by Pal, J
After observing the changes in the Menagerie, the team was excited to see how the Farm had developed. I was curious too but was more excited to check out the third floor and parted ways. It was a good thing I did. As soon as I exited the elevator, the Hub’s interface greeted me with possible free A-ranked upgrades. I brushed it aside to study the floor.
Water filled the space outside of the shielded area. The sunlamps’ light danced on the soil-covered floor. The emptiness sent chills down my spine. There was something ominous about it, and I didn’t like it one bit. The Hub’s Core reacted to my thoughts, throwing a screen up in front of my eyes.
The Farm and Menagerie request access to the aquatic level. In exchange for biomass, they’d like to populate the floor with vegetation and aquatic life. A running ecosystem will result in an efficient food source for all of the Hub’s inhabitants.
I accepted the offer without a thought. The meters displaying our biomass levels dipped considerably. If Anna had earned our trust, I intended to show her the floor once it was populated. I had no love for her brother, but she’d probably be pleased knowing that Blur—Kyle’s remains—were now immortalized in the floor. All life within it had started with a part of him.
Then I moved onto the free A-ranked upgrades. There were several options, but I knew what I wanted and selected it without hesitation.
Aquaguard: Plant- and biomass-based defenses can recover swiftly from ballistic attacks, but fire and energy assaults, in general, can cripple them. Aquaguard base defenses won’t just make your Hub resistant to the attacks but will enhance all plant-matter installations too. Combined with the Nurturing Field Generator’s effects, Aquaguard will upgrade all defensive measures by an entire rank.
If the Hub has access to the water-production facility, Aquaguard can stockpile surplus water and use it for short-term barrier defenses.
Aquaguard is brought to you by the Nomicronion Empire.
Hands off our hatchlings!
I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the description. It got my attention when I realized that the upgrade wasn’t System-created. Someone like me must have come up with the design and submitted it for inclusion with these niche Hub types. What had they gotten in return? Whenever someone bought such an upgrade, did the System grant them a few McGuffins in royalties? If such an option existed, my power was perfect for making a killing off the System.
My stomach was grumbling, so I decided to leave the Farm for later and went down to the ground floor for breakfast. It turns out the others had thought the same thing. The table was set, and David was helping the newcomers serve. Desperate for something hot in my stomach, I helped myself to sausages, hash browns, and baked beans. While eating, I filled the team in on the newest upgrade.
“I know we only have the Balloon Pods right now, but considering the direction we’ve been going, we might as well make our defenses plant-based,” I said, “which would make people like Arjan or anyone with energy weapons the biggest threat. Aquaguard should solve all of our problems.”
“You don’t have to sell us on it,” Caitlin remarked, spraying me with crumbs. “The plant matter defenses are a result of us investing in the Farm. Speaking of which, you might want to talk to your drones. Apparently, the Menagerie and Farm are halfway to A-rank with the new upgrades. These combined effects are bloody amazing.”
David nodded along with his sister’s statement. “I bet Aquaguard is going to buff all the plant-based defenses then? We should invest in the bramble wall you were telling us about.”
“I will as soon as I have more McGuffins—”
“Perhaps I can help with that,” Anna said, interrupting me. Caitlin had patted them down when they’d first arrived, but not very well. The teenager pulled a McGuffin out of her pocket. “Kyle is a part of this building now. I want to help you keep it secure.” She handed the glowing sphere to me. “Get whatever upgrade David is talking about.”
There was silence all around the table. Coming from a C-ranked individual, a single McGuffin had immense value. I was of half a mind to reject her offer. At the same time, considering the looming threats all around us, every McGuffin mattered now.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked. “We don’t know whether we want to let you stay here or not. Technically, you’re still our prisoner. You’re limited to the basement and the cafeteria. The ankylopus are on standby to rip you two to pieces if you step out of line.”
