Chapter 8 -- The Ever Gray

62 A.E. April 2, Forest - Evening

It felt easier to relax, as if some blockage in my mind had finally broken down. The sun was setting in the same direction as the road, and the atmosphere of it all reminded me of an old Earth movie. Cruising down the road, the horizon a blazing orange, the wind fluttering in my fur.

I leaned one arm on the window, raised my hand to the top of the steering wheel, and drew a deep breath as the dimming sun warmed my nose.

It was a nice evening.

Gray was sitting beside me, staring out at the passing forest with his head dipping out the window.

As I glanced at him, I could hear him sniffing at the air, huffing and puffing before looking back at me, as if bothered by something. I leaned my own nose into the airstream, drawing another deep breath as I focused on it. There didn't seem to be anything wrong--this planet was starting to smell more like home if anything.

More like home...

I blinked to myself, then gave it another good sniff.

It did smell more like home... Nanites... Spores...

'Athena,' I thought.

Her presence descended as if settling behind my chair, looming as she peered over me, 'I am here... How are you doing?'

'I'm surprisingly good. Gray is awake as well, and seems to be doing fine. How did things go back there?' I wondered.

'The problem was cleansed with an abundance of fire,' Athena remarked.

'Good,' I thought, 'That said, I can smell spores in the air.'

'The foul or good kind?' Athena asked, simply.

I drew another breath and felt that almost cozy feeling. One of remembrance, safety, and comfort.

'The good kind,' I thought.

'Good, and I'm not surprised... It took a while for the initial spores that were released to get a footing, but now they're spreading like wildfire across the planet,' Athena answered.

'Anything unexpected so far?' I wondered.

'None. Most of the spores are settling in the ground like fungi in waiting, while the more active ones are creating symbiotic relationships with trees and numerous critters. We've already started getting signals from the trees with the most integration,' Athena added.

'So, we'll be able to use this for monitoring?' I thought.

'In a variety of ways, yes... But it's not as if the trees are going to sprout eyes,' Athena answered.

Thankfully...

'Good to know,' I thought.

'So, how goes your experiment?' Athena wondered.

'Gray is sitting next to me and he's looking pleased. I'm still considering whether to offer him Hazel's uplift program... You wouldn't happen to have an opinion?' I wondered.

'I can offer a multitude in fact, ranging from rather utilitarian ones, to a cautionary tale that--no matter what you choose--you will one day have to face the death of this creature and the weight it's going to add to your shoulders,' Athena said.

It made my tail stiffen in unease, '... That is harsh, and you make it sound so certain.'

'While it is possible that Hazel's program is now stable, you still have to contend with all the other factors. Unexpected biological reactions, long-term sanity, and accidents... After all, they're not nanite-based life forms, but organic ones, at least for now,' Athena added.

I dipped my head, 'True.'

'I've taken a look at your itinerary. You'll be stopping at the next homestead, yes?' Athena wondered.

'That's right... If they'll allow it, I'll spend the night along with Gray,' I thought.

'I do have a request in that case,' Athena said.

'Go on?' I wondered.

'The homestead is large, and we're looking for temporary lodging wherever we can find it. Try to convince them to accept a couple of families, totaling 6-8 hybrids,' Athena said.

I tipped my head as I considered it, 'Is there a time frame? Because that will likely play a big part in this.'

'The area has access to all the fundamentals, is close to the Burrow, and has its own sawmill. Our hope is that they can help each other build more lodgings and eventually expand into a small settlement. So, as long as it takes?' Athena said.

'And what if they refuse?' I wondered.

'Then there is nothing we can do, but their resource allocation will also suffer as a result.'

I huffed to myself, 'Ah, we're applying that kind of pressure...'

'We did send out a notice asking for volunteers to take in new arrivals. This couple did not respond to the request. Normally we'd try to respect their wishes, but with everything stretched thin, we have little choice unless we intend to keep people in suspended animation,' Athena said.

'I understand the situation,' I thought.

'Thank you. No one stands to gain from bad relations with the initial settlers, so... do be gentle.'

It made me smirk a little, 'You know I will.'

'By the way, Ares would appreciate a call from you. It's not his style to reach out to people unless he has a reason, but I also noticed that he's been pinging your location rather often,' Athena added with something of a huff.

