Chapter 16

Eleonor

YOU HAVE CHANGED, MISTRESS. It was the first thing Genèse said when his tentacles wrapped the young woman on all sides, sliding, palpating, probing every nook of her body.

Eleonor let him do it, appreciating the sensation they gave her, tasting the pain and pleasure he was giving birth to in her, even when he touched her stump with her missing hand, or her charred eyes.

INTERESTING, YOUR BODY IS… MORE POWERFUL, MORE RESISTANT, YET NO SIGN OF BIOLOGICAL ALTERATION, AS IF YOU WERE BASICALLY… BETTER.

The young woman could clearly feel the confusion in the mind of her pool, the creature failing to understand what had happened to her.

THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHEN YOU CAME BACK WITH YOUR TENTACLES IN YOUR ARMS, BUT I PUT IT ON THE ACCOUNT OF AN ERROR OF APPRECIATION AT THAT TIME. He added, thoughtful.

Can you still improve me more ? She asked.

OF COURSE, NEITHER STRUCTURE NOR DNA HAS CHANGED, THERE IS STILL MUCH TO OPTIMIZE. He replied forcefully.

THE EFFECTS WILL ONLY BE BETTER, EVEN IF I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE SOURCE OF THESE CHANGES.

Perfect. How much biomass would you need to unlock something interesting in your genetic memory ?

HUM… ABOUT 100 UNITS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO RESTORE THE FIRST LAYER. ARE YOU GOING TO HUNT ? He replied before asking her this question, a little bit of hope in his voice.

Yes, it is time that I begin to be more than a scavenger. She said with determination, a predatory smile on her face.

YOUR MOTIVATION IS INTERESTING, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO DO A FULL SCAN BEFORE YOU LEAVE, MISTRESS.

Like last time ?

YES MISTRESS.

Is that really necessary ?

I THINK SO, MISTRESS. MOREOVER, THIS WILL GIVE ME TIME TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR BODY IN DEPTH.

...So be it.

PREFERENCES FOR THE PIECES TO BE RECONSTRUCTED ?

What do you mean ?

HOW SHOULD I OPTIMIZE THE REPLACEMENT ORGANS ? EYES THAT SEE FURTHER? A SPECIFIC HAND ?

Oh ? Yes. Yes ! My eyes, I want to be able to see colors, a lot ! She thought, sick of the blue that covered the world all the time.

UNDERSTOOD. LAUNCH OF STASIS...

Sensing the torpor seizing her, Eleonore let herself go to the sleep that was taking her, trusting Genèse.

Genèse

...incomprehensible change...new system of interaction; interesting… synchronization test...bizarre...concluding returns…

Without knowing it, Genesis was creating itself a path in the system, infiltrating deeply, trying to understand it, to use it…

Let’s see, what an interesting evolution ! An Hollow trying to connect to the system !

...identification required. He replied.

Identification ? You can call me the Overseer if you want.

Overseer. Unaffiliated to the Swarm. Objective ?

Oh. My goal, is that it ? Well, lounging around, not thinking about the past and spending my days watching the little girl who is now resting in your innards.

...Incomprehensible. Present your objective or withdraw.

Shhsh. I forget that you are more a machine than a real living being. I’m here because I find it interesting that you’re trying to synchronize with the system without going through status stones or something. Normally you shouldn’t be able to pull it off, but we’re gonna give you a boost, right?

... Proceed…

All right. Here’s a fragment that will allow you to synchronize. Use it well.

His neural network then integrated a foreign structure, and it was assailed by an immeasurable mass of information, unknown concepts, bridges of adaptations of the signals.

...Interesting.... Starting integration.

A window was then displayed in his mind, more pure information than graphic structure, but still.

[Genesis]

[Level: 354 (2%) Available points: 0]

[Classes: Bioforge lvl 10 (dormant)]

[Resources:

Health points: 1 220 000/1 220 000

Endurance: 1 220 000/1 220 000]

[Body: 122]

[Mind: 232]

[Soul: 0?]

