Winter Harvest

by Dawn Chapman

  I’d lost everything. Xirob was gone. Hiroto. I wanted to curl up and die. Why hadn’t I died? I could do nothing but shiver even more.

  “Jai, our cover’s blown already. We can’t go in now. We’d be slaughtered in minutes.”

  “Fucking prick!” Jai glared at me. “You cost us this mission!”

  When he grabbed hold of my throat, I could only choke out my apologies, while trying not to panic more. It was the blonde who pulled him off me.

  “Sorry.” I looked to the floor. If I’d really blown it for them, I didn’t have anything I could say to defend myself against that.

  “Look up,” the blonde said to me. “We don’t know anything here. What I do know is we need to hole up for the night. Re-think things. Re-plan the mission.” The blonde was trying to help me feel better, but it really wasn’t working. “Get him warm. Maybe even get some healing potions in him. His health is dropping fast. I suggest we take this out of the cold into one of the cave systems where we can get a fire going and some food on the go. Okay?”

  The guy shook his head and rolled his eyes at her, but he nodded, and with another huff, turned away from me.

  I watched as he started to move off with the other three members of his party following him. The woman who had helped me dress gave me a little head nod. “You need to follow us. Keep up the pace, and do everything we say. Okay?”

  I tried to smile as I noticed some rain spots—no, not rain. I actually had no idea what the hell this was. It wasn’t something that I needed to know just yet. I swatted my arm. The rain had started to sting.

  “Shields up!” Jai shouted. He glared at me. “Your hood!”

  Seeing the others cover their heads and pull them around tight, I tugged on the hood behind my head, pulling it snugly over. The rain really started to pound on us. The acrid smell burned my nostrils, and I tried my best not to see what was happening to the jacket I’d put on. It almost seemed to be melting. No, not melting, but flashes of steam were rising from it.

  A flash appeared across my vision as I pushed back the hood trying to read it and still follow close to the others.

  MOLTEN RAIN. DAMAGE DETECTED. SHIELD HOLDING.

  Shield? I had a shield protecting me? Oh, something in the clothes?

  Nice!

  As I followed them now, my health had stopped falling. I pulled up my character sheet and started to digest a few things.

  Name - Kyle Ranz

  Species - Human/Denti

  Year of Death - 2629

  Class = Fighter/Sorcerer

  Age ??

  Level = 21

  Respawns = 2

  Memories = 94%

  Health = 77%

  Mana = 24

  Kenosi Activated

  Nanites x 0

  Body Type = Unknown

  Structural Integrity = Tungsten and Alumi

  Internal AI Chip = X Class

  Skin Strength = 19

  Blood Capacity = 24

  Healing Speed = 29

  Strength = 18

  Dexterity = 16

  Constitution = 23

  Intelligence = 34

  Wisdom = 18

  Charisma = 6

  Luck = 6

  Quick Points = 1

  Skills =

  Foot Soldier - Rank 15

  Battle Mage - Rank 17

  Merc - Rank 10

  Sniper - Rank 14

  Gun Smith - Rank 12

  Nanite Engineer - Rank 16

  Mech pilot - Rank 7

  Human/Machine Interface - Rank 19

  Shadow Awareness - Rank 12

  Shuttle Operator - Rank 12

  Deception - Rank 11

  Sword Play - Rank 12

  Vrolsh Coding Learned

  Mech Merge - Rank 10

  Animal Handling - Rank 2

  Special Traits Awarded x 4 – Any extras here do not show on your Stat Sheet Totals.

  Healer = Internal AI Chip X Class – Crystalline and Silver metal chip with integrated healer nanites led by Xe Aria.

  Intelligence = Internal prototype AI Chip, inserted on 17th birthday, with consciousness of Hiroto.

  Knowledge = direct from Xirob if he freely gives it. Extra skills and training available.

  Shade Brain – One in a million, you managed to not only keep your memories, but you can also hide them. Your character sheet is elusive to even the strongest of will. UPGRADED - No one can penetrate your Shade now!