'Hmm, I'll find a reason to contact him,' I thought.

Her presence faded, and my focus rested on the road once more. Gray looked inside, stared at me for a moment, then started eyeing one of the ration packs on the floor.

"Not yet, you'll have to wait until we reach where we're going," I said.

Gray stared at me intently, his ears perked, and I could feel the intensive hum of his mind through the link with his implant. I couldn't understand it, but I imagined he was furiously trying to understand everything he could about the strange wolf that had now adopted him.

'Maddox,' I thought.

The doctor's presence flourished in the back of my mind, 'Yes?'

'Hazel had already created procedures for mapping and accessing the memories of a reptine. Can we do the same with Gray?'

'Well...' Maddox murmured as if pondering it, 'The short answer is yes. The implant is well integrated, and those areas of the brain have been mapped. Functionally though, it's not that simple. If you try to access the memories, scour through them one by one, then the reptine--Gray as you call him--will also experience those memories, and it will no doubt be both confusing and scary.'

'Alternatives?' I wondered.

'An unconscious state would allow memory access at a relatively high pace, but it still wouldn't allow for full memory extraction... Such things are slow and prone to damage if done haphazardly. That being said, I find myself wondering what the purpose is?' Maddox wondered.

'To better understand what he's thinking about,' I thought.

'In that case, you can raise the depth of the link between the two of you. It wouldn't be elegant like the link between hybrids, but it should still let you experience snippets of the imagery, sounds, smells, and stronger emotions experienced by Gray,' Maddox said.

'Teach me,' I thought.

62 A.E. April 2, Homestead - Evening

The sun had dipped below the horizon as we pulled up to the farmstead's parking lot. It was a simple dirt patch set beside a giant cargo truck with stacked planks. I opened the door, stepped out, and I could hear the distant whir of a working saw.

The forest had been cut down to create a giant, circular plain which was now covered with what looked like distorted vegetation covered in black tar. Small figures moved next to the fields but gave the actual vegetation a wide berth.

Some of them were coming this way, and I was guessing they were this farmstead's reptines.

As for the actual homestead...

I turned my head to look and saw what looked like a big house with one side dominated by a big tower that reminded me of an observatory. All of it was made out of wood painted in colors reminiscent of a gray castle.

Odd house...

In the back of my mind, I could feel a spike of emotion--apprehension, and sudden tension. It made me crouch as I peered into the buggy, and saw Gray stare toward the fields. I walked over to the buggy's rear, unmade the straps holding the coffee beans in place, and slung one of the bags over my shoulder.

Last stop before reaching the Burrow...

As I walked in front once more, stopping next to the passenger window, the first reptines from the farm approached. A trio from the front, a couple from the left, and another group approaching from behind, slinking out from behind the big house.

It made me perk my brow as I looked around at the surprisingly hostile formation.

A glance into the buggy revealed that Gray was staring at me, big ears folded back as if asking me what we were doing here. I reached in as I stroked the top of his fuzzy head, "Keep calm, and everything will be fine."

Gray blinked but did nothing, and in the distance I could hear the creak of a heavy door.

The approaching reptines froze in an instant, all of them staring at the house. I turned to look as well, seeing as a rather colorful tiger had stepped out of the house.

He appeared male, and his orange stripes blended with the hue cast by the dim light over the horizon. Marching forward, he waved with his hand toward the reptines and snapped, "Behave yourselves!"

The various reptines looked jolted in shock, then backed off, glancing between each other and the tiger alike.

"I can see they're obedient," I said as the tiger approached.

The tiger huffed as he looked at me, "Very, but I'm not sure why they were-". He slowed down, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Gray sitting within the buggy, "Oh, you've brought one of your own, and he's..."

I motioned to Gray, "Don't worry, he's not dying... His coloration is just a malfunction at the moment."

The tiger marched up, eyes focused on Gray as he crouched to look inside, "My... you're an interesting one, aren't you? No wonder the others were put on edge, and you're a scout," the tiger said, sniffing the air. Finally, he stood up and turned his attention to me once more, "I've got several questions for you right now..."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I nodded and patted the sack on my shoulder, "Likewise... How about you invite Gray and me into the house for a cup of coffee, and then we'll talk?"