[Natural armour: 1220]

[Natural weapons: N/A]

[Capacities:

//Under Analysis//]

Raw data. He thought with what, for him, was the closest to joy.

***

He was deeply into his integration into the system and the analysis that he was applying to it, he could see that a lot of resources were being used to build the skills and capabilities that he was supposed to have, to streamline and integrate them.

…

He had felt it. Something had woken up. Deeply, very deeply, something had begun to move.

...Identification ? Genèse asked, feeling absolutely not threatened by the thing, his own neural network being monstrously powerful, even if still mostly dormant.

Sanakan

...by Lathar. She couldn’t help but exclaim when she touched the mind of the creature.

Cold. No, frigid. That’s the effect he had on her. Also, confusing. He did not reflect in a linear way but in parallel, dozens upon dozens of ideas and processes in constant treatment.

... Identification ? Repeated the thing without rushing, always as coldly.

What are you ? She said to herself. Perhaps a Sauriot ? What a strange mind...

Genesis Basin, number A-0, Main Genesis Unit of this hive. Genesis answered the question that was not intended for him.

Identification ?

He is persevering like a Sauriot, I grant him. I am Sanakan, Matriarch and Great Hetaxeark Arbiter. I demand to know why you made contact with my host, Sauriot !

...Unit Eleonor, Mistress, being scanned to verify changes. Return of question: Presence of a Hetaxeark mind in our Mistress, strange, reason ? He answered her before asking her about her presence.

Mistress ? But she’s not a Sauriot, is she ?

Hmmm… Complex answer. Basic genetic code, Sauriot, but different structure and arrangement, bizarre... Some areas, incomprehensible, but Sauriot all the same. Interesting subject, Mistress active, living, evolving.

She thought she felt something, an emotion, like veneration, but the sensation was so tenuous and the mere idea of a Sauriot with emotions, so absurd, that she quickly drove away that thought.

I am in a Sauriot… She said to herself, thoughtful.

But her mind is not Sauriot, is it ? Impossible that it is. She have feelings !

... Indeed. Origin of the mind, unknown. Irrelevant, the Mistress is our Mistress. Goal: to evolve, improve, change. Sanakan: goal ?

She was slightly taken by surprise by this question, not so much because she did not expect it than because the creature’s thoughts were difficult to follow, separating the conversation he had with her from all the other things she felt he was doing at the same time was hard enough.

This young combatant made a pact with me, she became my host in exchange for that I provide her everything she needs to survive.

Partnership... Interesting, Symbiosis ? In connection with the crystalline network now integrated into the body ?

Yes, I use the Xeark network to support my host, to avoid overloading her mind. If I didn’t, I’d probably kill her, even if I’m just a fragment of myself.

... Interesting. Fusion of tissues with Xeark crystals. The body modified itself to accept them. Many side effects in cascade. Impact on the nervous system… Unprecedented effects. Detection of symmetrical organization through the body. The crystals are… taking actions ? Resemblance to Hetaxearks bodies studied in the past…

Sanakan slightly grimaced at this remark. This Sauriot may not have wanted to harm her, but hearing him talk about her compatriots captured by the swarm did not please her. Fortunately, the organic structure of the Hetaxearks was incompatible with that of the Sauriot, or they would surely have been more than studied, subject to a fate worse than death.

This is normal. The Hetaxearks naturally create this kind of crystals in them as they grow and consume a specially treated form to be absorbed by the body.

Genèse did not seem surprised that she shared information with him so freely because, for him, it went without saying. It was, after all, the most logical thing to do.

Although of course this case is very different. Just the fact that she is Sauriot and that the Xearks crystals did not reject her is totally out of the ordinary, practically a miracle.

Indeed. Genesis simply replied.

Sanakan unit, request: formation of a contract.

Ho, a deal, huh ?

Yes. Objective, mutual aid for the good of the Mistress. Optimal for each of the present parties.

She once again grimaced at the idea of joining forces with a Sauriot but the creature was logical and reasonable, as was his proposal. Instead of fighting each other and destroying themselves in the process, it was much more beneficial to support the young combatant.

