City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Industrial Zone “NES Factory”, Medical Center “Lizard Tail”
Maksim Chernykh’s team, August 12, 2049, 9:31 PM
“Ufff…” Nikola exhaled loudly, impatiently tracing her finger over the soft plastic of the bed. “How much longer?”
Compared to Max, her injuries were minor. Well, her back did look like she had fought off a pack of enraged cats – bruises, scrapes, and a few deep cuts – but it was nothing serious. Besides, Maksim had already performed initial treatment on her wounds.
But with a powerful surgical robot and plenty of supplies left by Doc, it would be foolish to leave Nikola patched up with simple bandages.
So, Redhead found herself in the operating room, giving Alisa the chance to practice some basic real-world surgery. Manipulating the controls, the android-girl cleaned and prepped the wounds for treatment. A new cartridge clicked into the bioprinter, which blinked green in readiness.
The machine hovered over Nikola and began quietly humming, printing synthetic skin directly onto her back. Over time, this layer would dissolve as her natural epidermis healed.
“You chose not to modernize your skin?” Alisa asked, rolling over in the operator’s chair to the clear window, so Nika could see her during their conversation. “Or is it because of your assignment to mech armor? Pilots don’t get those enhancements?”
“Well, can’t speak for all corporations. Watsons don’t offer it. Or rather, they do, but it increases the contract cost. ‘Couse it’s sort of an optional upgrade. There certainly are benefits to such enhancements, especially if you get the full package – with removing breasts and completely disabling the reproductive system. They even offered it to me, with a discount. But, you know, I decided that the joys of good old ‘classic’ sex are more valuable.”
“Actually, I wouldn’t know,” Alisa said. “The thing is, I died a virgin.”
“Oh boy, not the greatest achievement…” Redhead commented, lifting her head, and thoughtfully looking at her companion.
“Tell me about it…”
The two women fell silent for a few moments, lost in their thoughts.
Meanwhile, the work was nearly finished, and Alisa started applying the final layers. With this treatment, Nikola’s deep cuts would be gone in a week without a trace.
“May I ask you something?” Nika suddenly broke the silence.
“Sure, ask away. No need to be shy.”
“Well, I didn’t know how to start,” Redhead said, a bit embarrassed. “In short, are you really alive?”
“I am,” the android girl answered calmly. “Though, technically, I’m a machine. I’m not a cyborg; there’s no living brain in my head or anywhere else.”
“But if I understand correctly, Max managed to transfer the personality and memory of a deceased person – his sister – you – into an android body? And for this, you use external hardware based on a powerful AI?” Nikola smiled a little uncertainly and bit her lip.
“If we omit all the details, then yes.”
“Something tells me a lot of those details are… omitting,” Nikola smiled.
“You have no idea how many.” Alisa returned the smile, recalling her recent conversation with Irida.
“Un-freaking-believable!” Red exclaimed. “I’m not an expert in artificial intelligence, just a mere combat cyborg, but damn! That shocks me more than all the goddamn shaiszu landing here! How is that even possible?”
“Max had fully digitized my brain and used our father’s work to transfer its structure onto a sufficiently powerful hardware complex. We’re still working on it, to be honest.”
“Your eyes look alive,” Nikola made a sudden and very certain comment after a short pause. “I don’t mean biologically. It might sound kinda mystical, but I’ve survived this long only because I learned to see the essence of people reflected in their eyes. Honestly, that’s why I asked…”
Redhead tried to shrug but, of course, she couldn’t since the surgical robot was still working, and her torso was securely fastened.
“Actually, they really are alive, you know. It’s a cyber-biological closed system grown based on my genetic code. Max put a lot of effort into it back then. But… honestly… I’m surprised you accepted so easily that I consider myself real.” Alisa glanced cautiously at her and whispered softly, “even Maksim doesn’t believe me.”
“Nah, a person is their personality, their soul if you will. Yep, I do believe people have souls. So, it’s not about the physical vessel!” Nikola declared confidently, having heard everything Alisa said but tactfully choosing not to acknowledge it directly. “Take me, for example. More than sixty percent of my body is metal, plus a ton of electronics in my head. But does it change anything?”
#Alisa.Stream0.Primary.
“Such a strange feeling… I’ve suddenly found support from an absolutely unexpected side. I can see that she really... does understand me? Maybe convincing Max to let me join summoning the Drone won’t as hard as I thought?”
“By the way, Nikola is right about the soul, or rather, the ‘energy essence’ Irida hinted at without explaining the details.”
“And here I am, even used to not believe in gods before...”
Nikola tried to wriggle in the tight restraints, but when that didn’t work, she reached back with her free hand to scratch herself.
“Stop! Don’t even think about it!” Alisa reacted instantly, intercepting her hand with one of the free manipulators. “Don’t scratch your back! Better yet, don’t touch it for two hours. Oh, and you’re done. You can get up now. And… thank you.”
Nika felt a cooling mist spray over her back, refreshing as if from an aerosol can. The clamps holding her torso released and retracted into the medbot.
The nimble machine turned and wheeled the girl out of the operating room.
