City-21 “Kyiv”, UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion

Industrial Zone “NES Factory”

Maksim Chernykh and Nikola Kowalski, August 13, 2049, 8:41 AM

Max and Nika installed the modules received from the Linkers as soon as they left the welcoming shop “Paraphernalia for Safety”.

The device looked like a standard mediaphone with a six-inch screen. It was clear that TACTA engineers had chosen this form-factor specifically for compatibility with any Earth accessories — everything from holders to cases. Moreover, this unit provided numerous additional functions if needed, including access to the Informatorium, viewing one’s rank and Rating data, a messenger, and a bunch of other stuff.

In fact, TACTA had created a wide range of appliances designed for people who had a cortical grid but no implanted sub-brain, meaning they lacked a powerful built-in computer in their bodies. These gadgets also handled the vital task of providing access to virtual and augmented reality, without which it was impossible to work with TACTA’s interfaces.

The devices provided for the Maksim’s team were from the most expensive, one might say premium, line — interference-resistant secure communication. The price depended directly on the range; these particular models worked only within a radius of up to five hundred kilometers.

Additionally, in combat, the stylish decorative casing with a screen could be removed, and the most valuable part, the communication module, could be placed in armor and connected via an interference-resistant smart cable to the interface port.

Nika, upon seeing this “wonder of TACTA technology,” commented with a smile:

“Cool! Gotta upgrade the cyber-core so this thing’s always inside my body. That’s convenient.”

For now, the modules fit comfortably in the chest pockets of their tactical vests, and the connection to the sub-brain was maintained remotely. Luckily, the whole team had changed into military gear that morning.

They still had some time before meeting Miro, so Maksim and Nikola decided to stop by the clinic to give the communication modules to Dasha and Alisa. However, as they were running back, Nika abruptly stopped.

“Look, Max, that’s one huge Wapucha!”

“What’s huge?” he asked, confused by the unfamiliar word.

“Jeez, it’s a Wapucha, man. It’s slang for vending machines with devices and vaping liquids, from the Polish ‘wapowanie’,” she explained, pointing to a giant, cheerfully acid-colored machine. Bright phrases like “Breathe easy, we’ve got your flavors on tap!” and “Get your precious EJuice!” adorned its vibrant body.

“And this contraption even offers bulk packs, how awesome is that?” Redhead ran to the machine, studying the assortment. “Let’s get something nice for our little Dasha. Good thing we brought the robot along. How much weight can CaTZ handle?”

“One hundred and fifty kilos, easy. Maybe a bit more if we push it.”

“Perfect,” Nikola grinned, tapping enthusiastically on the terminal’s touch buttons. “Let’s see what we got here.”

While she placed the order, Maksim moved “Big One” closer, setting him down near the pickup tray. Unfastening the clamps, he removed the lid from the spacious plastic box mounted on the robot’s back.

“All set?” he asked. “This thing can fit over a hundred one-liter bottles!”

“Nah, they don’t have that many in bulk,” she replied. “Plus, Dasha asked for specific flavors, not just anything. But whatever, I’ll grab some extra. And some devices, and maintenance kits. Max, don’t you vape, by the way? Like, at all?”

“Nope. Tried it a couple of times, wasn’t my thing. I’d rather have a beer if we’re talking about relaxing. Just, not much time for that, given the situation.”

“Well, there’ll be more for us,” Nika chuckled. “Okay, order’s placed, let’s take it.”

Opening the pickup tray, she started pulling out bottles and boxes, handing them to Maksim. The work went quickly despite the large order, and they loaded everything up pretty fast.

“Done,” Nikola declared, securing the crate on her side, and approaching her partner. “So, what do you think?”

“I don’t like this situation,” he admitted, pulling her close and looking into her green eyes. “We could’ve taken a breather, even considering the need to flee Kyiv, but the last incident with Alba worries me. We exposed ourselves too much in front of her. And I don’t know how the Protectorate will react to this information.”

“Max, let it go. Killing her wasn’t an option for you there. After getting to know Dasha better, I totally get it. What’s done is done.”

