Normally, I'd be working on the next Chapter Of Myths and Mysteries right now. However, with novel November approaching and how I usually make my most recently released fic my main project? I thought it would be best to end on something a little bit more exciting.
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“The scanning device should be down the hallway and to the right," Shifty said with confidence as we made our way through the building. It was in ruins, like everything else on the surface.
“Still didn't think the place would be this big,” I muttered, partially to myself. Or this big above ground. If it went underground, it would be a bit less of a surprise. Things in this area were pretty tectonically stable.
“This is a wartime production plant, and it remained operational up until the end of the war. Humanity had a lot of time to build the place up and expand production,” Shifty explained. It made sense. But with a device like Exia advertised, I figure it would be under far more protection than this.
“How do you know that?” Anis was still, grating a bit.
“Pretty common knowledge for Central Government workers, actually,” Exia said suddenly, popping in to defend Shifty.
“Yep! It's pretty important history!” Shifty beamed, as the two started a rapid back and forth.
“Do you understand anything they're saying?” Neon whispered in my ear. Could I hear them? Yes, absolutely, but that wasn't the question.
“Not in the slightest. Might as well be speaking Greek,” I shrugged. Taking stabs at the dark was well within my ability, but thus far? Mostly government jargon. Part of me wanted to be nervous, but Exia could have flipped on us at any point.
And I did agree that Shifty was a good person. Not for the reasons Exia thought. Final Quest was a fine game, but I had no attachment to Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. Boom, for all it was a Doom clone, still had much of the same DNA.
“Just getting the door open,” Shifty said, before it opened a second later.
The room was again larger than I expected, as was the device.
“Really? We need something that big to scan a tiny bullet?” Neon looked up at the device, starry eyed.
“Probably was built to scan bigger things,” I said after a moment of thought.
“Correct! It would give an analytical breakdown of the materials inside whatever it scanned. It was intended to try and figure out why Raptures were so resistant to most firearms, but I don't think that ended up working,” Shifty explained as I frowned. That made sense. Of course, those around during the time would try to figure that out. Hoping to uncover whatever secrets made the Raptures what they were.
Looking at the chemical composition of their armor was as good of a place to start as any. How much of that was true though? I had half a mind to drag in some scrape metal and see what it spat out at me. Metallurgy may not have been a strong suit of mine, but the information would be interesting.
Of course, if Shifty, a Central Government employee didn't know or couldn't find what the results were?
Eh, we were already pushing it with this. No need to create more holes than needed right now.
“Well, here goes something,” Commander Johnson took the small bullet from its case, placing it down on the surface of the scanner. With a hum, light began to fill the room, the screens dotting the device flickering with small letters and larger charts.
“It's going to take some time,” Shifty said after a moment. “Wow, they really didn't build these for speed, did them?”
“Precision was considered a bit more important back when these were made,” Exia commended.
“So, we're just going to have to sit around and wait?” Anis huffed, crossing her arms.
“I mean,” Shifty paused for a moment. “Normally you would have too, but it seems like there's a group of Raptures heading this way.”
Because of course there was.
“Already?” Neon frowned. Could they have sensed the device coming on? Concerning, but we'd have to see them off.
Hopefully, the scan wouldn’t take too long.
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Mercifully, it didn't. By the time the Raptures had been reduced to scrap metal, the scan was complete.
“I don't get what's so important about this? Why would a Pilgrim give you a mostly regular bullet?” Shifty sounded confused. That was why we came out here, to find out more.
“It's far from regular. The metal has Vapaus laced into,” Exia frowned, and I could almost hear the keyboard from where I stood.
“It should explain what that is though! Or at least, whatever information the system has on it! There has to be more than a name here!” Shifty was also clicking away, her voice rising in frustration. “This doesn't make any sense. The only way for it not to have more information is if this is some type of new material that hadn't been discovered then!”
“But it has a name in the system. Meaning the people who made this device were aware of Vapus,” I said, talking to myself out loud. Everyone else had to have connected the dots.
“Someone scrubbed or removed the data from the system,” Exia said after a moment. That was what I was afraid of. It was always a long shot, but that mostly came down to environmental decay. Details this fine? Human tampering was a far more likely explanation.
“So all of that effort and we're back to square one?” Anis did not sound happy about that. I imagine none of us were.
“There's nothing we can do about that right now. All we can do is go back to the Ark and come up with a new plan,” Rapi said simply. It wasn't like she was wrong. We could try going further afield, but that didn't guarantee anything.
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“Unfortunately, I agree. There's nothing more we can do here for now,” Commander Johnson sounded just as upset as Anis was. But while she seemed more angry and frustrated, Johnson seemed more solemn.
“There's nothing else in the database on it either? What is this stuff?” Shifty sounded just as frustrated as Anis was. “How can it be acknowledged on this device as existing, yet not be in the main database on the Ark? If Raptures got into this room they'd just destroy it!”
