Resistance Network and an Invitation
Jackie walked back to her quarters. The corridor walls were slick with condensation, the water pressure outside the dome humming faintly against the reinforced Neosteel. Her ocular implant displayed overlays of outside temperatures moving further and further away from the dome in a wide spreading arc.
The door next to hers slid open and Lyra Teon smiled at her broadly.
"Tally just told me that you couldn't help yourself; you had to fix some leak or whatever. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the attention. I don't want this big bubble springing a leak while I am here."
Jackie smiled, ready to quip back, when Lyra's smile fell. Jackie narrowed her eyes and waited for her new friend to continue. BDJ's words brushed against her neural net as she waited.
"79.654% probability that Lyra Teon will invite the Operative to join the current Resistance. It is recommended that the Operative listen without human emotion. This is an opportunity."
Jackie was surprised, but she calmly waited, her expression never changing. Lyra's door opened wider as she invited Jackie in. They entered, and Jackie was struck by how dark it was. Her ocular implant adjusted to the low light and then illuminated a thin net of coding. The intricately layered net seemed dense, and before Jackie could ask, BDJ interjected.
"Data scrambling and code diversion nets in operation. Operative Lyra Teon does not wish to be overheard. It is recommended that the Operative also deploy her new scrambling array to ensure complete secrecy."
Jackie nodded imperceptibly as she sat down, her ocular implant whirling to life. A dense blue lattice appeared in her HUD and spread throughout the room.
Lyra's crystal ruby eyes turned to her, a slight smile on her face.
"Of course, you can see my blackout zone." Her eyes flickered to Jackie's ocular implant and back to her face. "We need privacy for this discussion."
Jackie cocked her head in interest, sat quietly, and waited. Lyra sighed as she sat down.
"I am with the Resistance, and they want to speak to you." She paused, gauging Jackie for a reaction. When Jackie did not react, the amorphous black substance to Lyra's right glowed red, matching the hacker's crystal ruby eyes, as Tally spoke aloud to the room and no one in general.
"It would seem young Jackie Cannon already knows of your connection to the Resistance."
Lyra frowned as Jackie smiled with a slight shrug, still she said nothing and indicated that Lyra should continue.
"I will admit. You started out as an assignment, Jackie, but the things that you have done, and how you saved me without thought toward the consequences…"
She paused again and looked down. Jackie waved her off.
"Calm down, Lyra. I consider you a friend, at the very least an ally. I understand the risks, but I can't stand still, waiting, hoping, or whatever. This world is moving forward, and it is not waiting nor standing still." She shrugged. "I am not afraid to meet with the Resistance. If I don't like what they say, and they strongly insist…"
Jackie shrugged again, her arm smoothly reshaping into her cannon.
"I am not afraid to protect myself."
Lyra looked to her cannon as it returned to the form of a regular cybernetic arm. Jackie stretched her cybernetic fingers as they finished forming. Her systems slightly humming, her eyes on Lyra.
BDJ spoke into Jackie's neural net. "There is an 89.33% chance that Lyra Teon is loyal to the Operative." Jackie nodded, allowing Lyra to see her do so but giving no explanation. They needed secrets between each other for their relationship to work. After a long moment, Lyra nodded and stood.
"We can do this now then. Come on. And don't worry, for now it is just a meet and greet. Nothing too hard-core, I think."
As they walked the corridors, Jackie's scrambler still active, they spoke through neural net comms, having decided on silence before leaving Lyra's quarters.
"I should explain," her voice came through as a layered digitized sound, "I'm… technically still a fugitive. Nexus is still interested in acquiring me. I work for the Resistance, and they trust me enough to have me assist from the field."
BDJ highlighted her status in soft green, confirming operational integrity without exposing vulnerabilities. "Lyra: operative integrity nominal. Known fugitive status verified. Probability of exposure during current mission: low."
Lyra continued. "If you ever decide to join them… just know, you'll be entering a whole new level of responsibility, and danger."
Jackie nodded slightly; this was something she had already accepted.
They came to the sewage reclamation area. The smell was nominal; in fact, there was no smell as huge air processing plants loudly recycled and cleaned the air.
They walked a long corridor, and just as they were about to enter the main reclamation hub, Lyra turned. They turned three times more, Jackie's ocular implant mapping her coordinates with her quarters as the starting point.
The corridors suddenly became different. They were brighter, a bit more pristine. The differences were probably subtle to most, but they were glaring to Jackie.
A panel slid open to their left, and Lyra spoke a code and then allowed her cybernetic link to connect to the sensor. An electronic voice spoke.
"Operative Lyra T. Access acknowledged. Second party unknown. Second party register with the system."
Jackie stepped forward without hesitation. Lyra shook her head. "Subaquilus One Director Alpha invited her."
There was a pause, and then the electronic voice sounded again.
"Information has been verified. Both parties have been granted access to the facility."
A jagged door slid open, its two halves disappearing into the wall. Inside was a hub of activity. Robotic units moved along the floor, walls, and ceilings at varying speeds. Cyborgs and full humans worked and moved throughout the space together. A tall blond woman with a cybernetic arm and leg on the opposite sides of her body briskly walked up to them.
"Come. The director is waiting."
As they walked forward quickly, Jackie's ocular implant quickly pinged on a familiar signature. Kieran.
BDJ spoke calmly, "There is a 98.7904\% chance that Operative Kieran is the initiator of this meeting."
'Agreed,' Jackie thought.
They went down several stairs and were led into a vast, round auditorium. A small, unassuming man stood and smiled as they entered.
"Young Lyra Teon. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you, but I have heard a lot about you. We will definitely need your, unique, services before you leave."
The entire time he spoke, his eyes never left Jackie's. A large silicon dome lowered over the auditorium as he calmly watched her, his smile remaining grand and dramatic.
When the dome clicked shut, he began talking.
"This silicon dome is double-paned, with intricate cybernetics woven between the panes. No one will be able to observe us. Please, Ms. Cannon, have a seat."
Jackie nodded and complied, and the Resistance leader of Subaquilus One discussed a possible avenue for her life.