I just wanted a nice day to lie in before I had to go rootin' around in N and V's noggins for their missing memories. The process was simple enough, done it before with a classmate... by accidently overloading the processor that permanently set his head on fire... okay, so minor miscalculations, but this was different!
What was more difficult, however...
"I'm sorry, you want me to do what with what!?" I gawked at V for the longest time, spinning around fully at my desk. I had been getting everything ready, only issue was getting V on board, even N struggled to convince her. So I asked, 'Well, what do I have to do in order to convince you?'. Big mistake on my end.
She slammed her fist onto my desk, feeling everything buckle or jump. "I want you to put this thing into a new body, how is that complicated to understand, Shorty?" She had the nerve to give me snark too!
The item in question was... Soriks' SIVA core. Far as Kovik told me, they acted as the new hearts to Splicers and their followers, removing the whole need for organic vulnerabilities, of course, while they can repair themselves if not critically damaged. If completely intact, they could possibly share the same strange phenomenon as Kovik, imprinting that Splicer's very mind onto it.
Rubbing my temples, I tried to run this smoothy through my head. "We're talking about ramming a Splicer mind, one that tried to kill us, back into a new body to, potentially, undo everything we just worked our butts off to stop - Oh, and we nearly died to do!" I snapped back, looking to N in disbelief. "I'm not the only one here seeing a significant problem with this, right!?"
He looked between us anxiously, attempting to get a word in the whole time. Again, he went to speak, only for V's arm to swing wide, cutting him off as she glared daggers back at me. "This is different, I can't explain it, alright, I... I don't think all this crap with SIVA's over... so I thought..." She sighed, looking around angrily. Because of me? Herself? I couldn't even make heads or tails of what V was thinking. "...if we had someone who was on the inside, we could also figure out how this tech even got here in the first place. This never existed before, look what a bad copy could do, let alone the real deal!"
"Uzi-" I turned to look to N, he looked conflicted for a bit when he spoke, rubbing his hands together, gesturing to V- "V's never been this adamant about something like this before, its important, isn't it?"
Her face was sour but then looked just as uncertain, averting her eyes to the core sat between us. N continued. "Is it possible? Kovik?" He asked, and the first time since last night, Kovik materialized. He'd been silent since our fight against Kaviss.
~Theoretically, it should work akin to what became of me, creating a sufficient body, coupled with SIVA to mend it all together... possibly, though I cannot be certain you'll receive the result you're looking for~ He glanced at V, then to me. ~If these are her terms to accessing her supressed memories, then we cannot pass up this chance, even at such a risk as reviving a Devil known for his combat experience~
Even Kovik's on board, or at the very least, entertaining the idea of some necromancy BS. I looked between them all, trying to find some leverage in this argument, but I got nothing. V wasn't about to budge for no better reason than a hunch, or, that's all she was willing to tell us.
"Uzi?" N gave me that look again, practically begging me to twist my arm and give V this chance. Given everything they've done to help me with Solver, hell, even protecting this god-awful place.
"Uuuuuugh..." Slamming my head against my desk, I threw my hands up. "Alright, fine! You want some creepy, undead, SIVA-infested Splicer back to life, I'll freakin' give you one, not my problem if it goes rogue, got it?" I jabbed between them, especially at V, though her eyes did flash in surprise at my agreement. "In exchange, I'm popping your heads open, no backsies!"
"Fine by me, if you actually can make it work," V remarked, but it didn't have the usual venom behind it, good, no sass either.
"Thanks, Uzi," N's smile was far more relaxed, so it was hard to remain angry, shaking my head before slapping to flustered setting out of my head.
"Shut it, and get me a list of parts I need; Kovik?" Eyeing him, he displayed a holographic list and sent it to them both.
~I've compiled a list of requirements to fulfil, there are bound to still be parts at Doll's abode, as well as pieces left in Cryo Storage from J's corpse, I'll need those and additional modules for SIVA to do any form of repairs~ Kovik added firmly.