“Thanks, Sunshine,” the guy kissed her. “I know it won’t be easy to find us, especially since we’re not staying in Kyiv. But I still have this uneasy feeling, like I missed something…”

“They won’t find us!” Nikola declared confidently, hugging Maksim. “We hid well enough.”

“Let’s test that,” he said. “We’ve got access to TACTA’s network, and it’s working great. I’ll quickly check what really happened with our truck. And we’ll head out. Meeting with Miro is soon, and we need to get CaTZ back to base.”

Nikola nodded and walked briskly alongside the robot. Maksim quickly logged into the file exchange he needed, authenticated, and sent all the truck’s recorded files for download.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“Here’s the deal,” Maksim said after reviewing the results, “the Protectorate video of the truck’s destruction is legit. It registered at the Kyiv Ring Expressway, hit six checkpoints after that, and vanished between the sixth and seventh. Somewhere between the 40th and 50th kilometer.”

“So, our trick worked?”

“Well, kind of… yeah,” he made a dissatisfied face. “But, unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid the tunnel. That’s too suspicious, so if they’re seriously looking for us…”

“Max, don’t worry, why should that even happen?”

“We exposed you, Dasha mentioned Moira, and you mentioned Alisa. That’s enough for the Protectorate to start looking for us.”

“Sorry,” Nika made one of her saddest faces, looking at him apologetically.

“Don’t sweat it. Alba doesn’t know the most important thing about Alisa. So, what if she’s an android… They don’t know the real secret. Even I’m still shocked we managed to recreate a living person based on AI!”

Nikola patted him on the shoulder reassuringly:

“Don’t worry. I believe everything will be fine. You know you’re not alone. I’m with you. You can count on me.”

“So, we’re acting like a full-fledged couple now?” Maksim smiled, seeing the fiery little devils dancing in her green eyes.

“Well, yeah,” she said, “but let’s not flaunt it in front of the others just yet. I’m still new to the team.”

“Alright,” Max stopped for a second, pulled the cyborg girl closer, and kissed her passionately…

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Daria Vasilevskaya, Medical Center “Lizard Tail”

Dasha opened her eyes and stared at the wall as if seeing it for the first time. Of course, that wasn’t the case. She had just been so deep in her work that she’d lost touch with reality a bit.

Yet, here she was, still in that same chair in the hall of Zelman’s clinic. Yesterday, the celebration had started right in this very chair, but she couldn’t quite remember how it ended.

“I remember everyone drinking ‘mezcal,’ or whatever that ‘pickled shaiszu’ is called,” Dasha smiled. “Then Max went off somewhere, and Nika started making out with me… I don’t remember what happened next. I’d probably kissed her back… she’s cute. Wait, stop! Why did I fall out of the virtual world?”

Without looking, she felt around for her vape and took a long drag, releasing a massive cloud of zero-base vapor.

[Alisa?]

[Yeah, I’m here,] the android replied through the network. Technically, she was in the workshop, positioned on an improvised diagnostic stand made out of one of the workbenches, and once again connected to Moira with a garland of smart cables.

[Listen, I’m gonna take a break. Let the Architect hang for a bit, okay?]

[Sure, no problem. Want me to carry this iteration through the end phase?]

[Hmm… Yeah, go ahead,] Dasha agreed, taking another drag from her vape. [I’ll vape for a bit. Maybe Red will bring me something. Even if it’s just ‘alpha one-percent’!]

[Dasha, you shouldn’t use so many drugs, especially if it’s not necessary,] Alisa gently chided.

[Pff,] the annoyed girl snorted. [Don't be like Maksim! And I’m talking about zero-base stuff, well… mostly.]

[You’re addicted!]

[Psychologically. And anyway, it doesn’t count. Living is harmful too, you know, people die from it.]

[I know,] Alisa said sadly. [I checked.]

[Alright, alright,] Dasha conceded, realizing she’d touched a sensitive subject for her friend. [Sorry. I'll try to vape less strong and harmful stuff.]

[Well, that’s something. Rest up,] the android nodded, redirecting the primary thread she used for conversation back to work.