The tiger smirked, causing his big fangs to poke out as he huffed and crossed his arms, "Well, all right then... You just made my evening a lot more interesting, and I have an inkling those beans are for me."

I nodded as the tiger stepped back, and then reached to open Gray's door. Gray watched in wonder as I patted my leg and spoke up, "Follow."

To my surprise, he hopped out of the buggy, moved out of the way as I shut the door, then joined my side as if it was perfectly normal. The other reptines stared daggers as we walked.

Half a minute later, we were stepping into the house. Gray sniffed loudly as he looked around in amazement, while the tiger motioned for us to follow, "Kitchen's this way."

I followed with Gray by my side, and as we walked, a lioness poked her head out from one of the nearby rooms. She had a tablet in her hand and smiled at me as she sniffed the air, "We weren't sure this last delivery would come true. I'm guessing you'll be-"

She stopped mid-sentence as she looked down, caught sight of Gray, and made a slight jump in surprise.

"His reptine's glitchy, dear," the tiger said out loud.

I nodded to her awkwardly, and the lioness watched with a curious eye as we walked past. She followed moments later and spoke up, "Is he one of the experimental uplifts from the Spire?"

It made me glance back as I stepped into the kitchen. "What made you guess that?"

She stepped up to the kitchen entrance and leaned onto it as she motioned with one hand. "We've encountered one already. That one walked upright, but..."

The tiger stepped up and eased the bag of beans off my shoulder. "I'll take that."

I motioned to Gray, "He got caught in the recent crossfire when a bunch of bugbears crossed the defensive perimeter. I'd prefer for someone to take him in, but if that's not possible, then..."

The lioness put her tablet down on the nearby counter, then crouched down in front of Gray. She smiled a little as she reached out and cupped his muzzle. "You've already tamed yourself, haven't you? Learned any words yet?"

Gray blinked, and his tail twitched a little. It looked weird, but the feeling being broadcast from his implant was one of relief and joy.

The lioness stood up moments later and extended her hand to me. "I'm Tess."

"Vilkas," I said and clasped her hand.

Tess smiled, then looked over at her mate, "Introduced yourself yet, dear?"

The big tiger huffed back as he was carefully pouring a heaping of beans into a smaller container, "Name's Archie. I'm guessing you're heading to the Burrow?"

I looked over at him. "That's right... Mind if Gray and I crash here for the night?"

Tess walked past me, stepped up to a refrigerator that looked clad in little more than sheet metal, and opened it up, "Not at all. Usually we don't let reptines stay in here, but I imagine yours won't fare well if we throw him out. That said, do shower before settling into your room."

"Sorry about the smell, I was exposed to something of an industrial accident on my way here," I whispered, ears folding back.

Tess made a simple, but understanding nod.

I looked to her in wonder, relaxing once more. "That said, what was that about Gray?"

Archie spoke up while grabbing a small scoop, "The pack that's guarding the homestead may have started out small, but it's more than a dozen by now. Keeping all of them in here is an impossibility..."

Tess followed up, "And if we let just a few stay in here, then the others get jealous."

Archie motioned to Gray, "As for Gray here, well... His gray hue indicates that he's sick, meaning the others would do their best to exile him."

Tess pulled out what looked like a plate of leftovers and motioned at me. "I assume his intestinal tract has been adapted?"

I nodded, "It has, at least according to Hazel's specs at the bio-research facility."

Tess stepped to Gray, then crouched as she held out her hand. "Paw."

To my surprise--once more, Gray lifted his scaly paw and put in her hand.

Tess smiled as she put the plate down, and looked to me. "I assume you didn't teach him that?"

"I did not," I said as Tess rose once more.

"Their genetic memory is nothing short of amazing. They don't have a clue what our words mean, but they instinctively understand the gesture. Which... also tells us something about their designers, the people who visited this planet a few thousand years ago."

I crossed my arms as Gray started munching along, "It is... difficult to get used to the idea."

Archie was grinding the beans by himself and spoke up as he glanced back, "If I were to guess, they most likely made a bad jump into the solar system, crash-landed on the planet, and promptly died while their pets and bioweapons were released."

Tess looked over and motioned with her hand, "Yet, orbital scans from the ring have revealed nothing to indicate a crash site."

Archie smirked back at her, "The planet is riddled with crevices, caverns, and what not from the earlier ring's collapse. If they crashed in one of those, buried deep underground, only made worse by millennia of erosion, then there's no way our sensors would detect it."

