Unfortunately. I didn't read the book for that long, if you think about it. In my case, 2 hours isn't long, compared to those twenty years of life on this planet and months of experiments.
In that short time, I read the entire book, from cover to cover. I even checked the authors. Andrey Livadny, "Omicron." (P.S. The book is awesome—read it.)
Even though I'd already read it, my ever-demanding brain couldn't hold back its anticipation and forced my body to sit in one place, scanning the letters. No regrets, by the way.
At some point, it even seemed to me that the events of "Omicron" could have happened in this world. And I'd love to verify those facts about the colonial war and orbital bombardment, but the dilemma is that I don't have access to the surviving part of the internet. Building a tower is too lazy for me. Flying over the sectors, I already tried to connect—no luck. Putting more energy into the impulse doesn't make sense—the internet module I implanted in myself, after getting rid of the already unnecessary equipment in my head, would just burn out and leave only melted metal. So, I'll make do with what I have.
Setting the book aside, I stared at the empty wall, examining every pit, every paint defect, every bubble with microscopic precision. After the energy upgrades, I rebuilt my body and combined such incompatible technologies in it that sometimes it seemed like everything I do is too perfect… But that's philosophy now.
Oh yeah, I can open portals again. Void portals. Of course, it comes with a slight pain in my chest (and considering my chest is a pure piece of metal, that's scary) and some dizziness, but I don't pay much attention to it. Even right now, I took the book I read, opened two portals—one above, one below—and tossed this piece of waste paper in there.
Who needs those ASMR videos when there's a book falling through portals multiple times? Even in that game, Portal, you could do that and endlessly zone out on the eternally falling main heroine. If people were smarter, cool videos wouldn't even exist as a concept.
So, back to portals. Besides regular portals (which, fuck, aren't regular at all, but damn well erase the very concept of "space" between points A and B), I can create so-called "inter-world" portals. From the name, it follows that I can freely move between universes, and everything's peachy keen.
The problem is, I don't know where I'm moving to, so during the transition to another universe, there's a high chance of ending up on the surface of Betelgeuse. Or even in a world where the concept of gravity is so chaotic that it'd just tear me apart from being there. So, relocation is canceled for now.
And since it's canceled, I can solve pressing tasks. For example, brainwash my dear sister named Cyn. What will that give me? On one hand, I'll get an adequate sister with the Absolute Solver and fairly high potential, as well as a personal memo on using the Absolute Solver. On the other… Um… I didn't really find any downsides, to be honest. Simply put, the pros outweigh the cons, and with that, we can work.
It'd also be desirable not to let my NON-BLOOD red-eyed niece die. She's the only thing left to me from that Russian couple, Yeva and Dima. Letting their daughter die would be extremely disappointing and dishonorable. A bit of pity remains in me, even though I've become something like a Deus Ex Machina.
The Deus Ex Machina became an uncle to two little teenage drones who, if not wanting to kill each other, at least want to maim each other. And I'll have to deal with all of it… Unlucky that I died for a whole two years. I could've rested and settled on the planet, but now… Screw you, no rest.
After thinking a bit, I weighed my recent thoughts, and, catching the eternally falling book and closing the portals, I carefully lay on the couch and closed my eyes.
Lying like that for a couple of minutes, I sat up, opened one eye, and using the Cube's power, made a blanket on myself. I don't know what served as the material for its creation. The main thing is that it fulfills its function, and I don't need anything else.
Grinding my teeth, I created a pillow under my head, and only after that, I calmly went off to watch fun cartoons, activating Sleep Mode.
۞⦰۞
The next… The following night. That is, after a few hours of sleep, I was already calmly lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling with an empty gaze. This doesn't mean I didn't sleep well—how could I not, if I slept for two years before—just that right now, I'm immersed in my thoughts. And the thoughts were precisely about that two-year sleep.
What do I remember? I remember myself, it was me, right? Yes-yes-yes, the boy called me Ai and… Brother? Since it's me, then the brother is mine too. Don't forget the reason. My birthday. I was turning two thousand nine hundred years old. Exactly, and in honor of that, I threw a banquet.
What else was there? Lackeys and maids, as I understood, without souls. Dummies, puppets.
Also, the place where it all happened was… Elliott Manor. Only its size inside didn't match the size outside. The moment when "I" transferred to the banquet hall wasn't that quick; actually, it was visible how "I" calmly walked through the entire mansion, without speeding up the pace. And yet, I managed to overtake my brother without wasting a second of real time.
Next was the acquaintance. The Deus Ex Machina, whom I've mentioned quite often. And Chaos… He was scary.
It seems I've managed to become a god after all, since such a vision appeared before me. I saw respect in Deus's eyes, that is, the god from the machine. Felt approval from Chaos… What did I accomplish to become… So significant? Unknown… Oh well, time to go interrogate a certain individual.
