Based on Noir’s internal clock, they predicted that the meal was intended as a dinner since it was early evening. Shortly after Val finished eating, she decided to try and get some rest. Try being the operative word as she tossed and turned all night, waking up every hour or so with her blood pounding in her ears as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. Val usually enjoyed darkness and silence while sleeping, but the cell just felt too oppressive for her to get comfortable.

It was almost a relief when the giant came back in the morning, his imposing presence a relief from the fear of the unknown that had haunted Val all night. Without a word, he exchanged her empty tray with another containing some form of scrambled eggs. It was a far cry from Wallon’s excellent omelets just twenty-four hours before, but at least they were feeding her. Val held out some hope that their efforts meant they needed her alive for something. Her odds of escape were low, but so long as she was alive, there was always another chance.

In an attempt to instill some normalcy, Val spent the morning going through her typical training routines. Some light physical exercises kept her limber and helped work through the residual soreness from the previous day’s exertions. Short bursts of anxiety were countered with a series of breathing exercises and meditation, and over time the panic attacks became less frequent as Val came to terms with her situation. Or at least, recognized that there was nothing she could do presently.

The most interesting addition to her morning routine was the regular communication with Noir. The Daemon’s surly and standoffish attitude had dropped away almost completely. The danger of the current predicament seemed to invigorate Noir. Val wasn’t sure if it was out of necessity or whether her partner secretly enjoyed the danger, but she was grateful for the Daemon's companionship nonetheless.

Frustratingly, Noir had still not shared any new nano subroutines which could boost Val’s combat ability. Logically, she understood that there was no way she could incorporate a new technique in her fighting style immediately; in fact, it would probably make her less effective in the short-term since she would likely focus too much on activating the subroutine at the cost of her fundamentals. Val gritted her teeth as she thought about the three Class A rogue Users that were involved in her abduction. Can’t blame a girl for hoping for a literal get-out-of-jail-free technique, though.

However, Noir still did share a plethora of other useful information. Val sat with her customary spot with her back against the wall facing the door while she looked over the map overlaid in her vision. A depiction of the mountain range around Peakpoint was being displayed, and a large circle outlined a region several mountains almost due east of the city.

This is a rough estimate of our current location. Although you were unconscious for most of the trip, I was able to extract enough sensory input from your subconscious mind to form this estimate.

Mildly creepy, but better to have this estimate than not. I’m surprised how far we made it in one afternoon.

Your expectations are likely based on a slow methodical traversal of the forest with a patrol of Scouts. Yesterday, you were dragged along by a lone predator who didn’t expend much effort in staying hidden.

That sort of makes sense, although I doubt direwolves are the most dangerous predator in the mountains.

Val felt the equivalent of a mental shrug from Noir. Indeed they are not. We suspect that particular Enhanced is being controlled somehow, so perhaps even its survival instincts are being overwritten. Speculation aside, this is the best estimate we have.

Val tapped an index finger on her lips as she studied the map. She was slower than the direwolf, especially without her exosuit, but the distance was not impossible for her to get back to Peakpoint in a day or two. Knowing which direction to head was already incredibly helpful. And if I could just find my exo–

Her thoughts were interrupted as the locking mechanism of the door clicked again. Val scrambled to her feet as the door slid open. The giant man stood on the other side of the doorway again, but this time his hands were empty. Not a food dropoff? The man stepped slightly to the left, beckoning towards Val with one large hand.

“Girl. Follow,” he rumbled out in his deep voice. Val bit her lip nervously. Staying in the cell indefinitely was not a real long-term option, but at least they had mostly left her alone so far. She took one tentative step forward before the man suddenly roared at her, causing her to freeze in shock.

“FASTER!” The man’s brows furrowed in anger for a moment. He shook for a moment before letting out a deep exhale, his face and posture relaxing slightly, but not quite fading from his eyes. “Follow,” he said again in his normal volume but with more insistence.

Val quickly made her way over to the door, bare feet slapping against the hard floor of the cell. As she approached, the man turned and started walking down the hall. Val’s heart pounded as she stepped out of the cell after the man, whose enormous figure just barely fit in the hallway. She dared looking down the hall the opposite way, but the hallway was entirely featureless. No indication that it would lead to an exit or some other location of importance.

Turning her gaze back, she gulped as she saw the man’s beady eyes staring at her. Not wanting to anger the giant any further, Val quickly jogged up behind him. Huffing, the man started walking forward again. This time, Val followed immediately. Better to not piss off the guy who looks like he could squash me without even trying.

She blinked as Noir overlayed a new map into her vision. Instead of the mountain range, she now saw her cell with the hallway leading out of it. As she turned a corner, the map updated accordingly. Despite her apprehension, the corner of Val’s mouth twitched up, giving her a grim smile. The odds might be stacked against her now more than ever, but she’d never let that stop her before. All right, Noir. Let’s see what we’re up against.