“I’m sure.” Anna’s bright blue eyes glared deep into mine. “This isn’t a bribe or a sign of goodwill. Some of your friends come across as good people, but you, Matt? I don’t like you. I don’t care what you think of me. This is for my brother.”
“What do you think?” I asked the group, taking them aside after lunch. “Do you think I should accept her offer?”
“No.” Kitty was the first to speak up after a minute’s silence. “There’s too much history here. I’m not sure we can ever trust her.”
“It’s not just that,” Liam said. He hadn’t joined us for breakfast, but I’d summoned him for the discussion’s sake. “The girl’s story just doesn’t line up. She’s much too reserved as well. I get the feeling there is a lot more going on in her head than she lets on.”
“Of course there is.” Jay sighed, shaking his head. “That little girl hasn’t just lost her brother, but everyone else in her life too. I’m not asking you to trust her, but accept the gift. It’s a sign of goodwill. We can work on nurturing the relationship from there.”
“I’m not sure about Anna,” I told them. “She’s hostile, and her attitude—”
“There’s nothing wrong with her attitude.” David interrupted me. “You’re extra biased because she said she doesn’t like you. Don’t you think so, Sis?”
Caitlin shook her head. “I’m abstaining from this decision. I don’t like either of them, but I say that about most people. Bloody hell, I’m not sure whether I like Matt and Liam yet, so expecting me to pass judgement on the new people is a bad idea.”
“She just comes across as dishonest,” I continued. “That’s all. On the other hand, Helena feels a lot more upfront. Did you see how surprised she appeared by Anna’s offer? It confirms that they’re not on the same page or working together.”
“I think she’s the one putting on an act,” Jay said. “Anna’s demeanor is acceptable. She’s young and vulnerable right now.”
“So you’re buying her shtick, ‘my brother is a part of the building’?” Liam asked. His tone wasn’t a particularly friendly one. “Helena hasn’t given up any bad vibes. I went down to chat with her this morning. She’s willing to cooperate with us. Once she’s settled in, I’d like to study her spine armor. If we can replicate it, we’ll be set.”
“Mate, you’re line of thinking is all wrong,” Caitlin told Liam. “First of all, have some compassion for the little girl. I know you have reason to doubt her, but Matt and Kitty aren’t as…” She paused, glaring at Liam, “they aren’t as heartless as you are. Studying the spine armor should be the last thing on your mind right now. There are more important things at stake.”
“Easy there,” I commented. “The last thing we need is for this to devolve into an argument. I’m happy to accept the gift but would prefer keeping Anna under surveillance for a while longer. We need to understand her power and her better before we give her access to the rest of the base.”
“Do it in stages then,” Jay said. “In a week or so give her free reign over this floor, then move her up to the residential area—”
“That won’t be necessary,” Anna called from the other end of the cafeteria, making all of us jump. Her ears glowed with purple light. She’d been listening to everything we’d said. “For the record, my power is called Imbuer. It lets me temporarily enhance a body part or object. Right now, it’s my ear, so I know what you think of me. Before I lost my bow and arrow, I’d imbue arrowheads, giving them penetrating or explosive power. It’s not the most powerful ability, but I like it because o
f its versatility.”
Anna hopped off her seat and walked towards me. Once she was a couple of meters away, she threw the McGuffin at me. Over the past month or so, my reflexes had sharpened considerably. I snatched the glowing sphere out of the air with my left hand.
“Take it. I don’t trust any of you yet, so I can’t expect any of you to bet on me.” She smiled at Jay and David. “Thank you for standing up for me though. It means a lot. I like your idea of staggered permissions. You don’t have to move me up to the residential area or whatever. I’m happy in the basement. Just don’t keep me locked down there. I’d love some kitchen access or anywhere I can work and stay busy. When I have nothing to do, I keep seeing Kyle’s face as he faded away.” Then she looked at Kitty and me. “I didn’t thank you. I’d like to think whatever you tried made his final moments comfortable. Kyle never dealt well with pain. That’s why he picked his power. It helped him avoid it. The burning must have been horrible to break him in the end.”