Tess drew a deep breath, as if horribly annoyed by it. She then sighed and looked over at me, "We've been here for almost forty years, and we were finally hoping to get some answers when Maxwell built the new ring and left it in our care. Of course, he didn't leave so much as a fucking clue regarding this planet's past."

I chuckled back, "... It does fit Maxwell's style."

Tess frowned back, "... It does."

Archie poured the now-ground beans in a coffee machine and stifled a chuckle, "You should have been here when they found one of the bunkers from the previous civilization."

I perked up in wonder, "I thought no one had found any trace of them..."

Tess gave me a tired glance, "Well, that depends on what you mean... If they were anything like us, then it isn't unreasonable to assume that they had structures above and below ground. The ring's collapse would have been powerful enough to make everything crumble above ground, and the earthquakes would have cracked even distant underground structures. That's not the biggest problem though."

"Hmm?" I murmured.

The coffee machine started puttering as Archie stepped up, "All underground structures have entrances, ventilation, piping, and so on... Over a span of hundreds of thousands of years, even the most resilient systems would give way, and when that happens..."

Tess followed up as she motioned with her hand, "Once moisture, shifting temperatures, and more get inside, the rate of decay increases exponentially. Some of those underground structures have been detected, but they'd been withered down to little more than trace elements in the ground... Then, about a year ago, they found the solid remains of a wall... a piece of a structure actually built on this planet, not a piece of slag from the ring's collapse."

Archie's voice lowered as he stepped over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair, "Folks were hoping they'd find something more interesting in the general area, but they didn't."

Tess clasped her hands, "So... have we found traces of their civilization? Technically, yes... But there's so little substance to it, that I just..." she said, frowning a little.

"I get it... and what are you doing in this place? I noticed the sawmill and the black vegetation."

Tess stepped up to the coffee machine and looked it over, "This area is close to the Burrow, and the ground is contaminated with enough rare earth metals that even hybrids would notice the taste of it."

"Ah, mineral leeching plants, in other words," I said.

Archie looked to me, "The leaves are excellent photovoltaics, and the roots burrow deep in the ground. The end result is something akin to bushes with berries made of metal. Only problem is..."

Tess fetched a trio of cups from the cupboard, "Someone needs to pick the damn things. Droids are in rare supply, hybrids refuse such monotonous work, and while the reptines are smart, their tails aren't exactly suited for picking the things."

"Surely there's some better solution than picking them by hand?" I wondered.

Archie perked his brow, "Sure... But our usage of nanite tech has been quite limited so far due to the dangers involved. Now that the AIs are here and the control towers are almost complete, we're hoping we'll be able to move onto the next step of automation and turn it into a gray goo field."

"Would it be safe to keep something like that in the open? Even with control towers?" I wondered.

"Well, we're going to need a fence of some sort, but there aren't a lot of birds around, so that's less of a concern," Archie said as Tess started pouring coffee.

I blinked in realization at what he just said, "... Right, I can't say I've heard any birds since coming here."

Tess grabbed a cup and held it out to me, "If you dig deep enough, you'll find plenty of remains, which makes it clear that this planet once had birds. The current theory is that--just like earth birds--many of them were quite sensitive to pollution. When the ring collapsed, it's likely that most avians were purged from the toxic fallout, leaving behind only the hardier insects and mammals."

I grabbed the cup and brought it to my nose, "And while it happened a long time ago, it's nowhere near enough for evolution to fill that niche anew."

Archie winked as he focused on Tess, "Maybe that's something to branch into. A new generation of birds, a piece of Earth adapted to this world..."

Tess seemed to consider it as she sipped her own cup, "This planet has been missing something."

Archie huffed, "That, and children... It'll be good to finally see young ones again."

Tess nursed the cup in her hand with a slow nod, "True Hybrids... I'd expected myself to feel relief at the idea of not having a human child, but now it feels as if we're treading in unknown territory."

"I wouldn't worry about it. They're just like us," I said.

Tess perked up as she focused on me, "You've met one?"

I made a slow nod, "Something like that. You could say they walk among us already."

"Hmm," Tess hummed, "Well, I guess it makes sense that Maxwell's trial runs were let loose among the rest of the new arrivals... Been here long, Vilkas?"