Jumping off the bed, while disintegrating the blanket into atoms, I quickly stretched out of habit. Finding nothing useful in this activity, I immediately, without delay, jumped out the window. Only this time, the piece of glass remained intact. Thanks to the Cube's power, I "merged" with the window for a moment and passed through it as if it didn't exist. If someone filmed me in slow motion, you could see how the cubes interact with the window, disappear, and reconstruct my body already outside.
A wonderful ability, without a doubt.
Immediately unfolding my wings, I headed to the skyscrapers not far from the tower of corpses. From there, I'd fly to the tower itself to meet my old acquaintance. Serial model V.
With a couple of wing flaps, I reached the destination in just a few dozen seconds. Quietly landing on the roof of the skyscraper, I stepped over the railing and began a slow descent, like not a piece of metal, but some feather. Along with this, I greatly enjoyed watching the scene unfolding below.
"You saw how he redirected the blow! I wouldn't have thought of that! And his strength!" Uzi's exclamations echoed practically throughout the sector. Such an unplanned PR, I hope she won't make me pay for it… Interesting to hear about myself from others' mouths.
"N, could you launch a pipe so it gets stuck in the wall, immobilizing another disassembly drone?" Uzi asked, turning her head to the yellow-eyed killer, who listened to every word of the hyperactive individual with a joyful expression. Thinking for a second, which displayed on his screen as a barely visible loading ring, he tried to answer:
"Well, if I–…" He was interrupted.
"No! That's the point, no! He's a worker, N! A worker with disassembly drone strength and four wings!" The girl continued to enthusiastically recount to N what happened in the bunker. And N himself didn't mind, even though he was there at the time. He probably just liked listening, like me, for example.
"Um…" Oh! A new character. A green-eyed light-haired drone, in a jacket and t-shirt. I couldn't meet him earlier, alas, too good at using the 101st karate technique. So good that I escaped, shutting up everyone who was there.
"I brought your gun…" the light-haired one said, handing the railgun to the main rebel of the colony.
"Heh-heh… Y-yeah, hi, Thad." Uzi got embarrassed, realizing Thad heard all her joyful exclamations, and despite being a drone, snatched the rail from him. Running her metal finger over the black casing, she smiled. And continued, more calmly:
"When Dad said I have an uncle who loves to experiment, I didn't pay much attention." Uzi looked up, apparently gazing at the falling radioactive asbestos snowflakes that swirled between the skyscrapers in a barely visible dance.
"I thought he was another drone like Dad. Just as boring and annoying. But yesterday, I learned how cool he really is! I'll definitely stick to his words and replace the conductor in the railgun!" She raised her hands up along with the railgun. Pants full of joy, nothing more to say. Though no, I can. But for that, I need to step into the light and announce my presence… And who cares anyway?
"Yeah… Youth has lost all respect for elders. Back in my time… Even your father, dear, followed my orders without questions." I retracted my wings and was now walking through the snowdrift, heading toward this small group of drones. The snow crunched underfoot, my eyes calm as always. Only inside, I felt amusement igniting.
"And anyway, the ideal option for the railgun would be a superconductor. But you're too small and stupid to know how that works." I smiled and stopped right in front of this little trio. Uzi didn't even notice my little remark and looked at me like her idol. Aren't drones her age supposed to be into anime and stuff like that?
The other two, N and Thad, just looked from Uzi to me, expressing only zero-eyes and a general atmosphere of confusion.
"Uncle Ai, are there any more tips for improving my insanely cool gun?" Uzi asked, handing me the railgun. Snatching it, I began a deeper inspection. At some point, I even had to connect the Cube's power to get the maximum information about this weapon.
You could see small cubes covering the railgun and disappearing without a trace, obeying my will.
Twirling it in my hand a couple more times, I handed the rail back to Uzi and stepped back a few paces. Pulling someone's severed arm out of the snow, I straightened my index finger and began drawing a blueprint.
"In principle, the design is decent, but it'd be better to use 6 energy cores instead of one. That'll let you ignore the long recharge problem." My hand moved on autopilot, depicting the railgun with six batteries extended slightly forward and positioned under the main barrel at a 45-degree angle.
"Using copper instead of aluminum for energy and overheating speed will give you enough for twelve shots. In this setup, shots use one battery first, then another, third, and so on. After all six batteries are depleted, the first one will likely be recharged already." I drew several arrows from one battery to another. Drawing in the snow is hard, but I like it.
"This will be the most efficient and compact scheme for your railgun. If you use a superconductor, the number of shots increases fivefold. From twelve to sixty, but the weapon becomes stationary, as it'll require constant cooling." Inspecting my creation, I stepped aside and let the others examine the blueprint in the snow. Understandably, only Uzi could get anything out of it.