"Got it/On the case!" V and N both agreed to, heading out my room as I followed, grabbing several tools and other devices I'd need, shoving them all into my bag. School's out for his girl, I've got a zombie to make!
~If nothing else, her logic does have some backing, assessing why SIVA was brought to this planet would be beneficial, and, if Soriks is cooperative, may provide another ally in uncovering the truth behind the, as you put it, 'murder-vampirism'~ Kovik actually air quoted me.
"Alright, so there's some benefits to having another Splicer..." Rolling my eyes, I slammed my door shut and turned, only to be greeted by my Dad who had just seen N and V rush out for those parts.
"And where might you be off to? And on a school day?" He questioned, hands on his hips.
I scoffed lightly. "Something... important, alright, Dad? Just..." Exhaling heavily, I didn't have time for this, tucking my bag straps tighter to my shoulders. "I need to do this, even if I don't want to..."
He was giving me this really weird look... and just stepped out of the way? My brow rose slowly, looking at him directly, silently questioning why. "Just this once, if its important, just be safe," He approved? Or, sorta approved.
"Oh? Uh, um... th-thanks, Dad," I was so taken back, I really had no other way to respond, walking past him with a timid nod, he didn't look happy about it, but he didn't stop me. Jogging to the door, my hand froze against the frame for a second, staring at the ground heavily. "Really, thanks." I repeated a little softer, quickly leaving the house.
\\—⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫—//
I had the perfect place for some questionable techno necromancy. With a flick of some flood lights I found, the old armoury that housed my own SIVA node and supply of nanites lit up. I had moved some old shelves over and had them made into large tables for me to move all my tools and materials into place.
|Loading// Cool Montage Track...|
Using primarily a worker for the body, I had its arms and legs switched out for J's, seeing as Solver failed to finish her repairs, it no longer had any control over dead metal, meaning it was the perfect breeding ground for SIVA to dig into. Disassembly units had near-limitless augments for their arms, its actually not far off what AS can do with objects in my grasp.
Solver was good for moving tools and parts around me without taking my eyes off my work, taking a sip from an oil can beside me as I hooked up the joints to the main torso, applying SIVA to strengthen the ligaments, without the Solver program, SIVA would be handling all repairs to this unit.
"Applying latest software to the head, good thing Doll didn't take a bite out of it," I murmured, typing away onto an laptop, ensuring all core files and software upgrades were running smoothly, want all of it ready for activation. "It'll take a ton of juice just to get this up and running, SIVA could use the support."
~Noted, attempt to overflow the nanomachines into the body could result in parts becoming inoperable~ Kovik commented, flashing over to the core hooked into the laptop, keeping an eye on Soriks' literal lifeline. ~To revive our kin after prolonged death takes time and considerable attention~
"Didn't you do that for some Fallen, what's his name? Tank... something?" I waved my hand, snapping my fingers to guide a Solver levitating torch over where I needed to attach a few wires.
~Taniks, a mercenary, he proved useful but ultimately died~ Kovik didn't seem to care, huffing. ~He'll be back, I'm certain of that creature's incomprehensive survivability~
I quirked a brow. "For someone who sounds so disinterested, you're pretty confident..." My voice died down after that, running a few tests to ensure the limbs would actually move properly. Easy as it sounds to just have SIVA repair and enhance everything once I was done, better safe than sorry.
A comfortable silence fell when my music faded out, just the sounds of machinery humming along, and my own tinkering. N should be back with the last parts I needed, could not find good chassis in this place sometimes, I swear.
~When we fought Kaviss, why did you speak in defence of my pride? What motive did you have to do so?~ I wondered when he'd bring it up, he sounded solemn about the whole thing. He continued to eye the body before us, doing his own work, limited as it was due to Solver.
Fiddling with one of the arms, really just to keep my hands busy, my violet gaze flashed to his stagnant sprite. "Cause it pissed me off," A tension built in my head whenever he turned sharply. "Dude, you've seen my mess of a life first-hand, I get it, wanting to prove you're actually useful, that your life means something... that you won't be forgotten by everyone..."
