The Lab (7)
All around me was pitch black, and even more hopeless than that. They say you grow taller if you dream of falling from a great height—hell, at this rate, I might grow a whole finger's width. It felt like standing at the edge of a bottomless chasm. Like a beast peering into an abyss, only to slip and plummet.
Limbs that stood out ghostly white in the darkness thrashed desperately at empty air, grasping at nothing, the floating sensation never fading.
But... on the other hand, it was the utmost comfort. No need for food, sleep, or even sex. None of it mattered to sustain my existence anymore. With all five senses of an organic being stripped away, there was no room left for base desires.
The absence of sight spared me from that horrific reality. Lost hearing was replaced by perfect silence. No touch meant no pain. A clogged nose blocked out the churning stench of blood and gunpowder. The loss of taste... that was a bit regrettable. I'd never properly savored delicious food while alive, and now it was gone just like that.
...Ah! No need to regret it at all. There were canned goods in my jacket pocket, after all. One was even sweet jelly pie—perfect for a last supper before departure.
But... the bread can I swiftly pulled out wasn't quite what I remembered.
"...?"
I tilted my head, peering at the object in my hand. Blue code strands not only wrapped the surface but had invaded the contents, swirling in a dizzying mess of Hangul... alphabet... numbers, special characters, symbols, Cyrillic... and more.
Who the hell gave me this bizarre canned lump of data? That nameless tin-can robot, of course. Why? It was your birthday present. Me...? Who the hell am I...? Who? Anastasia, you talentless idiot! Move, quick...!!
"Hngh?!"
The streaming info and signals coalesced, completing the current me.
Fuck!! There was no warning about losing your sense of self mid-dive...!
Blame...!!
I forced my prone, gasping body upright and kicked off the pitch-black floor, charging ahead. Aside from intermittent blue electrical signals flashing by, this world—presumably the lab's system—was a sort of black tunnel.
Tat-tat-tat...!!
I raced down the tunnel at full speed. No fatigue. It wasn't my real body moving; it was Anastasia, the info-lifeform, blinking along.
But....
"What the...! Why is there nothing here...!!"
No matter how far I ran, endlessly, only the black tunnel stretched on. I had no idea how much precious time I'd burned. I figured following the only path would lead to some controllable terminal or panel.
Instead, infinite darkness greeted me.
"Shit...! Fuuuuck---!!"
No way...... Did the Abyss Dive fail? Or had I already been caught by a Seeker, reduced back to a test-tube doll? Was the idiot android smashed to bits, its mind fried?
If I'd known, I would've just hacked the hard way, even if it sucked. At least then I'd know the outside situation...!
"!!"
Screeech!
I slammed my foot to a halt.
The wall that had been empty moments ago crumbled, revealing the camera control panel and monitor from the control room.
Why...? No time to wonder. The monitor showed surveillance feeds from the control room entrance and main gate.
"......"
A nearly pulverized barricade wall. Goliath's swinging arm. A Seeker rolling aside while firing at the droid. Every bit of info I craved appeared, but everything moved in bizarre slow motion.
The Seeker's fist embedding in the wall. Rifle rounds vividly slicing air, grazing the tin can. The ground cracking under Goliath's steps.
Only now did I grasp what Abyss Dive truly was.
They say even mountains flow if viewed with the eyes of a god. Unchanging matter and values crumble before eons. Conversely, then—who rules the cyber realm, splitting instants into countless frames, manipulating the connected system like a lucid dream?
I am Anastasia. Neo Haven's top net hacker and cyber architect. A raw gem with the makings of an Abyss Diver.
Krrrrrrrind---!!
The black hamster wheel that had looped the diver endlessly dismantled. The tiny monitor ballooned to Goliath size; a plush chair rose from the floor.
This world ran on different rules and order, so issue the right commands, and it obeys.
Thud...!
In this completed space—something like a command center—I readied a surprise strike.
"Tin Can! Can you hear me?"
> "—! Miss Anastasia! Are you safe?"
"I'm totally fine...! How about you stop getting wrecked?! You know I can't carry you!"
Rrrrrrind...!!
Confirmed the comms channel was crystal clear, then expanded the net. Like a viper lurking in shadows finally sinking fangs into prey, the signal hit the idly parked hovercrafts.
Basic remote hack: connect to building network, relay via simple comms channel. If any scrub could do it, corps wouldn't rule the world.
So... regret turning an Abyss Diver into your enemy...!
Vreeeeeng...!!
The hovercrafts roared to life, lifting into the air. Protection protocols and firewalls? They flung the doors wide themselves, mistaking it for a same-corp signal. Thank fuck they had no reserves to respond directly.
"Next time a Seeker lunges, pin 'em under Goliath even for a second...!"
> "Confirmed!"
Bam---!!
Dududududu---!!
Goliath's massive mechanical arm slammed the ground, sweeping it clean. Amid it all, the Seeker deftly reloaded from scattered corpses, firing back.
Anxiety crawled up my spine. Low power? 6% was plenty. The wall blocking another Seeker nearly gone? Nah, countermeasure ready. No safety net for the brave frontline android? That clouded my judgment—nothing at all.
"You rusted piece of junk...?!"
> "I am composed solely of the latest Paradise and Exatech parts. Quite rude, ma'am."
Crack!!
Bam!