  Spell - Active - Minor Healing = Requires BATTLE MAGE RANK of 2 and x 1 Mana per second.

  Spell - Active - Medium Healing = Requires BATTLE MAGE RANK of 7 and x 10 Mana per second.

  Spell - Active - Intensive Healing = Requires BATTLE MAGE RANK of 14 and x 100 Mana per second.

  Spell - Active - Lightning Fury – Cost: 10 mana per second – Damage increased by 30%

  I had zero nites. No Xe? No, Hiroto, no Xirob. My heart sank.

  Without Xe and the nites, it meant most of my internal stuff was fritzed, but the largest thing I could see was my respawns hadn’t gone up. So had I died or not? If not, where the hell were Hiroto and Xirob? And why question marks for my age? I was so confused. But I still had five stat points and one quick point that meant something. I pushed on and hoped I’d survive. Instinct told me to put all five into Constitution and then use my quick point. The sudden rush kept me upright as we walked. They were many levels above me, and I was struggling a lot to keep up.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I stumbled over a rock, and the woman came back to help me up and rush me on.

  “When it rains, they come quicker. This isn’t a good place for us to be outside.” She pointed ahead. “We’re going in there. It’s one of several cave systems we can shelter in and they won’t get access.”

  I moved my feet as quick as I could to follow them. I wanted to hide away from everything, but as I turned around I could see the shadows of creatures behind me. They were closing in. I wanted to run faster, but it was like I couldn’t. The gravity around me was too heavy, or I wasn’t as fit here as I was back at home.

  No, I knew what it was. This body was still growing. It couldn’t do anything. I remembered. Well, at least not that much. I was still level twenty-one, but with no nites and healing, I was affected a lot. This hurt.

  Now had to train and learn new things again. First I needed some nites. I wouldn’t be able to heal fast or do anything well without them. Maybe I could train with these people, who I seemed to be stuck with. I would certainly try my best; they were my only option.

  By the time we reached the cave system, I could see a light ahead. Jai and the others were inside and already well into setting up camp. That was good, right? It meant I would perhaps stand a chance and survive this?

  I sure hoped so. Whatever their mission, it was likely going to be important, right?

  I had so many questions. I wanted to see and learn what I could, but the look on this guy’s face told me he didn’t want me here. I actually felt really shy. Like the total noob in a new game that was supposed to be fun. This wasn’t fun, though, yet again. This was my new life.

  I swallowed and sucked in a breath.

  I can do this. I will.

  I moved to the campsite and started to offer my help. I knew it was a little too late, but Jai glanced at me and then smiled. He held out his hand. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have been so sharp. Jai.”

  I took hold of it and shook. “Kyle.”

  The others looked on over, and I tried my best to smile at them. “I’m way out of my depth here. Will you help?”

  The woman nodded. “We’ll get the food on and the place warming up, and then we’ll talk. Help with the meat and prep, and we’ll talk about where we are, then we can all listen to your story.”

  I wondered briefly if my story was actually worth listening to. Or more to the point, how much they would actually believe if I told them? I couldn’t trust anyone but myself anymore.

  DEPRESSION HAS SET IN – LET THIS BLIGHT
ER GET A HOLD, AND ALL IS LOST!

  I had lost everything. My home, my family, my friends. Why the fuck wouldn’t I be depressed?

  Then everything that had happened to me from there. Shit, this depression stuff was bad!

  I mentally focussed on the one good thing. I. Was. Not. Dead.

  Then I shrugged off the unwanted emotional shadow before it consumed me.

  DEPRESSION AVOIDED—FOR NOW!

  I looked to where one of the other guys was pulling out a large hog- type thing from a bag. It really did remind me of some of the games I’d played, where you could almost store anything.

  I moved to his side and waited for instructions.

  I’d never cut anything up before. I guess I’d learn something new.