Rubbing my arms, I swallowed it back down. "All you've done is try to help me in your own, sometimes, incredibly frustrating way, I've seen your memories, all you've ever done is try and help your people," Setting my tools down, I looked him straight in his eyes under that static helmet. Saying to him... what I kept trying to believe myself.
"You lost, but that doesn't mean you didn't give it your all, you fought until the end for them, for your family to live, to me... that's someone who isn't a failure, Kovik... you are not a failure." I dug those words in with a twist of my screwdriver in the air.
Pep-talks weren't my specialty, N's been the one to lift me up, even after I screw things up constantly. V recently showed she did care, maybe it was a fluke, though a part of me feels it was genuine. Even Dad was starting to have faith in me, maybe... maybe I wasn't a total failure too, Kovik deserves to know that too.
~I...~ Silence followed, until he appeared by my shoulder to watch me, a low chitter in his throat. ~...you have my gratitude, machi- Uzi~
That had my eyes flash in a genuine stupor; the first time he's ever said my name, hell, gave me honest thanks for just giving a pep-talk? A small smirk formed, shrugging back at him. "Sure, dude," It softened right after, feeling pretty upbeat hearing him say those words. I think I needed that too. "Anytime."
"Got it!" Two hands poked through the hole to the armoury, N's bright eyes poking through the dark soon after. In his hands were a brand new pair of optic trackers, used behind a drone's visor to help their eyes track and express various emotions and HUD prompts. Without them, Soriks would be blinder than a bat. "Got the latest model too, they were so nice to give me a discount!"
"Probably the original price but they hiked up the tag to make it look that way...- Nice find, N!" Giving him a thumbs up after, he zipped over to hand me the last thing I needed. "Almost set, once they're in place, we just need to boot this freak up with that core of his... and hopefully not explode into a million pieces, usual robot stuff."
"Wait, it's almost done? It's been like five hours, you work really fast," N seemed surprised, but its honestly not too complex, twirling the straw to my oil between my fingers smugly.
"Mix-and-matching parts was the tricky stage, but when you got a helpful master of splicing with you, anything's a piece of cake," Nodding to Kovik who returned it.
~In theory, this will become a suitable host for his core, its a matter of SIVA taking well to a body made from various machines, sometimes, SIVA cannot repair what is catatonic~ Kovik had made that abundantly clear, still, only way to get V on board.
"N, mind finding V? Since this was her brilliant plan, I'd rather she's here when it blows up in my face," Asking with a thumbs up, never taking my eyes off the drone head as I clicked the first optic in plac-
Only for a weight to press against my back, followed by both of N's arms around me, causing my control on Solver to completely dispel in a flustered state, wiggling sharply in his hold. "He-hey, what's this for!?" I gawked.
"Just thought you might need it after everything recently," Came his thoughtful reply, my circuits running hot, I didn't stop him, relaxing, a warm smile tugging at my lips. Closing my eyes for a moment to destress, I used Solver to push him back.
"Alright, stop being adorable, gotta finish this Frankenstein monster," I coughed into my fist, unable to look him in the eye, not when my heart was going crazy.
"Yes ma'am!" Saluting me, N zipped out the workshop, leaving me to fiddle mindlessly with the tool in-hand. He was right though, I really needed that...
\\—⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫—//
~Connect the jumper cables to the chest cavity, SIVA is dormant and awaiting the command~ Kovik stated whilst I ran through all the checks. I'm no doctor or necromancer, but SIVA made it all possible, which was freaky.
"Should be set then- Again, if this fails-" I raised a finger.
"I get it, I'll let you into my head, happy?" V crossed her arms with that flat glare of hers.
"So long as we're in agreement, diva," Rolling my eyes, I gestured to N who's eyes glimmered at the big, shiny, red button before him. "N, hit it!"