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“Look, all I'm saying is nothing about this Vapaus stuff makes sense. The only thing that makes sense is if the data was lost after the war, and everyone just forgot about it. But that just doesn't seem right!” Shifty had continued to mule over things out loud. While we continued on in something that could be considered silence, Shifty gave voice to every thought we had.
Watching her stew over this was interesting. She was frustrated by this, and it showed. And the more that frustration grew, the more comfortable I felt. There weren't many ways you could cross the the information of a pre-Ark scanner having a name like that with the Ark’s database having nothing. Especially when the other data could have only been erased by human hands.
“I mean, I do have hypotheses,” I offered casually, baiting the line and sending it out.
“Please no conspiracies. I feel like I have to deal with one of those right now, I'll scream,” Shifty groaned, and I could almost see her pinching her brow.
“Conspiracies are for the aggressively gullible. They start with the conclusion in mind and anything that contradicts that conclusion is the fault of some nebulous other they blame their problems on,” I say, only slightly hiding my disgust. The world was rough enough without blaming those who had nothing to do with how things were run. Like Nikkes.
“Fine, fine, I get your point,” Shifty sounded tired.
“If we are to even hazard a guess as to why there is no information about Vapaus, we kinda need to look at who has the power to get rid of that information in the first place,” I started slowly.
“Which is the Central Government, but that doesn't explain why though!” Shifty exclaimed. “I know how this goes. What use would they have to scrub something like that?”
“That's depend entirely on what Vapaus is, and what does it do? While I suspect the latter is the more important question,” I offer, a sadly grin on my face. “Why might the Central Government remove data on this substance?”
Shifty was silent for a few moments. I could tell the gears were turning. Spelling out my thoughts would cause issues. She was going to need to come to her own conclusions on the way, with the data she had available.
“Because it's dangerous somehow? Like really, really dangerous,” Shifty spoke up at last as I nodded.
“Distinctly possible. Maybe it's just extremely dangerous to produce. The resources used to make it too dangerous to extract. There could be multiple dangers involved that the Central Government decided it was worth digging into,” I nodded, being way more generous to the Central Government than I should. “But at the same time, if it was something simple as this is dangerous to make, or dangerous to get your hands on, you'd think the first response would be to slap a giant red warning label on it. Instead of scrubbing it from the record entirely.”
Shifty went silent again.
“You are saying that, in your opinion, you think that this Vapaus stuff is something the Central Government views as a threat, right?” Shifty said cautiously. Before I could say anything else, Exia cut me off.
“It's more likely than you think,” there was a glint of glee in her voice. The one she got when Exia was doing something exciting, but also what she shouldn't be doing.
“Exia,” Johnson and I said at the same time, as the air took on a nervous vibe.
“You found something? Where? I've been looking for more than an hour and still can't find anything?” Shifty asked, clearly not reading through the lines of what Exia was doing.
If we lived through this, I was going to hug her. Before or after punching her for this stupid idea. What was she thinking? Did she just hack the Central Government on a whim?
“Sorry, I've been hacking into the database for a bit now. Probably should have told you, but the conversation sounded too interesting to interrupt,” Exia continued, confirming not just mine, but everyone's fears.
“Exia!”
“Are you crazy?”
“Exia, that is very reckless.”
“Exia, are you safe?”
“Exia, you better not hurt yourself!”
“You're hacking my workplace? Wait, you're hacking your workplace too!” Shifty shouted, very confused. “Why?”
“Because not knowing is going to drive me crazy,” Exia said, the tapping on the other end being fast, but methodical. “I started the hack on the surface, so that will throw them off for a while until I get as much as I can. And what I've found so far?”
Oh, I did not like the tone her voice took with that last bit. It was a very dark glee. She found something important.
“I,” Shifty shifted, clearly feeling conflicted about what was happening. This was the moment of truth. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
I almost let out a sigh of relief at those words. Tension that had been filling the air like a deep fog dozed down the drain, swirling until it vanished completely.
“Doing anything from your terminal would just put you at risk right now. Keeping quiet and letting me focus is the most helpful thing you can do,” Exia's command was clear, my mouth clicking shut.
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“And done,” Exia said after a few more minutes, her voice cutting the silence and tension like a knife. There was a relief in her voice as well, largely masked by the glee she had. “This is a lot of juicy information.”
“Exia, are you sure you're safe?” Johnson asked, earning a smile from me.
“Seconded, by the way. Are you sure nobody caught you?” I had to ask. Exia's safety was far more important to me than any information she could have swiped.
Nor was I alone in my sentiment.
“I'm fine. I bounced the signal all over the surface, and you aren't the only special squad out and about right now. Not to mention all the normal ones. There are far too many possible suspects for the Central Government to really come down on,” Exia explained, another sigh of relief leaving my throat. That was good news, at least.
“It could still be traced back to you, though,” Shifty said, bringing up a concern. Exia was one of the best hackers, if not the best hacker, in the Ark. Not many would have been able to do what she just did.