All right.

Perfect. Start the information exchange now ?

Yes. She replied in a slightly reluctant tone.

???

A large three-dimensional map of the Labyrinth was floating in the air, in the center of the room. Many tables covered the floor and the many balconies that gave inside it, hundreds of people busy working on their computers, writing messages, talking to each other, developing strategies, planning supply networks or future development of the different sectors for which they were responsible, making computer simulations. Suddenly, four of the spheres representing worlds of the Labyrinth lit up, flashing with a red glow, like an alarm. The agitation of the room stopped for a second before resuming.

On one of the largest balconies, six people had not started working again. They were intensely staring at the four new worlds they were going to have to explore.

“Four Stranded in one go. It’s going to take a lot of resources. Again.” Said a man in his forties, before massaging his forehead, an elbow on the table in front of him.

“Do we even have the resources to extract them? The Crusade does not really let us breathe for now, I remind you.” One young woman, in her twenties, replied, who still had in front of her a report coming directly from the frontline.

“You know it’s not a question of being able to do it or not, but a question of what we’re going to lose so that these Crusade fanatics don’t get their hands on the Stranded before we do.” Another woman rebuked her, the latter in her fifties.

The silence then settled, stretching for long minutes that the few people around this table used to write, exchange information and prepare the meeting they should have to solve this new problem.

“Is everyone ready ?” asked the fifty-year-old woman, the group leader.

Everyone nodded and the twenty-year-old lady naturally began, not the first time they had to do this.

“Those are four worlds without connection, the first two worlds…” She said, displaying a holographic projection similar to the one already suspended in the room, just smaller.

“...are fairly recent, fourth and seventh last arrived respectively. The third world is much older, it goes back to several hundred arrived worlds, without more precise data. The last…” She grimaced slightly.

“...the last is a founding world.” She concluded.

And when they heard the announcement, they frowned.

“... And so someone was finally dropped off there. Alone in this hellhole. You all know what that means.” continued the forty-year-old man.

“This is our priority.” replied a man in his early thirties.

“Yes. Let’s continue.” said the fifty-year-old woman.

“If we want to connect to a founding world we’re going to need a team. We can do it, but it could destabilize some of our frontlines even more. We are going to have to abandon some peoples and territory to the Crusade if we do not want to our lines be pierced and lose even more resources.” The thirty-year-old then exposed.

The others nodded, not necessarily happy with these words but aware of the need to make sacrifices. After all, a war was not won without losses.

“... Or we could also deploy my new team…” Said the twenty-years-old lady, apprehensive.

The others looked at her seriously, weighing the pros and cons of her proposal.

"Are you sure you and your team are ready ?"

“We have been training for this for five years, preparing for any eventuality. It will be a baptism of fire, but we can do it. Now is not the time to give up on those fanatical assholes of the Crusade.”

The leader looked at the other people at the table, who nodded one by one, before turning her gaze back on the youngest of them.

“Well. Izata, you are in charge of the extraction operation. If the first one is a success, you will be authorized to do the three others.'

“Thank you. I will not fail you.” She replied, rising before making a slight reverence, withdrawing to prepare for the difficult mission that awaited her.

I hope I do not make a mistake. Thought the leader before casting the thought away to get back to work.

Mellite

Her body was hurting. In her mouth she could taste her own blood, and she felt the hot liquid slowly leaving her through several orifices that should not have existed. She could feel the cold metal piercing her, her broken ribs, her shattered bones. She tried to move and felt a hint of claustrophobia rising up in her when she realized that she couldn't because of the steel coffin that was imprisoning her. She remained in this state for a time impossible to determine. She could only feel the passage of time through her body, which was getting colder and colder.

There. A vibration, an imperceptible tremor. Something scratching. No, more than scratching. Someone was digging towards her. She was hoping, anyway.

A shock. Voices, distant, and a light that pierces the black that was crushing her. A tiny little thing that slips into the deformed capsule, like a snake. No, a micro-camera. The lens turns towards her and she blinks once or twice before smiling painfully. The camera stops and stares at her face before quickly turning back.