Anna’s voice quivered, and something in my chest hurt. I should’ve stayed stoic and not let my emotions show, but before I knew it, my body carried me to her. I knelt in front of the girl. No. After everything she had experienced since the end of the world, she was a young woman now.
“You don’t have to trust me or like me,” I told her. “I’m sorry about everything you’ve been through. Saying ‘it’s not your fault’ would be a gross simplification and placation, so I won’t. We were on opposite sides, but now we’re not. Give us some time to put the past behind us, alright?”
Anna nodded. Tears gathered in her eyes as I spoke.
“Would you like to come with me?” I asked. She nodded again. The others looked at me, questioningly. “Stay here.”
I led Anna into the elevator and we took it up to the third floor. She froze when the doors opened and didn’t follow me out. She just stood there, staring cautiously at the Hub’s Core and resin shielding. Drones from the Farm floor swam around in the water now. They didn’t wear any breathing apparatus. Gills had opened up on their necks and cheeks instead.
“This is what I used for your brother’s biomass,” I told her. “Well, the drones are still working on it. Before long, this floor, along with the one above and below it, will be part of a larger ecosystem. The aquatic level will have fish and water vegetables that’ll sustain us going forward.”
Anna stepped out of the elevator cautiously. She watched the little gray people swimming around and planting a variety of underwater plants.
“The upgrade is enhancing our Farm and Menagerie too. I’ll show you those eventually.”
“Thank you,” she said after spending several minutes taking it in. “Kyle would’ve loved this.”
I let Anna take a few minutes to admire the changes and opened the core’s interface. Thanks to the latest changes, the available plant-based defenses had grown by a rank but still required one McGuffin only. We had already decided on what to get, and I was happy to see that Aquaguard had further enhanced the option.
Spiny Naiad Vines: Brambles are only the beginning. Typically spiny naiads almost exclusively grow around underwater. Aquaguard gives the animated vines the ability to thrive on land and protects them from fire and other energy-based dangers.
Instead of reducing a Hub’s visual appeal like the brambles, spiny naiad vines add to its attractiveness. It still allows the Hub’s residents to sleep easy with the extra layer of defense. Due to their synergy with the Farm and biomass core, the vines will act as a home for all plant-based defenses and will help them spread and grow.
If any attacker gets within two meters of the brambles, the vines will attempt to grasp and entangle them.
As soon as I locked in my decision, little thickets of the plant blossomed from the soil around the shield and along the floor’s border. I couldn’t tell from the distance, but it looked like a good deal of it was growing into the exterior wall.
The interface showed upgrades for local plants and animals across the three floors. Due to our dwindling biomass stores, I decided against it. If we did get attacked and our defenses were damaged, biomass was essential for accelerating growth and repair.
After Anna had spent a quarter of an hour watching the swimming drones, I took her down to the basement using the lift. She couldn’t access its controls of course. The others looked at me questioningly when I rejoined them in the cafeteria. I put on my best reassuring smile and told them everything would be okay.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Richer
We got attacked by platyhawks again. There were two kings, a queen and a dozen elites in the sky above us, and we were shorthanded. After hearing Anna’s and Helena’s stories, we wanted to ensure there weren’t any at-risk people out and about. There could be other raiders or locals still fleeing Arjan’s crazed attacks. So, after breakfast, Kitty and Jay had gone out scouting. We weren’t worried though. It was our platyhawks that had attracted them, but now they were adolescents and close to full size. They flew close to our roof, far from the attacking force. If things got hairy, we could rely on them for support.
As soon as Liam alerted me of the attack, I released the Balloon Pods. A little over a day had passed since I’d gotten the Hub upgrade and half a dozen pods had sprouted and grown on the vines. They released all at once, filling the sky above us with explosive obstacles. The platyhawks would now need to retreat or get in close to attack us. They opted for the latter, but we weren’t worried.
