it whirred to life, but the instability of Veronika’s spirit energy was feeding a mass of energy into the battery to make it glow with threats of explosion.

[Activating latent serotonin network. Increasing levels into pituitary bloodstream channel. Rerouting to receptors…] System coolly noted of the actions she was taking to control Veronika’s body.

Veronika closed her eyes and allowed System to rebalance her chemicals. She calmed herself with deep breaths and entered into a meditative state until System confirmed that her levels had eased, and the warning alerts had stopped.

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“Sorry. I…” Before she could take stock of the situation with the car, its driver door was kicked off its hinge and the engine stopped. She cursed and gulped when the tungsten muzzle of a sniper rifle was pushed into her view.

“Human. Female with minor mage abilities and outfitted as a Concordat Force entry level solider.” A synthetic male voice noted of Veronika and added, “Threat level - assume hostile.”

Her eyes widened when the rifle barrel began charging up with a blow. She stepped back and ducked to avoid the gunshot.

[Veronika. A virus is attempting to hack through our firewalls. Initiating cyberwarfare protocols to counter…]

Veronika scrambled to her feet and did another dive and duck behind the back of the space-car to avoid another gunshot.

“The hell are you shooting at me for?” She screamed and yelped as she crouched low to avoid another shot that caused sparks to fly off near her head. “I haven’t even tasted the sweetness of passion fruits yet!”

[Intercepting with friendly handshake…] System calmly added, causing Veronika’s body to swell with a green glow. Gentle energy radiated from her body in waves, which struck the attacking synthetic to stop his attack.

“Starcharter protocols acknowledged. Passcode ’Passion Fruit’ accepted.” The synthetic voice noted.

Veronika paused, careful not to make any sudden moves. But the synthetic had accepted the friendly handshake System had sent out to it.

[It should be safe to stand] System reassured her.

After a few moments to be sure, she carefully rose to her feet and came face to face with another human. Or what resembled as one. Some of his armor and skin had been torn off one arm to reveal wires that formed the veins connecting the joints.

The waning sun, cast at his back, showed off a tall and muscly man with a thin carpet of dark blond hair on his head, a pair of cool blue eyes and amicable features. His cheeks were flawlessly smooth. A light growth of a blond beard covered his angled jaw and wide chin.

He was dressed in full light body armor of a generic, dark-gray quality, with a double utility belt over his waist and hip, and small pockets on his right forearm.

A navy and white band, imprinted with Starcharter’s white star logo, ran down the length of his upper right arm. Some of the metal near the left side of his chest plate was heavily dented with telltale signs of bullet impacts.

Veronika’s eyes glowed with a scan, which she quickly ran over his body.

[This is not a human, but a biodroid manufactured by the Starcharter Enterprises. You and him have similar qualities]

“Being?”

[You were both manufactured to be human specimens. However, your design was intended to be completely human, where his is atypical to the hybrid qualities of synthetic-organic species. Although, apart from the artificial palmaris longus, flexor carpi ulnaris and pronator teres in the arms, some synthetic parts of his left leg region and torso area, and biotic intelligence brain chips, his human anatomy appears largely organic]

“You’re human?” She blurted to the synthetic hybrid.

“Incorrect. I am a biodroid as your scan would have deduced. I detect you are a designed human.” His eyes released a gentle blue scan over her body. “Your genome sequence suggests clone manufacturing.”

“Of the failed kind, as some people have said.” She sighed and added with arrogant airs. “But my opinion on what those others have said about me is to shove their opinions up their black holes where the sun doesn’t shine.”

The biodroid set his plasma rifle to a dormant state and slipped it to his back holster. Veronika took it as an opportunity to extend a formal offer of truce: she held out her hand for a shake.

“My name is Veronika Shepherd.”

“I am identified as Symbiotic Computer Operating Terminal X2408.” The biodroid returned her greeting with a firm shake.

Veronika scratched her head with a thought that his name was going to be a tongue twister. “Do you mind if I call you Scot?”

“For ease of tagging.” She hastily added in case he took offense and was ready to whip out the rifle again and shoot off her head.

“Accepted. You can call me Scot. I shall call you Shepherd.”

“You can just call me Veronika.”

“But your identity handshake is tagged as Shepherd. Ensign ID 221143 of the Concordat Forces - Seria West Coast Infantry.” Scot factually noted on the identity information his scans had on her.

“Fine. I am Shepherd.”