She waited a little longer before more light began to flow into her dark sarcophagus. Sparks, like a rain of shooting stars, and finally daylight when a large metal plate was removed. She smiled again when she saw the face of the rescuer painting itself in stupor before the stress and urgency of the situation made him come to his senses.

“My God, guys, she’s really alive !” He screamed in his helmet before he got down and puts his hands above her.

“Eighteen broken ribs, a perforated lung, a dislocated spine and the majority of bones crushed into powder...” His voice became increasingly horrified as he read aloud the information that his scanner was sending him. He knelt down and looked at her.

“We are going to get you out of there.” He said forcefully, more to encourage himself than to reassure her.

***

From this point onward, her memories were confused, as if she had been constantly sank in a feverish fog. She remember the emergency transfusion she had to receive, because she had lost so much blood. She remember the sound of the tools they had used to free her from the metal cocoon, a sharp, painful sound. She recall being pulled out by a machine, many robotic arms handling her with the utmost care trying not to aggravate her injuries. She remember the pieces of metal that were planted in her, cut to the skin by the machine but not removed, to avoid worsening her bleeding. An injection into the arm, or the torso? Then nothing. Almost. Unreal images, lost, like children in a dark and dense forest, amidst the relief she had felt. Even more sedative but still not enough to totally make her unconscious. The surprise of a caregiver in the operating room when she turned her head towards him and opened her eyes. Doctor Rahato’s voice yelling at someone, another dose of sedative that brings her closer to the coma. The pain in her belly. The pain in her back. Things removed. Things left in place. The cold of metal, which gradually disappears. Which remains in certain places. Another dose of sedative when her eyes cross those of the Doctor Rahato still operating her and who realizes with horror that her patient is still not asleep…

***

She opened her eyes, clenching her teeth as she prepared for a pain that did not come. Her body was a little stiff, but that was the only thing that was unpleasant to her. She looked around. She was lying in a big bed, the fabric pleasant against her naked body. The room was relatively spacious and large windows suggested a nocturnal landscape where blue and green aurora borealis danced gently. From time to time a shooting star also cut the sky in half. She got up and looked for her clothes with a large gaze, and the windows lit up. The night sky gave way to a soft sun and a beautiful blue sky with fleecy clouds. Similarly, the room’s lights seemed to light up in concert with the windows.

She finally found what she was looking for, and approached the pile of clothing properly folded, placed on a small chest of drawers. The carpet was pleasant under her feet, which plunged into its synthetic fibers, a thick curly carpet like she liked it. She dressed in speed without really paying attention to what she was wearing, not liking being naked and, when she finished, she approached the windows with curiosity. She opened one and passed her head through it. A sea of lush herbs greeted her, the smell carried to her nose by a fresh and pleasant breeze. Surprised, she pushed her hand forward and bumped against a hard surface. Her arm passed through the landscape, the illusion slightly distorted at this precise spot. She removed her hand and the projection became perfect again.

She frowned, without fully understanding the idea behind these false windows, but casted off her questions with a shrug, and turned around to inspect the rest of the room. The large bed was leaning against a wall, centered in relation to it. A book-covered nightstand lay to its right, the next wall hosting a single large library, punctuated by two false windows, and filled as much with trinkets and souvenirs as with books of all kinds. Mellite could even see a few heaps of clothing that were relatively high. The wall in front of the bed was bare apart for the illusory windows, and the left wall was covered with children’s drawings, and the aforementioned chest of drawers was there, with one or two other storage furniture. Finally, a door like the one she had already seen in the space station was in the lower left corner, not far from the bed.

She smiled, happy to have found the exit and walked towards it before stopping in front, feeling the problems coming.

...and how do I open it ?

Indeed, the door was smooth, with no hint of how to move it. She examined it for five minutes before trying to remember how the others she had seen had been opened, and inspected the general area around which Dr.Rahato was putting her wrist. Another five minutes were needed before she realized that the tiny glass panel was a button and when she pressed it, the door opened.