  My fingers found the knife he gave me. I cut into the meat. I could smell it, and my stomach churned.

  When I leaned over to vomit in the corner of the room, I eventually heard them all laughing behind me.

  I wiped the drool from my mouth and turned back. “What?”

  Jai picked up the meat the other guy had been trying to get me to prep. “Can’t help it, can you, Rei?”

  Rei started laughing. “He’s pretty much a noob still. Gotta tease ‘em, what other fun do we get?”

  I had fallen for some kind of initiate something or other, I looked to the two girls, and they giggled too.

  “Oh, nice.” I started to laugh with them. “What is that shit then?” Jai pulled it from Rei’s hands and moved to the cave entrance.

  “Poisoned and tainted meat, to trap those that do want to hurt us.” He then looked like he was going to throw it outside.

  “Here.” Jai motioned for me to come and join him.

  I did so and looked out into the darkening grounds before us. It wasn’t raining anymore, but there was movement in the trees and bushes.

  Jai spoke clearly, “Follow these instructions. Interface - Sight - Night Sight - Select.”

  I did exactly as he said, bringing up my interface. INTERFACE – SIGHT – NIGHT SIGHT – SELECT.

  The voice that rang in my ear confirmed what I’d picked.

  NIGHT SIGHT = LEVEL 1 ACTIVATED.

  I could actually see in the dark. Well, I’m sure Jai could still see better than me, but I could see. I mean, really see. I was shocked and took a step back.

  “No.” Jai got hold of my hand. “You need to see them.”

  So I did. I looked out into the grounds, and I saw. Mechanical monsters? What the hell?

  “What can you tell me?” I asked, staring into his eyes and trying to gauge his character, anything that would help me here.

  There was something there I liked, and he nodded. “Come, I’ll talk now, answer your questions.”

  We moved back to the campfire, and I watched as the other four carried on with their prep: water, food, and some kind of mats to sleep on.

  “We are on a planet called KonoS. It’s actually a vast distance away from the planet you should have respawned on.”

  “Why? How am I here?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that one, only that we needed someone with tech experience, and they said they’d send someone in. When they dropped you, I already knew something was off. They never drop just before a swarm or at night.”

  “That’s your mission?”

  “We were supposed to get to the centre of the swarm before they noticed us and detonate in their main nest. Some of them might have noticed us, but when you fell, they all noticed us, and we had to abort.”

  “What are they? Robots?”

  “Kind of. They’re controlled by part of the offence, but they turned against us a few years ago. Rogue machines are the least of our problems, but the fact is they try to get into all the places we hide, and they can. They replicate quite quickly, and our only way of stopping them is to take out their replicator nests.”

  “Sounds awful.”

  “It has been. We didn’t know much about them or how to defeat them, but we learned the hard way. By dying.”

  I looked into his eyes, saw the pain. “It hurts, right?”

  “You have no idea.” He looked away. “But you will.”

  “Kill me now. Are we close enough I can respawn back in Sakron? I’m going to slow you down a lot, right?”

  “Maybe,” the blonde came over and handed me a bowl of soup. “Eat. You’ll need your strength.”

  I took it and started to eat, and I immediately began to feel warmed. “What is it?”

  “It’s a good mix of things you’ll need here, nanites and some tech boosters.”

  Nanites again. Even though I needed them. I didn’t want them in me.

  Hiroto had purged them all from me because we thought they were compromised, but I also knew my stats and my system weren’t up to scratch without them. I’d have to lock them out, right away. Reprogram them from the ground up. I didn’t know how long that would take me, but I would try, if I needed to.

  Pulling up my interface once more while I ate and listened to them, I got to work on programming what they had given me. I stopped, then quickly reprogrammed them. They were much easier than the ones I’d had previously. That was at least some saving grace. I missed Hiroto in here, though.

  “Why are you smiling?” the blonde woman asked.

  “I just hadn’t expected all of this.”

  “Naylar,” she said, and pointing over her shoulder at the other woman, said, “That’s my mom.”