While they huddled there, I couldn't find a better solution than to simply disappear, leaving them alone. What else can I offer them? Nothing, I'd just be too lazy to do anything else besides explaining the railgun's principle.
In the next instant, I was in the tower of corpses and slowly walking toward the landing pod. So many corpses underfoot, creepy… Even I didn't have that many, and that's a bit surprising, considering how many years I spent in the R&D… Though I didn't do full worker drone cleanups… Okay, it'll do.
Opening the pod's airlock, I slowly entered. Using the Cube's power, I immediately learned the full structure of this spaceship and teleported to the co-pilot's seat, which was turned away from V. She didn't see me.
Crossing my arms in my favorite "Gendo Style," I slowly turned and, looking at the shocked face of the disassembly drone, said:
"Hello, V."
POV 3rd Person
"Thanks, Uncle… Ai?" Uzi turned and with a huge smile on her face thanked… The air. None of the three noticed how Ai simply teleported away from here, abruptly changing his course to the landing pod.
The rebel couldn't understand what happened. Here she is talking to her uncle, and then he's gone. Paradox. But the girl chalked it all up to the quirks of this white-eyed drone; he loves appearing with flair and leaving English-style, happens to anyone.
"Um, Uzi?" Thad began, drawing the rebel's and disassembly drone's attention to himself. Fidgeting a bit under their gazes, the green-eyed one exhaled and said:
"There in the bunker… When I took your gun… It seemed to me that the disassembly drone corpse killed by your uncle was trying to escape… I don't know how to explain it." The worker quickly recounted, looking at the duo, hoping they understood his jumbled explanation. The disassembly drone and rebel exchanged glances.
"I think we'll have to go back to the bunker. Just for a bit. Heh…" Uzi laughed awkwardly, directing her gaze into the snow. Standing like that for a few seconds, she lifted her head again and said:
"Well? Shall we go?" With those words, she jumped onto N's neck, preparing for takeoff. Thad was next, and was simply grabbed by the scruff by N, who, without thinking a second more, soared into the air, raising a wave of radioactive snow, and disappeared into the sky, heading toward the bunker.
POV Ai
"Hello, V." I said kindly, displaying the kindest smile possible on my face. No one knew it was just a mask hiding endless anger toward V. Despite my more-or-less calm appearance, inside me, liquid metal was boiling. How lucky she is that I held back and didn't tear her into atoms, turning her core into a singularity.
"Answer me, please." My voice had false notes of tenderness that screamed it was nothing more than a play on intonation.
"Why did you kill them?" V shuddered at my question. Her gaze, full of horror and fear, slid over the metal walls of the landing pod and finally crossed with mine, only to immediately drop to the floor. V tried not to notice me. Tried to think I wasn't real, that I was an illusion… But to her misfortune, I was real.
"Wh-who?" She finally uttered her first words. Before me now sat not a mad sadist who loves killing anyone in reach, but that very maid who wandered the mansion and performed duties.
"I-I don't understand who you're…" I felt her sincere misunderstanding of my question. That's not enough to evoke pity in me, so I continued to press.
"How don't you understand? A drone with red eyes and a drone with turquoise eyes. A married couple. Don't remember how one of them managed to photograph you before death?! I know a lot, V. And over these twenty-plus years, I stopped being a mechanic. I became… a killer, no worse than you." Saying this, I, with one jump, closed in on the disassembly drone and placed my metal palm on her head. A moment later, V went into a long reboot, and I designed her personal hell, which she'll never forget.
POV Serial Number V (Third Person)
Feeling a light touch of a hand on her head, V's consciousness quickly drowned in endless labyrinths of code, numbers, functions, and parameters. It wasn't clear how much time actually passed. Maybe a minute, or maybe a dozen years. The disassembly drone simply didn't have the strength to understand.
After the description of her old colleague, Ai, she remembered those two drones she killed without a second thought, not caring much about consequences.
But now, she wanted to turn everything back. She didn't want the wrath of one who was one of the closest to her.
The code disappeared. The labyrinths disappeared. The disassembly drone was blinded by the brightest light.
Squinting her eyes open, she saw the sun hanging in the sky and a blue sky, giving the feeling of the good old Earth's surface. You could even see glares on her own display.
The picture was so pure and beautiful that V didn't immediately feel the insane pain coursing through her entire body.
Lowering her gaze, she found a vast sea of oil stretching far beyond the horizon. No end to this sea was visible.
Raising her hands, the disassembly drone noticed how they literally smoldered from the sun's rays, sending terrible pain through her entire being. In panic. She fell into the oil sea and began greedily drinking it, saving herself from turning to ash.
But that wasn't all.
Next, she was hit by a feeling she hadn't experienced in years. Core overheating. Her eyes widened, and she continued drinking oil with doubled force.