Noir didn’t get the chance to fill out much of their map as the man stopped in front of another door after only several turns. Nothing noteworthy had leapt out to Val either since none of the doors or intersections were marked. That was not uncommon in facilities that primarily served Users, who could just have their Daemons look up the relevant information, but it was extremely unhelpful to Val and Noir at the moment.

A meaty hand grabbed Val’s shoulder, thrusting her forcefully into the room as the door slid open. She stumbled forward, nearly falling before recovering her balance after several shaky steps. She stood up and glared at the giant as he strode into the room after her, door sliding closed behind his massive form.

“Ahh, thank you for bringing our… guest, Brawn.”

Val whirled around, trying to find the source of the new voice. Noir helpfully highlighted the figure in a thin red outline, allowing Val’s eyes to settle on the room’s other occupant quickly. She sent a brief note of thanks to Noir while simultaneously berating herself for not staying more aware. Shoving down her feelings of annoyance, she focused her attention on the man sitting before her.

She mentally apologized to Wallon for thinking he looked like a mad scientist when she first met him in the Defect compound. That title was clearly held by the skinny, frail man with tufts of white hair in front of her now. He was draped in a dirty lab coat that was several sizes too large for him. While it had been white at one point, it was now completely covered in stains. Val tried not to linger on the fact that many of them appeared to be bloodstains.

From what little of his body that Val could see sticking out of the lab coat, he seemed much older than she expected. Wrinkled skin covered his gnarled fingers before his thin, bony wrists disappeared into his cuffs, and he wore a set of thick goggles that magnified his eyes. Val frowned as she took in his form, but the man just chuckled as he saw her reaction.

“Curious about my appearance? Yes, it seems many children nowadays are no longer familiar with the physical aspects of aging anymore.”

Val bristled at being called a child, but forced herself to not respond to man’s taunting. With an amused smile, the mad scientist continued.

“Nowadays, humans are too reliant on nano and their Daemons.” The man almost spat the word out in anger. “For all that they think their minds are sharper, they forget too much. They forget what the world was like when humans dominated every other lifeform on the planet. They forget our ambition, content to live – no, just merely survive in small corners of the world, hoping the big bad beasts won’t notice them.”

Val’s breath caught in her throat as the man’s eyes took on a heated fervor. Definitely nails the mad scientist vibes. Clearly the man was unstable, but Val wasn’t sure if it would be any better if she interrupted. The hulking form behind her – Brawn, apparently – convinced her to just keep her mouth shut and hope the man finished his crazed monologue soon.

“And now, they even forget the simple truths of humanity. We grow and push the boundaries of what is possible, but eventually we age and leave behind our legacy. And what a legacy it will be.”

“You think I look old now? Do you know how many have called me weak and old over my lifetime? Made fun of my inability to use any nano? They thought they were clever, calling us Brain and Brawn. Reminders of what we were missing, couched in fake compliments so that they could constantly ridicule us.”

A wicked gleam entered his eyes as he continued, “Well, they didn’t last long at all when they suddenly had their ability to use nano taken away from them, now did they? They called me old and weak, but I’m still here. I’m still here, and where are they? Rotting in their GRAVES!”

Spittle flew from his lips as he yelled. Val took an instinctual step back before bumping into a mass of muscle behind her. Brawn shoved her back forward. The motion seemed to break Brain out of his own personal world. He wiped his chin off with the lapel of his lab coat before sighing deeply, causing him to almost deflate in his chair.

“I tire of this. Brawn, strap her into the device. The sooner we extract Noir, the sooner we can have some peace and quiet.”

Horror rose up in Val’s chest as her eyes gazed upon the central piece of equipment in the room. She had dismissed it as a table of complicated electronics on her first scan of the room, but now with additional context, she could see similarities to the chair she had sat in during final User Selection. Or at least, what the chair would look like if it were built by a sadistic mad scientist out of scrap materials.

The comfortable chair was replaced by a flat table with a series of restraints clearly designed to immobilize someone’s limbs. Gleaming metal needles hung suspended in a ring around a small headrest, poised to pierce through her skull. The needles had already been her least favorite part, but this setup did not seem designed for user comfort at all. Her eyes traced the thick power cables from the table and found them plugged into a portable generator.

Noir, can they forcibly extract you from me like this?

I’ve never heard of such a thing, but we must assume that it is possible.

Abandoning any pretense of following instructions peacefully, Val ducked under Brawn’s arm and tried to run for the door. In a blur of motion, Brawn caught up to her and slammed a fist into her stomach. Val flew backwards several feet before crashing to the ground, gasping for breath. She got up on her hands and knees before a shadow fell over her. Looking up, she saw Brain standing above her, grinning maliciously.

“Oh no you don’t. We’re not finished with you yet. You’ll be free to leave once we’ve got what we need. If you survive, that is.”