The fired bullet pierced Tin Can's shoulder, severing the arm from the torso. The armless droid tumbled from Goliath, but greed's price: Goliath's kick slammed the Seeker into the lab wall again. Now's the chance.
Vreeeeeng---!!
Seeing Goliath's huge frame tilt toward the wall, two hovercrafts launched like mad. Brakes? That bastard's body would be the brakes.
But then, the Seeker ripped open Goliath's side armor, torso emerging.
Bam!!
"Grahhh---!! You think this bullshit can kill me...?!"
Spotting the missile-like hovercrafts barreling at him, he cut off mid-sentence, scrambling from the scrap heap.
Not enough time till impact. Had to divert more power to the turret, buy seconds.
...And I wasn't the only one thinking to buy time.
> "......!!"
"You fucker?!"
"?! Stop---!!"
The armless android sprang up, body-slamming the emerging Seeker. No time to think ahead. I frantically split time, issuing hovercraft halt commands.
But....
No matter how I stretched perceived time to infinity, what happened stayed happened. Worse, I watched in crystal detail as the two mass-missiles mercilessly severed Tin Can's waist, exploding.
"......Doing whatever the fuck you want, where the hell does that fly...!!"
Crash!
Unable to contain rage, my swung hand smashed the nearby terminals and panels.
Heart lost to calm, the abyss shuddered unstably in sync. But luckily, a target for venting remained.
"You fucking bitch...!! You won't die easy, mark my words!"
Bam! The wall crumbled; the pissed-off Seeker stormed the control room... then froze at my collapsed body.
His cyberware would've analyzed the downed girl as unconscious. Perfect spot for a careless foe.
This control room, overseeing the lab system, still had its final defense.
Plasma Barrier Activation Initiated.
From infinite abyss to reality in one breath. No decompression sickness.
Unlike entry, my eyes snapped open viciously. Ahead: the Seeker suddenly trapped in a red furnace, melting armor and all without a scream.
"You bastards...! You bastards won't die pretty...!!"
Click! Bangbangbang!! Bang! Ratatat---!!
Emptied the mag, reloaded. Unloaded all ammo into the oozing flesh lump.
I stared at the Seeker: combat armor, flesh, implants melted into horrific meat broth. No brain left—even Enama Corp's fancy medical tech couldn't revive that.
Click-click...! Tick... tick....
Pulling the trigger yielded nothing more. Naturally, I crumpled to my knees on the cold lab floor.
One brain corner scolded wasting precious ammo on emotion. Spot on. Felt worse, self-loathing deepened.
"......Idiot, moron, fucking retard...!!"
If only I'd holed up underground. If only I'd used the last power to blow the hovercrafts. If only, from the start...!
> "......Wasn't. Your. Nickname. Tin Can?"
"?!"
I bolted upright.
"Tin Can!! You're alive---?!"
> "Power source. Detached. Conversation. Won't. Last long...."
"?! You maniac! Then shut up!!"
Grandpa-on-deathbed vibes doubled my irritation. Hero complex much...!!
I vaulted the reeking puddle—smell I'd never un-smell—and dashed through the Seeker-blasted hole to the corridor.
Beep...!
"Open the door!!"
Control Bulkhead Retrieval Initiated. Error: Insufficient Power.
"Fuck...! Then just open a little!!"
If I'd had time for full mods, I'd have slid out cool-like. Instead, I awkwardly crawled under the half-raised barricade, out of the lab.
Words piled up. Why'd you do that? Didn't I say block with Goliath? Think my words are a joke...?
Armed with complaints, I found Tin Can at the fire's edge—head pathetically rolling. My mind blanked.
"......"
Step by step. I cautiously approached, picking up the sparking Carebot head, scanners all gone.
> "Honored. To have. Served...."
"...Shut up."
Idiot me thought: power cut, so hook to a spare vehicle battery. No way that blast left the Carebot intact.
Voice module gone too—choppy comms only. Robots ignoring human words leads to this mess. Junk shop'd give 10 credits tops...!
Drip... drip....
> "Are you. Crying...?"
"......Can't even tell your coolant’s leaking? How the hell you gonna protect me like this?"
> "Apologies."
Ideas and fixes flashed through my head. But no facilities, gear, or tech—nothing feasible. Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible...... Possible.
"Hey. Mind if I ask one thing...?"
> "Fine."
"...The core code making you you. It's in the central processor... right?"
> "......Yes."
Sensing the horror I planned, he answered laboredly.
I was about to do something truly cruel. Selfish. Sly. Self-centered human thinking. Mega corp shit.
I'd steal his right and chance to die as himself.
"...If you agree. Open your head."
> "......"
Hiss... The Carebot's crown parted. Sparks from severed circuits, shattered metal shards everywhere.
A little hand scrape? No issue.
"Your name. I'll hear it someday. So... just wait a bit."
No clue when. When Tin Can wakes, will it still be Tin Can? Like me from the tube, unsure if continuous with past self.
He'd be the same.
Krrrk...!!
Hearing his answer would weaken me, so I yanked the android's brain without hesitation.
"......"
Under this world's moon, scarred by great war blasts. How blankly had I watched the flames spread?
Clearing muddled head and heart, my pitiful body signaled.
Grrrumble.......
"......Ah."
Rummaged pocket, pulled jelly pie can. Popped it, one bite.
"...Sweet. Yeah."
Carefully placed the central processor in the empty can, snapped the lid shut.
The culture fluid's bitterness? Forgotten now.