But it was futile; the overheating only grew stronger, and the solar burns covered more and more of her body.
This was only the beginning of her suffering.
POV Ai
Stepping away from the girl, I sat in the co-pilot's chair. Honestly, I didn't expect to immediately readjust her core and processor power so she herself maintains the illusion she's in. And she'll be there for a couple of hours… For me, a couple of hours. For her… A couple hundred years, at least.
Humming, I disappeared, leaving this strange and stuffy atmosphere of the pod. I don't know what's happening to me, but suddenly I wanted to devour the tower of corpses… Does the Cube's power affect me like that? Not surprising, after all, it's the ability of the goddess of matter Icon, no wonder I have the desire to consume.
I teleported right to the bunker's entrance. No. I didn't become so polite as to kindly ask to be let in, like that trio of disassembly drone and two workers probably did.
I was just interested if everything worked according to my calculations? And looking at the slightly rumpled snow, you could already tell my computations were correct and would be for the next hundred years.
Unfolding my wings and soaring into the air, I immediately flew over the bunker, ignoring steel and concrete barriers, trying to find that very hole in the ceiling I left when escaping from here.
I didn't have to search long; after some time, I noticed a too-dark spot in the bunker's roof. Peering closer, I realized it was my exit. A moment later, I dove into the darkness, expecting a meeting with giant centipedes and other horrors.
Landing on the oil-stained warehouse floor where J and I used each other like floor rags, I immediately headed, as I sensed, toward the cryosleep room. Though no, I didn't sense. I knew where I was going and what I was doing. Interesting to have such high computation speed that you know exactly what you'll do tomorrow and why. And don't forget I'm using only a quarter of my power, as the rest goes to creating simulations.
Walking several hundred meters, I began encountering traces of destruction and some chaos more often. In the distance lay a severed human arm, which only made me roll my eyes. At least I knew the main characters were here. The rest didn't concern me, like the inscriptions on the containers about how the Absolute Solver collects new matter to create its body.
Entering the open corridor, I continued surveying the surroundings. Nothing objectionable, except a streak of oil stretching down this corridor and turning right somewhere. I sighed in disappointment. These metal floors are so beautiful, but now stained with oil from some unknown victim… What a shame.
Reaching the turn, I walked another few dozen meters, entering the cryosleep room. I'd be interested if the cryochambers held not skeletons, but living people. Only after losing something do we start to value it, right? I'd be glad to talk to humans again. But unfortunately, no.
Pushing aside the plastic strip curtains, I entered the continuation of the cryosleep room. Excluding the hanging cryochambers on the wall, there was something else here. Or rather—someone.
Uzi and N, who don't even need to be counted, as they are the source of all this bunker's problems. And also the giant centipede J, occupying half this room and currently engaged in total intimidation of the main characters.
Despite N essentially not being there, I still saw him. He was hidden by a hologram so he himself didn't notice, while the centipede created his second version, playing the real N. What can I say, my presence didn't change much, except for some moments not worth mentioning. Probably.
And anyway, now's the perfect time to intervene!
With a calm expression, I slowly entered the room, deliberately attracting the attention of everyone present. The first to notice me was, as you can guess, the centipede. Followed by N. And the last was Uzi, who looked at me as if I were her guardian angel who finally decided to descend from the heavens and save the mortal her.
Jerking from such a gaze, I looked at the centipede, widening my smile and baring the good old ultra-sharp fangs.
J, in turn, only rolled… Her head. Approached me and said:
"Fin-finish y-your s-s-session of Aura Farming, b-brother of the h-host." She pulled back and retracted her cameras with tentacles, which had nearly taken control of the entire room.
"M-m-m… No. I need to get rid of you anyway, you don't mind?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. While the centipede thought over the answer, I stepped away from her, took Uzi's railgun—for the second time in these two days—and returned to the centipede.
"M-my d-death is not in the d-d-directives." She answered. Basically, expected result. Like asking a person "You don't mind if I shoot you fifteen times and then burn you in a volcano's crater?" Obviously, the person would refuse. And J even more so.
"As they say: 'Wrong, try again, '" I said and positioned the railgun in front of me. Ending up in front of the millipede before she took any actions against my great persona, I shoved the railgun into her… I don't know what to call it? Mouth? Maw? Doesn't change the essence. She eats with it, apparently. I think I can turn into a millipede too, but… No point. No one should know about my Absolute Solver except me.
Glancing one last time at the centipede's shattered display, I pulled the trigger. Immediately after, a bright green flash illuminated everything around. The cryochambers seemed to absorb this light. The floor turned red, and the millipede flew into many pieces, which scattered into different corners of the room and stayed there.