"One possibly undead Splicer coming up!" He pushed the button... then he pushed it again. Murmuring for a second, he looked down and blinked wide. "Whoops, cable's loose-"
The second he screwed it back in place, the whole body spasmed in place, while I simultaneously fed SIVA into the body, watching the core begin to brighten, wires sprouting from its shell, rooting through the rest of the abomination's body. Several dozen lines of code, directives, and other, unorganized imagery flashed across the visor.
N and V both stood back as arcs of red lightning danced across the body, the floodlights flickering from the power coursing through the body. Standing up on my stool, I began to giggle, which quickly developed into a cackle and then to hysterical laughter, my hands raised high.
"It's Alive! IT'S ALIIIIIVE-"
*Boosh!*
Power cut off instantly, not just to the armoury, but a deep, thunderous noise ran throughout the Outpost, leaving us in near-total darkness, only our eyes visible in the dark as I blinked for a moment, looking around, then down to both murder drones.
"Uh... whoops," Hopping down, I grew my tail and used its maw to shine a violet light toward their faces. "Crap, must've caused a surge."
"Isn't that bad for the whole Outpost?" N raised a hand.
"Normally, yeah. But my Dad's a door-freak, remember? So they had back-up generators in place until the Outpost's auto-repair features fix the damage, not the first time this has happened," I explained, thankfully, we had a great, pulsing node to provide us with our own power. "Just give it a sec, we'll have lights in no time."
Just as I said this, the fluorescent lights above flickered to a dim setting, but brightened once I directed strands of SIVA through the ceiling to coil and infect the circuitry. Dusting off my hands, Kovik was floating right in front of me, all four arms crossed.
Giving him an incredulous look, I threw my hands up. "What? Not my fault this place has faulty wiring, shut up." Looking back, N and V both wore startled expressions, their eyes static. "Uh... okay? What's up with..." I too stared blankly with worry and disbelief. "...oh."
The table was vacant, just snapped wires and cords... slowly raising my head toward the ceiling, the ventilation duct was torn wide open, a distant rumbling echoing down the passage. My jaw nearly hit the floor, looking between all of them, then to the exit back into Outpost-3.
"Oooooh..." Wincing, I... think it worked a little too well.
Not long after, the three of us rushed through the Outpost at glaring speeds, SIVA was still able to track Soriks due to my own active nanites within him, but that won't last forever. I sped sharply round a turn, V leaping into a glide from the wall, N from the ceiling.
"Where's he going!?" N called to me as the damn Devil's movements were all over the place.
"Uh... I dunno, he's using the vents to move around and cut across the Outpost," Rubbing my chin, I continued to take the quickest route. "His auto-run programs are still booting up, if I had to guess, being shoved into a new body with SIVA actively trying to repair and modify it caused him to go berserk!"
~I was fortunate to awaken within a body already active, SIVA gradually came online overtime. However, this time, he had a significant supply of both material, and the activation was sudden~ Kovik surmised the same as me, the shock's sent everything into believing all its systems are critical.
Wait, he stopped movi-
SIVA blared in my vision and I threw myself back in time to avoid the clawed arm from slicing my face off, punching through the grates above. V didn't hold back, unloading a burst rounds into the ceiling, but Soriks evaded it and ran off, the lights flickering harshly when he stomped past them.
\\—⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫—//
[No POV]
With the power outage, two workers went to inspect the main generators, using very flimsy torches to light up the panel before them, looking down from a catwalk. One had lime-green eyes, the other, orange and wearing glasses.
"Looks pretty fine to me." The green one declared, turning the console off and on. "Should be back up in a jiffy!"
"Uh huh..." The orange one muttered.
Soon, the console came to life, the boot-up sequence initiating as another blackout took out the lights above briefly, and int he dark, two, blood-red eyes slowly stalked across the wall behind them. When the dim lights flickered back on, the eyes had disappeared with only a shadow crawling up the wall.
/Generator Power Restoration - 1%.../
Both stared at the screen as it slooooowly ticked up by one point at a time. The green one placed his fists on his hips. "Ah, the good ol' 'turn it off and on' never fails - gah!"