Dasha chuckled and flipped over, throwing her legs onto the back of the couch. She lay there for a couple of minutes, staring blankly at the ceiling and periodically hitting her vape. However, doing nothing quickly bored her: “Okay… let’s find out who pulled me out of virtual and why… Wow! How did I not notice this right away?”

[Alisa, we've got a connection to the TACTA network, for real, yeah!]

[Yep, I know. I've already connected. Maksim and Nikola came by and handed over the modules. And you can see the network because Moira sees it. I've already set everything up.]

[And you didn’t say anything?] Dasha exclaimed, feeling hurt.

[You took a break, so I decided to give you that chance. Because you’re a workaholic,] the android calmly retorted.

[Oh, come on, hurt the kid, why don’t you!]

[And you’re far from a kid.]

[Ugh, you’re impossible!] Dasha blew two thick streams of vapor at the ceiling. “Alright, if we’re taking a break, I’ll check the darknet, see what’s being said post-curfew…”

She dived into the labyrinth of underground chats, boards, forums, and social networks. On the left, the notification panel slid by — mediaglyphs, mostly various subscriptions. She skimmed the column, dumping the unnecessary into the trash. Delete, delete, I’ll check this later, into the inbox, delete, stop! A personal message from one of the anonymous mail servers, but this was from someone she knew because it had a “trust mark” paid for.

# Open

## Hey, Orca! Do you have the little golden key with you? Please drop by our cozy home — I was in a rush and didn’t get to dust the bookshelves. Hurry, guests are coming this evening!

“Dad?!” Dasha, dropping her vape, sprang to her feet. Tears welled up. “Dad! DADDY!!!”

“Alright, the little golden key, that’s from here. Next, ‘cozy,’ which cloud is that?” She paced around the couch, tripping over the vape and picking it up. “Yeah! Atlanta, right! Damn, my head’s become so scatterbrained. Open, open… ‘bookshelves’ — that’s… here! Got it!”

Suddenly, a thought struck her: “What if something terrible happened? What if Dad’s already dead? And this is just a posthumous algorithm sending me a message...”

Daria sat down in the chair, closing her eyes. She needed to hold on for half a minute while the message decrypted.

She exhaled.

Clenched her fists, keeping her eyes shut.

# Decryption complete:

“Hello, Orca! I saw your messages — sorry I couldn’t respond sooner. Our team had to retreat south, the Protectorate activity here is fierce — they’re furious that Oracle slipped through their fingers.

I think we’ll be alright, but we’ll need to lay low for a while. As soon as we break out of the encirclement and reach a TACTA Drone, I’ll get in touch.

I’m so proud of you, my daughter — you assessed the situation correctly and didn’t side with the invaders! But I ask just one thing — don’t underestimate them, please. The Protectorate is a very strong and dangerous opponent!

Right now, they have a weakness — they’re short on manpower, and as it turns out, not everything in our world can be done by machines. But they’re quickly fixing that, their ‘class system’ is harsh but extremely effective in this situation.

We know the Protectorate needs ‘ordinary’ people too, but we haven’t figured out how they plan to use them. So far, it seems they’re setting up something like giant camps in major cities. I hope you’ve left Kyiv. If not, try to do so as quickly as possible.

I don’t know what the invaders are planning, but I have no illusions about their ‘good intentions.’

Daughter, I know it will be tough, but you can handle it! Stick with Maksim, he’s the kind of person who will never side with the Protectorate, and his ‘crazy hobbies’ have proven very useful in our current reality. I’m sorry I discouraged you. Here’s my fatherly blessing. This guy is what you needed — both before and now. I regret that it took an invasion of monsters for me to realize that.

Be careful — and don’t try to find me. I’ll contact you when it’s safe.

Love you, Orca. — Dad.”

Dasha read the entire message, holding her breath. She exhaled and opened her eyes.

“He’s alive… thank Cthulhu, he’s alive!” She brushed away her tears and smiled broadly. “Alright then, let’s fight!”

[Alisa, I’m coming back. Time to finish this… damn core! We need Battle Moira!]

Vasilevskaya laughed loudly, clenching her fists:

“We’re going to build a SYSTEM this world has never seen!”