Landing on the floor, I raised the railgun upward and placed it on my shoulder, looking at the results of yet another shot. Almost nothing left of the centipede, only smoldering body parts, tentacles, and limb chunks along with piles of flesh… Which were still bleeding…
The cameras that survived the shot began slowly melting before our eyes and turning into singularities that first floated in the air, then disappeared without a trace. I'll call it cute. Because it's cute… Probably.
My thoughts were interrupted by a piece of flesh on legs that ran out of the trash and debris of the centipede, quickly heading my way and shouting some nonsense like "Run… Run… Deceive…" And so on.
Rolling my eyes, I reached behind my back and pulled out my sword. The small core seemed not to notice and continued running, ignoring everything in its path.
Swinging the sword, I cleaved the core into two equal halves, which rolled further on the floor from inertia and, finally turning into singularities, disappeared.
Turning around, I looked at the two scared little drones. Tossing the railgun to Uzi, I sheathed the sword behind my back and stretched, saying:
"Handle the rest yourselves." Walking past them and ignoring the stares, I left the cryosleep room and continued down the corridor. At some point, I heard many quick footsteps coming from ahead. It was the WDF rushing to the noise. Not surprised.
From around the corner ran Khan, followed by several more drones. Seeing me, they all braked and narrowed their eyes suspiciously, trying to detect an illusion in me. I'm not offended, after all… They just had a small genocide here, right?
"I dealt with the source of the problem and the noise. Your task, Khan, is to clean up there and calm your daughter. Verstehen?" Khan, like an eternal private, stood at attention and said:
"Yes sir!" A second later, his whole team was running at full speed to the cryochambers. The drones with Khan cast strange glances at me and him, like: "Why does the colony leader obey him so?" and "What happened to this seasoned coward?" Good colony leader. Trained and drilled by me. Years pass, but reflexes hammered right into the head remain… Though I didn't really drill them, with Dima… Khan does this because he sees me as an important figure or senior in experience? Unclear.
Walking through the entire bunker, I didn't linger much. Unfolding my wings, I flew out through the hole in the ceiling and hovered several hundred meters above the ground, enjoying the blizzard view. It gives that atmosphere of skyscraper grandeur that's missing in good weather.
Everything I planned for today didn't even take more than an hour and a half. Initially, it seemed I'd need a whole day to set up tortures for V, defeat the millipede, and so on… But actually, it happened so quickly that I didn't get to enjoy it. Well, if so, I can tinker with technologies!
With a wing flap, I flew over the bunker and entered the closed window of my apartment, seeping through it just like I exited. Using the Cube's power.
Sitting on the couch, I began thinking… What can I create? An improved railgun? Nah, that's a task for Uzi, plus I see no point in weapons. I have the Absolute Solver and a bastard sword; I need nothing more for happiness… Except power, of course.
Maybe… Improve myself somehow… Yeah, I'll do that.
Assuming a horizontal position, I closed my eyes and began examining my internals with the Cube's and Absolute Solver's powers, trying to find inefficient and useless concepts to get rid of.
I looked for quite a while. Went through every wire, every circuit, every servo with fiber optic cables, and exited the concentration state with this conclusion:
I need nothing!
The simplest conclusion that appeared in my head after this small series of checks on my body's characteristics.
Note that my judgment sounds ambiguous, but I can explain it. I need nothing means… That everything currently in my body is useless. And I need to get rid of it.
As you can understand, there was already an attempt earlier, when I ripped my own core out of my chest and filled the chest with metal to not lose mass.
But this time, I have a completely different idea, after which my sister will probably give me a solid slap. Oh, I'll explain everything now.
I want to fill myself… with nanobots! It's so easy and efficient! All information that was supposed to be transmitted through nanofiber and fiber optic cables will be transmitted directly through a bunch of nanobots. Movement will work the same, where I'll have to move the nanites themselves, not the limbs. I'll get increased reaction speed, limb movement speed, which will help in combat, as well as significantly increased strength and bulletproofness (possibly even railgun-proof).
Currently, my strength level is about… two Ns. N can lift 3 tons. I can lift about six. With the nanite upgrade, that number rises to thirty-thirty-nine tons. A significant jump, right? I think so too.
Speed will be even more fun. I can already kick down steel doors like nothing. After the upgrade, I'll be able to kick down… Khan's bunker hermodoors without singularity help.
At least, these results came from simulations in my head. About reality, I'm not too sure, but still… What's stopping me from trying what's planned? Right—nothing.
Concentrating, I activated the Cube and began slowly filling my body with metal to later use it as material for nanobots. The main thing—not to overdo it, or my soul will just be ejected from this body, and I won't be able to return… Probably. No possibility to run simulations either, since… I haven't experienced such a sensation, except the talk with the god. But too little data.
As soon as my body was filled with metal and I couldn't move anything, I activated the Absolute Solver. In the next second, all the metal I created began slowly turning into silver or black slime of nanobots. Making some amount, I just calmed down and began waiting for the nanobots to devour me from inside and rebuild the body into its stronger form.