The orange one blinked slowly, turning to his co-worker who's feet disappeared above him, followed by a pool of oil. Blinking slowly, he craned his head up to watch as the severed head of the green drone was crushed between a clawed hand, a red swarm of nanomachines consuming its mass as the rest was drunk.
All he could do was sigh, blinking slowly as the entity lunged down with its claws wide.
By the time Uzi's team rounded the corner, all they were greeted with was the half-devoured corpses of two workers, oil staining the wall and up into an air vent. Only... some had lingering nanites attached to their mangled bodies.
~SIVA's directive is active, that might be the root cause of this feral state~ Kovik deduced.
"But why devour workers...?" Uzi muttered, only for an exclamation point to fill her vision. "J's stupid parts must be conflicting with the regular drone parts, SIVA's trying to make them compatible, but by doing that, its directive is driving the body haywire in both consuming matter and devouring workers for oil!"
"So we've got a hybrid of murderous Splicer and starving disassembly drone?" N asked, giving V a flat look when she picked up a leg to chew on.
"What? I'm hungry," She dismissed, tossing the leg aside. "Shorty- erm, Uzi, is there a way to fix this?"
Shaking her head, Uzi raised her hands. "I dunno! I'm not a... mechanic... necromancer- screw it, Mechromancer. Hell, SIVA in the mix is a whole new ballgame!"
Cutting the tension, N pushed between the girls, looking just as concerned. "Then, Uzi, how should we try and capture him?"
Opening and closing her mouth, she ran it through her head, last thing she needed is to be running after Soriks constantly, they need to predict his next move... both desires of SIVA and Murder Drones is at play, logically, they'd find a middle ground if his internals weren't completely scrambled...
Looking up sharply, Kovik stared at Uzi. ~That would be the most logical location~
"What is?" V asked.
"School." Uzi stated tiredly, "Guess I'm going after all..."
\\—⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫⟪◆⟫—//
School was out of the question once all power was placed heavily on back-ups to keep things operating, meaning the school was bustling with students who were none the wiser to what stalked across the ceiling, hidden within the shadows as it studied the groups closely, disappearing into the vents whenever it got too close.
Lizzy walked with Thad who rambled on to someone else beside them. Her eyes didn't so much as flinch when she got a text from V.
V: Stay away from dark areas
V: Zombie drone, pretty bloodthirsty
V: I mean it! ⸨◺_◿⸩
Blinking, she turned her head to the right, down a long corridor no one was down, lights flickering on and off periodically. Thad bumped into her, looking a little more worried at what stared back.
"Uh... that's not usually there, right?" He pointed out, Lizzy shrugged, snapping a picture with her flash on, giving them a clear view of several dismembered bodies, and the twisted, red-eyed drone at the very end watching them silently.
Lizzy texted back.
Lizzy: Found it
Lizzy: At school, three dead, losers :p
In an instant, it came clambering towards them, zipping between every surface violently, leaving a trail of red nanites in its wake. Both of them backed away against the lockers behind them, only for the lights to flicker off, and those bloodthirsty eyes to disappear, when the lights came on again, it was gone.
Thad and Lizzy looked to one another, only to see oil dripping down from above, their heads directly below a vent. Neither looked up and threw themselves either side, evading the pair of claws that swung down, cleaving through a locker door as it slammed down, rising to its full height.
Most of it was unseen, draped in a long, red cloak and hood, only its eyes that flickered between an 'X' and static, coupled with a wide, fanged mouth. Both arms sat out, claws crooked and black as it stalked toward Lizzy, only to run head first into a pointed leg that tore across its face, sending it flying into the side of a locker, but it quickly recovered.
"Go already!" V huffed, swords held wide to keep the creature's focus on her.
"Thanks!" Thad waved, quickly making himself scarce alongside Lizzy who gave a flick of her hand as she was pulled away.
"Dunno if you can even understand me, but I'm hoping we can finish what we started," Grinning, V scraped her swords together with an ear-piercing shriek of steel, enough to irritate Soriks who screamed and lunged for her. "That's it, come on!"