“Thank you, Doctor!” Redhead quipped, giving a playful bow and placing the fingers of her mechanical hand on her chest – oddly, not around her heart, but a bit lower.
“You’re definitely an exhibitionist.” Alisa couldn’t help but smile, watching the brief performance and realizing that the gesture was less about gratitude or flirtation and more about managing the pull of vicious gravity.
Nikola said nothing, broadly smiling as she gracefully pulled on her shorts.
Stepping out of the operating room, she noticed something odd and stopped, tilting her head curiously.
“Dasha’s video signal is off and her status says ‘do not disturb.’ What’s going on?”
“I think she’s falling into a depression. Max strictly forbade her from working and told her to drink beer and to rest.”
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“Rest and beer as a reason for depression, serio? (Polish: seriously)”
“Well, it sometimes happens, especially after Max scolds her…” The android girl shrugged a little awkwardly. “And yes, Dasha is quite the workaholic. Maybe you could go talk to her?”
“Why not? I’m good at dealing with all sorts of people. Are you joining us soon?”
“Unfortunately… no.” Alisa said contemplatively. “Brother’s operation will drag on another three hours and fourteen minutes. Only then can I leave him to stay in the recovery room, so he would wake up naturally. I’ll join you after that.”
“Oh… I see. Good luck with that! And thanks again for my back,” Nikola replied with a light nod before leaving the room.
----------------------------------------
Darkness rules here.
Dim lights flicker weakly, unable to break the eternal gloom of this crypt.
Faintly glowing runes shimmer on ancient tablets lining the walls.
Sinister mist, coming alive is filling the room, creeping into every corner, every nook...
From the half-light emerges a figure – a black demon astride a grim beast.
Lifting its shaggy head, it speaks in a hoarse voice, reciting ancient prophecy.
From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were — I have not seen
As others saw — I could not bring
My passions from a common spring—
With each word, the sound grows louder and more piercing! The power in the words cuts deeper than the sharpest blade!
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow — I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone—
And all I lov’d — I lov’d alone—
The demon pauses for a moment, raising its hand in a spellcasting gesture. Magical fire bursts forth, new tendrils of mist weaving into the darkness, spreading in an enchanted web. The voice resumes.
Then — in my childhood — in the dawn
Of a most stormy life — was drawn
From ev’ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still—
From the torrent, or the fountain—
From the red cliff of the mountain—
From the sun that ‘round me roll’d
In its autumn tint of gold—
The pale mist pulses, dances, agreeing with every uttered word. The tension is so thick it feels like lightning will strike, thunder will crash, and something irrevocable will happen!
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass’d me flying by—
From the thunder, and the storm—
And the cloud that took the form
When the rest of Heaven was blue
Of a demon in my view.
The one who entered here must succumb to the demon’s magic.
He recoiled, trying to grab onto the wall.
Their fingers find some sort of artifact.
Click!
Light dispels the ancient darkness, and the hero’s voice rings out:
“Damn, Dashka, what the hell?”
“Leave me alone, fair maiden, I am in sorrow!”
“And why’d you switch from Common Slavic to English all of a sudden?”
image [https://i.imgur.com/raPkafe.jpg]
“The language of high poetry does not allow for translation!”
With the lights on, all the mystical atmosphere vanished instantly.
The shaggy demon was, of course, Vasilevskaya, dressed only in simple gray shorts and a black oversized T-shirt that stubbornly slipped off one shoulder. Her braids were disheveled, with black and purple strands of hair sticking out in all directions. No wonder that all sorts of crazy things seemed to appear in the dark.
The ancient prophecy was “Alone” by Edgar Allan Poe in the original. Dasha had fallen in love with his poetry as a child. Ever since she saw a holo-clip based on the works of the great poet at the age of seven, it had forever imprinted itself in her mind. The dark, ethereal 3D shadows that seemed to pass right through her had captured the child's attention, evoking not fear but awe, admiration, and a sense of kinship. Many lines from his poems she now used as “activation phrases” in active meditations or as anchors for specific psycho-emotional states.
The “beast” she sat astride was an ordinary transformer couch folded into a chair. The ominous mist was just certainly vapor. And what else would you expect when a vape was held in one hand, and a can of beer was in the other?
“But seriously, why are you sitting here all gloomy?”
“What’s there to be happy about, huh? Lots of people got killed. Sure, it’s their problem if they couldn’t handle the situation or even ingeniously decided to take selfies with the shaiszu... But… I couldn’t reach my dad while the TACTA network was still up. And now I don’t even know if he’s alive. That’s not fuckin’ fun at all! And Max got injured! An overdose of synth fried my brain, and I don’t have the right pharma, and now I can’t vape for a week! And I can’t work! And everything’s forbidden! And… Penis.”
“Penis?!”
“Uh… No! I don’t know! I’m tired! Scared! And everything! Yeah!” Dasha shouted incoherently, squeezing the beer can like it was her last lifeline.
Then she habitually took a deep breath and exhaled, leaned back, relaxed her hands, and took a sip of beer.