My nanites differ from those in disassembly drones. It's like comparing the "GSO" corporation and the "Hawkeye" corporation from the game "Terra Tech." They're similar, but the first is more versatile and weaker. Used only at the beginning, or if you need some light transport. The second corporation, conversely, has a tilt toward military actions. So my nanobots are a reference to "Hawkeye." Disassembly drones' nanobots—a reference to "GSO." Hm… Are there references to "GeoCorp," "Venture," or "Reticule Research"? If there are, that'll be cool…
I digress. My nanobots are stronger but consume a bit more energy than disassembly drones'. With the new core, I have no energy problems as such, so… Their energy efficiency doesn't concern me much. And anyway… Ow… My head's spinning… Ow-ow… Fuck… And so I lost consciousness.
۞⦰۞
"Is anyone alive here?!" For fifteen minutes now, I've been in… Unknown where. Around is some forest stretching for many hundreds of kilometers (I already tried flying one way). No end in sight. And it's way too quiet here, even though the forest is quite alive. Leaves are green, rustling in the wind, and so on. They have nothing in common with Copper-9's GMO trees.
It's very quiet here, as I said above. Not a single insect, animal, even a bird flying high overhead. If I weren't half-crazed from twenty years of dealing with a disassembly drone, I'd like it here. But now, my head's splitting from loneliness.
I sat on the grass and pulled my knees up, waiting for my body to finally wake up. I forgot to mention the main thing—I was in a human body. Only this human body had all my drone traits, including abilities. Even the silver hair was… Real. And the face was mine. From my past life. Not only does the soul change the body, but the body changes the soul, though to a lesser de…
"Of course there is. Why are you yelling across half my forest?" A voice suddenly sounded from behind. I jumped to my feet and created a sword in my hands, pointing it at the newcomer. Hands of flesh and blood trembled from strain, holding the long bastard sword in fingers.
In this state, I could examine the uninvited guest's appearance. He was dressed in a black cloak resembling an oversized frock coat, but it looked quite beautiful and stylish. Long black shirt sleeves were rolled up at the ends to not hinder using hands. Black pants and a belt with a silver buckle and the Absolute Solver symbol on it created the image of some aristocrat.
And his… Face… It was… My face. Same sharp cheekbones, chin, piercing eyes… Hair, as long as mine now. The sclera of the eyeballs was black, and the pupils—bright white. No iris. His eyes resembled mine when I was furious. Also a small dot on a black background.
"Wh-what are you?" I asked through force, bringing the sword to his throat. He, looking at these attempts, only smirked and with his index finger pushed the blade away from his neck, looking straight into my eyes. Goosebumps the size of a linear spaceship ran down my back.
"Me? I'm you, only better. My task—is to be better than you." He answered, smiling. Despite the human body, his mouth still had several ROWS of sharpest teeth. If someone saw that at night, they wouldn't need laxatives.
I'd believe him… If not for Empathy telling me about some omission in his words. Better than me? He didn't specify in what, because being better than someone just like that—is impossible.
"You're hiding something." I sheathed the sword and calmly said, crossing my arms on my chest, waiting for his answer. He looked at me with some surprise but still widened his smile.
"You're right." He agreed with me, approaching me closely. Even our height is the same, and he was babbling about "better." He's equal to me in some characteristics, but I don't know in what he's better… Fuck. My brain's breaking from these "betters."
"But you'll have to guess yourself, host." I got a punch to the chest that knocked all the air out of my lungs. And also knocked my consciousness out of this body. In the next second, I was staring at the ceiling of my apartment on the seventh floor of a half-ruined skyscraper.
Rising from the couch, I looked out the window. Determining it was night, I stood up and stretched. How inconvenient without internal clocks. Along with the OS death, my time indicator also vanished. I couldn't remake it, as something blocked access to my own interface, so much that I couldn't even swap some icons and widgets. And calculating how much time passed since such-and-such moment is useless, because if I fall unconscious again, the calculated time just… Won't match reality.
Looking at my hand, I smiled. With one gesture, I made the hand turn into the finest silver sand, smoothly floating in the air like ash. With the next wish, I turned this sand into a sharp stake at the end of my hand. Thinking a bit, I returned everything, the sand flowed back into my hand's shape.
I immediately noticed my lifting strength significantly increased. Forty-three tons of pure power. Now I can rip off sentinel velociraptor heads with bare hands! How wonderful to feel power flowing through you like some warm liquid. I am power itself… Probably, since I still don't know my sister's power level…
But that's not the main thing now. The main thing—is to find out what time it is. And how? Right! Ask someone. And who and where? The main characters in the pod! The pod is one of the main plot points, so just being there, you can find the info you need.