Soriks' claws tore through the air, shrieking against V's twin blades, her arms sweeping in tandem to block each rampant strike made, flying down the hall from the sheer force behind his attacks. Digging her legs into the concrete floor, both claws pressed against her swords as Soriks' twisted body flew off its feet above her, jaws wide.
A sudden roar of gunfire filled the corridor, Soriks landing on his feet to raise one arm to shield himself from N's supressing fire, bullets bouncing off the angular claws as V skewered Soriks only to gag when he bent forward on one leg, the other nearly puncturing her midsection, sending her flying through a janitor closet door that flew open at the last second.
With her out of the way, Soriks charged N, shielding itself with its arms as the claws stretched outward to cover the length of the hallway, scraping lockers before sweeping both arms inward, N leaping over as he switched to chainsaws, their blades roaring against the rapid chops from either side, causing the chains to break and him to instantly withdraw his swords in time to catch the deadly claws.
Jabbing his tail forward, N gasped when Soriks bent backward nearly in half onto his palms, kicking both of N's arms skyward before lunging up into the open vent above, leaving the drone to step back slowly, hearing Soriks snarl and clammer around over his head.
He yelped, barely dodging the claws swipe down from above several times, until a section of the vent snapped from its hinges, nearly crushing N only for Soriks to leap out, pinning N as both hands tore into his shoulders, damaging the joints before digging his claws deep into the silverette's torso, drawing a raspy gasp from N's lips.
Terror overtook his vision, for a moment, he saw something else. That Solver symbol etched into a drone's grinning face as its claws and tendrils tore into his body like a living dissection. The deeper Soriks twisted, the worse his breathing became, oil staining them both.
Not far behind N, Uzi raised her right hand, Solver's symbol appearing in both her palm and eye, afflicting Soriks who began to twitch under its affect, removing its claws from N. "Alright, that's enough of that," Focusing on dragging the creature away, her eyes widened in shock when she found her control buffering.
- - //ERROR absoluteSolver_trn [like object non-interactive]
~I feared this might occur...~ Kovik bemused. ~The addition of J's parts might've provided Soriks' new body with a resistance to Solver~
"Seriously!? I just stuck body parts together to work normally, not some freakin' broken OP self-insert!" Uzi gawked, dismissing the control when she leapt back, watching Soriks rush her, crawling over every surface, evading her attempts to use nearby objects to slow him down.
Stumbling back, Uzi quickly cut off Solver and erected a barrier with SIVA at the last second, catching its claws that dug through the hardlight, her back against the floor as it screamed only to be caught by N's tail, thrown across several lockers, straight into V's tackle, the two tumbling through the door to the gym.
Rolling, Soriks gouged out V's side, kicking her away as his body jerked and twisted, revealing SIVA overflowing from his body. Wires tightened around his joints and curled in the air like tendrils. Breaking through his sides spewed two new arms made from SIVA, mimicking his old Eliksni limbs with spindly claws.
His jaw hung open, jittering with fangs dripping with oil before letting out a hellish scream, claws turning bright red, almost molten.
~SIVA is growing unstable, the density within him is critical~ Kovik notified, N and Uzi flanking V who kept her swords raised.
"Then how do we stop him from tearing himself apart?" N asked, watching anxiously as Soriks stalked toward them on all fours like a feral animal.
Uzi narrowed her eyes at Soriks, glancing to N who looked pensive, then to V who wore a steady glare, but it was wavering, biting her lip in the process. Uzi then caught a glimpse at Soriks' chest, the cavity hadn't closed over, the core still visible, pumping out nanomachines to infect and erode the body.
"Kovik?" She murmured, glancing toward him.
~That is the most logical choice, we will need to get close~ He confirmed for her, and while she couldn't see it, she was certain he smirked too. ~This is not the first time I've risen my kin from the dead~
"Hey-" V spoke up, not looking back as she tensed her arms- "If we hold him down, can you fix this?" Her voice was just as stiff, she was hoping this would work.