  The older of the two laughed. “I’m Denn, and I’m not old enough to be your mother, you cheeky little—”

  The two of them smiled and then kissed? What? This was quite a strange group.

  Jai slapped me up the side of the head. “You’ll get used to them and us. You might be stuck with us for a while.”

  “A while? Why?”

  “We’re here for the next month at least. This mission was a big one, and this planet needs cleansing.”

  Oh, that really didn’t sound so nice. “How many places or nests do you have to hit?”

  “Seven,” Rei said sitting next to me.

  “Is it possible?”

  Jai shrugged. “We needed a techie. Honestly, I don’t know if it is possible now.” He looked to the girls.

  “I know tech,” I said.

  All eyes were on me then.

  “What? Why the hell didn’t you say?” Jai asked.

  “I don’t know anything about your tech.”

  “That shouldn’t mean you don’t need to open your mouth,” Naylar said.

  “What systems are you used to? What level? How long have you worked with it?” came all the questions from Denn.

  “Hey,” Rei said. “Give him a little space. He’s not used to any of this—you can see that.”

  Jai backed off, but the girls both came and sat in front of us. The other guy who hadn’t spoken also sat closer.

  I felt a little—no, a lot—uncomfortable here, like I was on trial right away.

  “Okay, here’s my info.” I sucked in a breath, took a sip from the cup with cool fluids, and answered. “My name is Kyle Ranz. I’m eighteen” I said. “I should have been attending Fremtel’s Tech Vault with the next year, and I’ve been studying Magtech since I was fourteen. Currently, I was a level thirty-two straight-A student.”

  “You were level thirty-two? What the fuck?” Jai threw his cup at the fire. I was surprised they even knew what it was, away from Earth for so long.

  His terse words shocked me, but I just swallowed. “Have I done something wrong?”

  Naylar patted me on the knee. “You’ve done nothing wrong at all, that’s the point.”

  “Do you know your exam results?” Rei asked.

  I shook my head. “I have no idea. I was just told I’d failed.”

  “No way you failed if you were level thirty-two, straight-A,” Rei said, and his eyes met Jai’s.

  I knew it now. I’d not known it then. I sucked in a breath. All the emotions I’d felt then and had felt leading up
to my death. But I couldn’t tell them the truth yet. I had been trusting far too many people to my own detriment.

  Naylar took my hand in hers. “I’m sorry, honey. Yeah, it seems that way?”

  “What’s so important here that I could help with? I’m just a kid, right?”

  “No, you’re not just a kid, your level’s higher than any techie we have out here.”

  “What?” None of this made sense. How could I be higher in qualifications than anyone who had trained and learned here? They were way ahead of me, they were—

  “Naylar, the mission’s going to change. You know that.”

  Jai seemed to flick his hand into the air, and I tried my best to remember what he was doing. Then I got a ping, and an invite flashed up across my vision.

  TRIX PARTY INVITE ACCEPT

  Y/N.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  My finger hovered over the invite.

  “I’m not sure what you’ll be able to figure out,” Jai said. “What you need, or what you’ll need from us, but I’m going to send over all the details and let you work out what you and we as a team need to do.”

  “You’re giving him access to everything?” Rei asked, a slight bit of concern spread over his face.

  “Yep, there’s no way this is a coincidence. He may be a newb—”

  “Hey, I’m not that new. Please!” I said, feeling exasperated.

  “Well, you’re a novice compared to us. We’re still going to have a hell of a time getting him up to our levels. But we need him. He needs to be pushed up the ranks as quickly as possible.”

  “I agree,” Naylar said. “We’re going to need him, before the next update.”

  “How long till that?”

  “About seventeen hours. We should have cleared out that base by then, but I think we should bypass that and get some more basics knowledge into him.”

  “This is totally overwhelming me.” I sighed, wishing Hiroto was here. “But you know this, right?”

  “Yeah. I know.” Naylar shot me a glare.