“Yeah, I get you,” Nikola agreed, pulling up an ottoman and settling next to her. “Well, as much as I can, of course. I don’t really know what’s better. I don’t have anyone to worry about. My tech-phobic parents disowned me at fourteen when the corporation installed cybernetic limbs to replace the ones I lost. I even got a full genetic correction, which was an unthinkable violation of their sacred beliefs! So now I’m one hundred percent healthy and… one hundred percent orphaned. Lots of acquaintances… but no friends.” She stared into the distance, frozen on her seat.
“Wow... sounds like you had a hell of a hardcore life,” Dasha said thoughtfully, staring at a point on the floor.
Nikola nodded and heaved a sigh, leaned forward, grabbed a can, and cracked it open. They sat in silence for a while, sipping their beers, each lost in their own thoughts.
“And now everyone is gonna have a hell of hardcore life. Monsters are pouring out of goddamn portals, naturally regulating the overload of idiocy of human civilization,” the dark-haired ‘demoness,’ suddenly declared. “It would almost be beneficial, considering all the trends toward global dumbing down. But the world is now ruled by some alien dumbasses who are even less of an intellectual civilization than we are... As the saying goes, ‘if you think things can’t get worse, just wait till lunch’…”
“And… and the situation model,” sighed Vasilevskaya, “that Alisa and I are working on clearly shows that those bastards are succeeding! And everything is going according to their plan! And that bloody plan includes the complete extermination of all renouncers throughout the former polis. Yeah!”
“Hic! Hic!” Dasha suddenly hiccupped instead of finishing her sentence, ruining the dramatic effect. Then she glared darkly from under her brows and took another long sip from her can.
“Nah, screw that! I also feel shitty, even though I haven’t seen your ‘model’ yet. But whatever it shows, that’s no excuse to act like this!” Nikola suddenly perked up and shrugged her shoulders as if shaking off the weight of her memories. Surveying the scene and noting the ‘rampant melancholy,’ Redhead decisively waved her hand and declared,
“We’ll figure out how to kick the protes’ asses and escape from Kyiv when Maksim recovers from surgery. But that’s for later. Right now, it’s time for a little celebration. Because I’ve learned a rule in life: if you feel terrible, that’s the best reason to cheer up and treat yourself.”
She marched over and decisively took the almost empty can from Dasha’s hand.
“I... don’t like celebrations. The noisy fun... and all that… stuff, yeah…” the “demoness” muttered, curling up.
“By ‘celebration,’ I don’t mean drunk clowns, loud disco lights with booming music, a screeching MC in a mini-skirt, and other horrors of a ‘state-wide wedding in the middle of nowhere.’ Here’s what you need, count them: a good meal, a pleasant atmosphere – I’ll handle the music – and, of course, good company. That’s me, by the way. You can start feeling better now.”
Dasha managed a weak smile.
“That’s more like it. There was decent snack food where you got the beer. So, how about this: you hold off on the melancholy for a bit longer, and I’ll quickly set up the table and music. Dobrze? (Poland: Okay)”
Nikola headed to the kitchen, pulling out some meat snacks from the fridge. There wasn’t much else ready to eat. After scratching her fiery red hair thoughtfully, she got a pack of frozen paella from the freezer.
“Why not, let’s have something hot and substantial!”
“What did you say?” Dasha, no longer in her “sorrow,” peeked into the kitchen with cautious curiosity, ready to join in the “feast” preparing.
“I said, there’s gonna be food. Some real, hot, hearty food. Do you eat paella? And what are you digging in the packages for?” Nika asked, noticing Daria rummaging through a large yellow-blue duffle bag.
“I do. Max is a fan of Spanish cuisine. He’s fed me all kinds of dishes.” The girl replied, grinning as she rummaged through the sports bag she’d found at the university. “Look what I have, check this out!”
She fearlessly and proudly demonstrated the bottle with a worm at the bottom.
“Wow, some hell of a stash you got there.” Red squinted, looking at Dashka’s find. “Did you actually get your hands on a bottle of mezcal?”
“Well… it’s not mine. I mean, it is now, but I didn’t even know it would be there. I mean… I just… took the bag. Accidently. Yeah.”
“Oh, no worries. By the way, this bomb is strong enough that one bottle would be overkill for you and me. Wish we had a lime or a lemon… but we’ll make do.”
“Uhm, what about Max?”
“It’s okay, we won’t drink too much now. Just a beer or so. And have a bite to eat while we wait for him, which will be a couple more hours, actually. In the meantime, you can tell us what you’ve dug up, we’ll start thinking over our victory… Besides, Dasha, do you really have only ‘zero’?”
“Uh-huh, and there’s not much left. Not quite scraping the bottom yet, but close. Of course, there’s synth... and other stuff, in concentrates. But if I mix that up, you won’t wake up in the morning... and it’s forbidden for me anyway…”
“Got it.” Redhead smiled. “I’ve never vaped synth, but I know the drill. As for ‘zero’… mind sharing for a couple of drags?”
“Catch.” Dasha clumsily tossed the vape in the general direction of her new friend, and only Nikola’s remarkable reflexes allowed her to catch it. Red laughed heartily and proudly took a puff from the device.
“Thanks,” she said, dumping a bag of frozen food onto the skillet. “It’ll be ready soon.”