Liam and I were the first to get on the roof. Much to my surprise, he had built a couple more drones. They were both as big as his base spider-bot body but bigger and bulkier.
“Armor,” he explained, merging with them. Two long, clawed legs sprouted from the drones’ underside, and biometal covered Liam’s dome. A pair of long barrels extended from his main body, and within seconds he was firing at our attackers. “New improved turret mode. It’ll only come in handy at long range, or if Kitty modifies Morpheus so I can latch onto him.”
“Let’s focus on what’s in front of us, boys,” Caitlin said, joining us. David was close behind her, but he wouldn’t be of much use in the fight. His cannon’s projectiles had shit range and were much too slow. Chances were he’d miss and ignite one of the Balloon Pods. “I’ve got four charged batteries, Matt. Tell me what to do.”
“The Mini-drone Launcher is pretty much useless against ariel foes,” I told her. “It’s intended to provide grenades or trap-setting drones. If you’re a decent marksman, there is no better weapon than the Void Rifle for this scenario.” I pointed at the circular hole just above the trigger. “That’s not for show. Hold a battery to it.”
Caitlin did as instructed. The weapon clicked, locking the faux McGuffin in place. The rifle hummed as the barrel extended and a second one grew from beneath it. A layer of frost rapidly covered both of them, but it abruptly cut off before reaching the battery and stock.
“The freezing plasma helps keep the weapon from overheating. Use it to nail your targets and slow them down, then hit them with the primary weapon. It’s slow-firing but powerful. Just make sure the shot won’t miss, and you don’t have any friends in the splash zone before pulling the trigger.”
We didn’t have any more time for explanation. The Balloon Pods deterred the elites but not the boss-ranked creatures. Liam started firing as soon as they got close. While fused with his new drones, his projectiles flew faster, leaving orange trails in the air. Unlike our last fight, the bosses didn’t just ignore his shots. They tried their best to avoid them. Even though the bullets didn’t penetrate their biometal and bone armor, I guessed the hot nails still hurt.
After learning my lesson last time, I knew better than to charge my new weapon all the way to rail gun. I kept it as a high-power Coil Gun. I tested it on the armored queen—the projectile didn’t punch through her, but it still pierced her armor. She shrieked so loud the closest Balloon Pod exploded. Much to my surprise, the burning spores didn’
t fall to the earth but floated in place, creating more obstacles. They’d burn out sooner or later, but for the time being I couldn’t be happier.
“Liam, can you lead her in a straight line?” I asked. “Shoot at her tail so she’s focused on avoiding you.”
“I know what you’re getting at, Matt,” he told me and did as asked.
“Caitlin, you’re up.”
David stood behind her as she fell into a crouch. He had his multitool and armor covered his arms, shoulders, and legs. The two platyhawk kings had gotten close now, and if they dove, he was ready to defend his sister. Caitlin had little trouble nailing the queen with a bolt of frigid plasma. The projectile hit her wings, and she shrieked again. She fell into a spiral, and the elites finally joined the fight. They dove, coming to her defense.
I showed Caitlin how to switch the weapon’s firing mode and excitedly watched as she squeezed the trigger. Fluid swelled around the second barrel’s muzzle. Purple, blue, and yellow lights rippled as the weapon powered up and then a black sphere surrounded by white wisps shot forward. Due to the charge-up time, the projectile flew over the queen’s head and exploded. Glowing plasma spread in a bright supernova before the explosion’s heart sucked it all back in. It wasn’t just the plasma that got caught in the implosion though, but the diving elites and a chunk of the queen’s back leg too.
“Holy shit!” Caitlin exclaimed. “That’s…”
“Potent.” David finished the sentence, watching the falling carnage with his eyes wide.
I hit the falling queen with a supercharged shot in the neck. Both kings above us roared as their friend’s head fell free of her body. We didn’t waste time celebrating, though, and switched our focus to the other two bosses.