Flying out the window my favorite way, I headed to the rescue hexapod shuttle where the disassembly drones hung out. Flying for some time, I couldn't help admiring the majesty of the tower of corpses, and in the next instant, slipped into the only entrance to the tower. Without stopping, I flew to the pod and calmly entered, not even knocking. Their problem if they were doing some indecencies during my return.
Entering the main cabin, I saw… No one. Not a single living soul per cubic meter of this rescue pod, excluding myself, of course. I was about to turn around when… I noticed a very unusual element not fitting the pod. Two completely white naked human skeletons. It didn't take long to think to realize I was probably in the moment of the third episode.
Without a word, I turned and left the rescue pod, jumping out through the ceiling hatch. Already standing on the snow, I opened my wings and made a powerful flap, lifting off the ground and heading out of the tower. A minute later, I was flying in the clear sky, with an indifferent gaze surveying the ruins of once majestic buildings stretching for hundreds of kilometers. Some glass skyscrapers were destroyed to the foundation, leaving only a pile of reinforced concrete. Others were eternally connected by infinite cold, leaning on each other.
I never tire of admiring this world's beauty.
For the umpteenth time, I flew over the bunker. But this time, the sequence of actions was completely different. Without unnecessary preludes, I dove down, pushing apart the toxic air masses around me, approaching the bunker's roof. Toward the end, I slowed a bit when the lights of various gadgets and disco balls began blinding my sensors. Heading a bit right, then sharply veering back left, I managed to aim at one of the side windows of the assembly hall, and, curling up, I flew into the window at tremendous speed, turning it into shards not only of glass but some fragile metal.
Around my landing spot rose a cloud of dust, in the center of which stood I… Maybe J was right about aura farming? Seems I'm showing off too much… Nah, normal, I think it'll pass.
The dust began slowly settling, revealing the chaos at the prom. Why a puddle of oil near the stage? (I already know the answer) Why a knife stuck in the DJ panel? And much similar.
When the dust settled, I saw one of my nieces, the one with purple eyes. Now she and N were looking at me with complex expressions. I smiled.
"Uzi! How's the prom going?" I asked, smiling almost ear to ear. That's how uncles and aunts should behave, right? Not sure, honestly.
Uzi thought for a couple seconds, shuffled her foot a few times, and said:
"So far, it's pretty… weird… and scary." The last she whispered, but it was no problem for me to hear. Basically, not surprised, considering I sense the source of negativity behind me.
"And… CAREFUL!" The purple one shouted, signaling with her hands for me to run. What could be so dangerous that…
*shlick*
I felt… A foreign object in my head… My field of vision seemed split into two parts… One part saw N, the other saw Uzi… As if my sensors were separated by a silver partition…
Uzi's expression of horror, and the same expression of worry on my niece's and her boyfriend's faces said… I don't know what… But something clearly bad.
Sensing the object's shape with nanobots, I immediately determined it was an ordinary kitchen knife that Yeva usually used as a weapon.
Reaching behind my nape, under the shocked gazes of the pair, I grabbed the knife by its wooden handle and extracted it from my head with the same strange sound.
Turning around, I met eyes with the no less shocked Doll, who was the source of negativity. Under her frightened but sharp gaze, I shifted the knife from left hand to right, twirled it, and with a light swing, threw this knife toward the DJ panel.
A crash sounded, my knife broke the sound barrier, hit the panel, cleaving it in two, and continued its path to the wall, into which it then flew, causing a local earthquake, and remained in the already cracked wall.
I sighed.
"No need to kill your own uncle." I had to shake my head at her behavior. What is this? I'm her uncle, recognized by Yeva herself and Dima, as well as Khan, but she still doesn't want to accept me! Even with Uzi, it went smoother. But not with Doll… I'm even speaking her language!
"At least when he doesn't want it." And only now did the Absolute Solver she was aiming at me catch my eye. Looking at this picture for a couple more seconds, I uttered these words:
"You now look even more like Yeva." I narrowed my eyes and looked at the Absolute Solver. Even the code lines surrounding it didn't differ from Yeva's. Absolute memory rules!
"Don't you dare say my mother's name! You're not worthy!" Oh, great Deus Ex Machina, why did you put me to sort out emotional problems of teenage robots with superpowers that can wipe out planets?!
"As if I have a choice." I said calmly, and an instant later, I was next to the red-eyed one. Placing my fist on her head, I began moving it side to side, like elders do with juniors. I bet from the side, it looked insanely funny and cute.
At some point, Doll tried to affect me with the Absolute Solver, but judging by her expression, it rejected her idea. Possibly in a cruel way.
After some time, I let her go and led her closer to Uzi and N. Surveying the strange appearance of these two, I just shrugged. Big deal, I calmed someone who, at first glance, is impossible to calm.