"What I've been trying to do... just get me close," Uzi had no guarantees but with SIVA, anything was possible.
"Right. N!" V yelled, setting Soriks off, charging toward her first only for N to fly up and around, extending a grapple to catch his back, tugging him away from V, claws inches from her face.
Her own wings extended, slamming her hands against Soriks' torso, sending him flying into the ceiling where N tugged the cord, flinging the corrupt drone into the floor where V brandished both swords, striking down with a sharp kick that was caught and countered with a sweep of claws, tearing her right leg off but she spun sharply, wings arching to lacerate through the cloak, digging across Soriks' back.
Growling, Soriks continued to chase and swipe at V who flew just out of range, leaving himself wide open when his body came to a halt, N swooping under them both, yanking back hard, causing the cable hooked to Soriks' body to tighten and lock his right arms against his midsection.
V threw a punch, wedging her own grapple hook through his left bicep, twirling to move right, binding his left side whilst the creature thrashed and hissed, SIVA growing incredibly dense, eating away at the disassembly drones' bindings, both skidding against the floorboards.
"Uzi, go!" N called, holding steady for the purplette to fly in, landing in the haze of red, unaffected by its corruption, one eye forming a reticle, highlighting the pulsing core within the cavity.
Shaking the pain forming in her head, she drove her right hand through the breastplate, squeezing her fingers around the core in a vice-like grip. Soriks' thrashing and wailing suddenly ceased, as if his whole body froze up, eyes flashing the words 'Critical Failure'.
|Uplink Re-established//Confirmed ID: UZI DOORMAN/KOVIK SPLICER PRIEST|
|Command - Consume Enhance Replicate//ERROR//Command "Enhance" Unresponsive|
"There it is," Uzi's eyes flashed with realization, it wasn't an error on their part, the surge was definitely the cause. "Alright, Frankenstein, let's get yours head screwed on straight!"
|NOTICE: "Enhance" Command re-established//Beginning Reboot...|
Exhaling, Uzi tore her hand away, wincing when she saw how the density tore her own palm to shreds, thankfully, Solver easily repaired the damage, closing up her exposed joints and servos. Staring at Soriks, his body remained motionless, eyes displaying a buffer, indicating he was undergoing a reboot.
Giving the pair a weak smile, Uzi raised a thumb. "Nailed it,"
V sighed, putting her weapons away whilst N smiled, giving a little, relieved laugh, coming around to hug Uzi from the side, much to her flustered girl's anxiety and subtle joy behind her own grin, giggling too.
"He still needs to reboot, SIVA's reversing all the damage its done to the main body," Uzi explained as the chest cavity finally closed up. "After that... I dunno if he'll even come online, this was all SIVA's directive running without any restrictions, and its 'Enhance' command deactivated, could've scrambled his core too."
"It'll work," N had their heads turn to him, the drone offering a supportive nod. "V said he was a stubborn fighter, and if he's anything like Kovik, he'll come back."
~Soriks, from my memory, was a hunter who never shied away from a challenge, even against Lightbearers, he found a way to survive and learn, adapting to each failure~ Kovik spoke with some admiration for the Devil's perseverance.
"I..." V went to speak, only to narrowly dodge a single trace round from blowing through her head, merely tearing across her left shoulder as she hissed in anger. "Great...!"
The three of them turned to have their backs together, immediately seeing red flicker from the rafters above. Several Fallen Devils emerging from their stealth, dropping down onto the gymnasium floor. Shock knives and cutlasses drawn, and a few with wire rifles stationed within the support beams.
Uzi slumped forward, eyes flat. "You have got to me kidding me!!"
[To Be Continued...]
[Author's Notes]
Frankenstein was the clear inspiration for this addition to the story! V has quite a strange motive for wanting to revive this Devil, with some... mixed results, to say the least. And just when one problem passes, another makes itself known.
I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; see ya in the next chapter, Splicers!
\\—⟪Chp. 18 - The Bannerless⟫—//