“Eh, a good hacker would have been able to pull that little hat trick. A great hacker knows how to make her work look like someone else's,” Exia explained, sending a chill down my spine. Hopefully, she picked some person that used their hacking powers for evil. I was not a fan of throwing people under buses. “Besides, they asked me to try and close off the hacker already, and I complied, so.”
“Okay then,” Commander Johnson took a deep breath. “Exia, what did you find on Vapaus?”
“Outside of what's used to make it?” Exia asked, a twinge of smugness being clear. “A lot of things. Elen's right, the Central Government is afraid of this stuff.”
I wanted to have a smug grin on my face, because I called it. But I was too interested in whatever this was.
“Go on,” Rapi said simply, showing that even the most stoic of us was hanging on to every word.
“Breaking this down, because the information is dense, but Vapaus does a few different things through one single function, but Vapaus research was mostly focused on making anti-heretic ammunition,” Exia said as we stood there, flabbergasted. Did she just say, anti-heretic? “Maybe that isn't the best way to put it? More accurately, weapons that could remove Rapture corruption from a Nikke.”
“What?” All of us turned towards Johnson, his voice soft and faint, clutching the carrying case for the bullet like it was a lifeline. “They've been sitting on something like that the whole time?”
There was sorrow mixed with rage in his voice, and soon, I was hugging. Far from the only one hugging him. It was a bit awkward, four people hugging the same man at once, but we did it anyway. Already, my anger was starting to build. If they were keeping something like that secret? There was going to be a reason.
And I wasn't going to like it.
“Why would they keep something like that a secret? If you could make a Nikke immune to corruption, you should!” Shifty shouted, outraged just as we all were. Poor girl was going to get her faith in the Central Government shattered like glass today, it seemed.
“How it does sound is by destroying the NIMPH inside a Nikke’s brain,” Exia continued. Oh.
Oh. My teeth clenched. That would do it. That would completely do. That would be the exact type of reason why the Central Government kept this Vapaus under wraps. They would rather have Nikke's (me) suffer being corrupted, converted, and driven mad, in exchange for more control over their soldiers.
“I don't get it? Surely that would be worth the tradeoff?” Shifty asked, sounding confused. My arms quaked around Johnson’s stomach, trying to smother my rage.
“It would mean the Central Government couldn't keep using Nikke’s as scapegoating anymore. Treating them like second class citizens anymore. Not without consequences,” I let out a shaky breath, my rage boiling over into something strange. “What would Goddessfall have looked like if instead of only being able to leave, Nikke’s could shoot?”
A silence hung in the air at my statement, for Anis cut through the silence. “That's a bit messed up, Elen.”
“But true. It wouldn't end well for anyone involved if it ever got to that point,” I said, shaking my head. “But the possibility of Nikke’s revolting due their treatment in a way that threaten the Central Government would be something they have to consider. And it's something they've never wanted to consider.”
There was a thump and a groan from Shifty, her falling back into her chair. “Can't even argue with that at this point.”
“Destroying NIMPH also removes a Nikke’s immortality."
Say what now?
“What? I'm immortal?” It was Neon's time to look confused.
“NIMPH scans the brain, including memories. It works like an autosave, and can be backed up so long the NIMPH is present and the brain is undamaged,” Exia explained. “So long as that is the case, a Nikke is functionally immortal.”
“That's, an existential crisis and a half right there,” I mutter, burying my face in Johnson’s shirt. The fact the nanomachines could fuck with my head to the point that identity death was a punishment Nikke could face was terrifying enough. But the fact me as a person could be backed up like a Skyrim autosave?
That was its own level of dread. A set of fingers made their way to my hair as I let out a content sigh. We were supposed to be comforting Johnson from the fact the Central Government was sitting on something that could save Marian from the start. Enikk had to know about this.
“So we could use this to save Marian?” Johnson sounded so much more vulnerable than I had ever seen him before. Like he was on the verge of tears, just barely holding it together.
“It is something we would only have one shot at, Commander,” Rapi said, but she was hugging him too, before she helped him up to his feet. “But if Exia's information is right, it's, possible.”
“Unless Exia got something about that as well?” Anis asked, almost begging as she jumped to her feet.
“Unfortunately, that information was either kept elsewhere, or under far stricter security protocols,” Exia didn't sound happy about that. “I had to pull out, things were getting too hot as was.”
“Thank you Exia. Please stay safe,” I smiled, trying to put the bugs eating at my stomach behind me. We were closer than when we started. Nobody was dead. Everyone was safe. Shifty was very much in our corner now.
Everything was fine. We just needed to make our way back to the Ark and things would be fine.
Surely they would be fine. Right?
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“Privity, I have better things to do with my time than watching your failed grudge match with Rapi!”
Why? Why was that woman wearing what I could only describe as reverse assless chaps?