"And now. Apologize to them." I turned to the still stunned Doll and pointed at the worker and disassembly drone standing before her. When the Russian came out of her reverie, she looked at those two, looked at me, opened her mouth to say something…
But…
She was interrupted by a rifle shot. With a mixed expression, I watched as the girl fell to the floor, as if in slow motion, with a hole in her head. At some point, my sanity couldn't take it; I imagined Yeva in Doll's place. That very old Yeva who helped me. Restored the backpack… Restored me…
My face changed sharply. The light, cheerful expression turned into burning fury directed at the shooter. Uzi and N probably felt the pressure emanating from me and stepped back a few paces to not accidentally get hit.
I slowly turned my head toward the shooter. You could hear every nanobot in my neck creaking from the energy passing through them. My eyes met "eyes" of V.
The disassembly drone, with a cross on her display and gun aimed at Doll, stood and smiled maniacally. Right until she noticed my gaze.
Don't forget my eyes can turn into dots. Now looking at V was not a worker drone. Looking at her was the monster I was meant to be when I first met that god. Who knew that to become a "monster," I'd have to bathe in research for 20 years!
And now, over all these years, my irritation reached such a level that it made it burst out and destroy everything here.
"V~…" I stretched her name, turning one word into a full threat. Bringing my right hand behind my back, I touched the sword's hilt, and under the frightened gaze of the drone, which quickly changed from cross to two eyes, pulled it from the scabbard and, running the molecular blade over the floor, left a notch in the metal.
"Didn't get enough last time, right?" I was already in front of her. V backed away from me in slow steps, fearing the consequences of my fury.
"I think… We need to go with your plan, Uzi. Don't want to deal with this useless piece of metal who twice killed people dear to me. She'll get punishment after implementation." My voice from threatening returned to normal, calm, and, so to say, relaxed. I knew for Doll, a head wound is no more than a scratch for a human.
"Wh-what plan?" Uzi asked, still afraid to move. I scared these kids badly with my fury. And if I hadn't held emotions and activated the Absolute Solver? Even my sister might not stop me here, not sure.
"You wanted answers to your questions from her. Answers can be found in her room. Take the key and go, I'll catch up." Bending down, I unclipped a small bracelet from the red-eyed one's wrist to then toss it to the purple-eyed one. A minute later, all three, including V, quickly retreated from the assembly hall.
"Now you, Doll. I'm extremely displeased with what you did to me, but I can't blame you. I myself nearly went mad from Yeva and Dima's death. Only, unlike you, I've already exacted my revenge. Good luck, niece." I said, and with a quick step, left the large room, heading toward one Russian family's apartment.
Catching up to the main characters and walking some more time, we finally arrived. Uzi used the key and quickly opened the door, letting us in.
V immediately hit the switch and turned on the light everywhere, revealing a huge number of corpses here. In pots, cabinets, on the floor… Not to mention the robo-cockroaches crawling on walls and moving from one corpse to another.
I was hit by memories again, only of my lab. At a certain point, the lab had roughly the same picture as here. Corpses—everywhere. Only later did I think to dump them in one pile so they wouldn't get in the way. But so… These memories… Yeah, after my upgrade, brains feel strange.
Two corpses from this huge number still caught my attention. They sat at the table, with two plates of batteries and oil as dishes before them. I immediately recognized them.
Yeva and Dima…
Being nearby, I ran my hand over the cheek of the previously serious red-eyed girl. Her face frozen in an expression of horror she felt in her last moments. Dima had the same. I reflected in their displays, like a final memory…
If I knew how it all works, I could resurrect them, right?.. Or not?.. I exhaled, no hope here; my knowledge is too little to implement what my persona planned.
I closed my eyes, running through everything I knew about tech. But no thought matched the situation. Even with the Absolute Solver and Cube, I can't do something. And I haven't figured out void work to use it for healing.
I was pulled from thoughts by a new source of negativity, so familiar to me. I opened my eyes and looked toward Doll, standing at the other end of the table with a mad look, using the Absolute Solver to extract the bullet V shot from her head.
Grabbing it with the Absolute Solver, she looked at my tired face and, shrugging, said:
"Just in time for dinner~." With those words, she aimed the Absolute Solver with the bullet at Uzi and fired the piece of lead at tremendous speed, parodying a pistol.
And then I just got lazy to watch. While Doll was surprised that Uzi caught the bullet with her Absolute Solver, I managed to go around the table. While they had mutual misunderstanding, I calculated how this conversation could end, and simply placed my hand on Doll's shoulder so she'd teleport me with her when leaving.
And so, in the moment when everyone wants to rush at the red-eyed one, she activates the teleport script and disappears, taking me with her. In the next second, we were already on the roof, while Doll still didn't suspect that someone had been holding a hand on her shoulder for quite some time.