"Arrived in the solar system a few weeks ago," I said.

Archie brushed by Tess as he whispered at a volume where I could still hear, "Last one to leave Earth, apparently."

Tess said smacked Archie's hip, "It's rude to look up things like that."

Archie's tail twitched, "He could have told me, you know?"

"But I bet he didn't," She mused, and looked back at me.

I smiled back awkwardly.

"See?" Tess remarked, looking back at Archie.

Gray had finished his meal and was now sitting, his gaze wandering between us as he listened.

"You've got a pretty big house from the look outside," I said and motioned to the room.

Archie wandered back to the refrigerator as he spoke, "We used to live in Redgate back on Earth. The apartment wasn't cramped by any means, but..."

Tess continued, "Once we got a taste of the open, where you could dedicate an entire room to a single purpose... that was nice."

Archie followed up, "And, the kids will be able to have their own rooms, and more..."

I eased out a chair and eased myself down by the kitchen table, "The experience back at the Spire certainly left something to be desired."

"Oh?" Tess asked as she stepped closer.

I made something of a morose smile while motioning to her, "Nothing but concrete walls and a bit of piping. Droids busy assembling the corridor walls, people pouring into the city, the only food around being extruded protein paste..."

I'm sure no one will blame me if I exaggerate a little...

She seemed to freeze up a little as she looked down at me, "... I see."

I leaned back and rubbed my temple, "I figured that it was only a matter of time before people sought to spread out. So, I asked for any work that would give me a chance to travel, thus this adventure of installing Expert Systems along my way to the Burrow."

Archie observed me, a cup of coffee hovering by his lips, "Early bird gets the worm..."

Tess looked over at Archie, and the two exchanged glances, or had a private word over a link. It made me lower my own shield as I sipped the coffee, and tasted the warm--if rather bitter--brew.

I idly smacked my lips as I lowered the cup and perked up to look at Archie, "I'm guessing you've already made arrangements like some of the others down the road?"

Tess looked back to me, "Arrangements?"

I nodded, "Getting a say in who you'll take in until things stabilize."

Archie spoke up, "We did get a notice about it. We're still considering it."

I nursed the cup in my hand as I looked down for a moment, "Not answering directly might actually be a smart move. Putting some pressure on the system, making you seem reluctant, being able to sneak in a few requests that might otherwise not seem very reasonable."

Archie focused on me, "You seem quite interested in the topic."

I sipped the cup as I met his gaze, "Of course I am. Chronologically it's been weeks ago, but to me it feels like yesterday that Earth ended... Moon cracking apart while the surface rotted in a sea of purple. I'm trying to understand both sides, but you've got about 1,7 million refugees who have lost absolutely everything. We might consider ourselves enlightened, but that doesn't magically resolve all matters concerning material wealth."

"So..." Tess asked, still looking down at me.

I raised my hand and made a circle as if motioning to the surrounding lands, "You can take the proactive approach, influence where people will settle in the surrounding area, making a good deal for yourselves, or watch yourself get pushed into utter irrelevance as people come looking for an area with open space and proper infrastructure."

Tess had the kind of feline stone face that was quite similar to Mother's, but there were subtle hints if you knew where to look. That extra crease near her eye, the way she held her breath for a moment, the way a hint of her claws touched at the mug.

Deep thoughts, a hint of concern, perhaps even fear. A miscalculation, and a dawning realization.

Archie chuckled all of a sudden, "Are you vying to be one of our house guests when your job's done, Vilkas?"

I looked to Archie, "Not at all, but every little bit helps, and a few productive families combined with a couple that already knows the lay of the land will provide an exponential benefit in the long run."

Archie let out a sigh and looked to the window, "Wolves..."

Tess grew a sudden smirk as she inched closer, hands still clutching the cup, "The System asked you to give us a nudge, didn't it?"

I gave her a mischievous smirk, "Perhaps."

Tess eyed me carefully, "Well, we heard there were humans among you newcomers, and I don't mean the children of hybrids--they're quite welcome--I mean full-fledged human cultists."

Oh, is that what's scaring people?

"I doubt cultists would want to come here, but yes, a few hundred humans tagged along," I said.

Archie slurped his coffee, "We had enough of humans back on Earth, so coming here was a blessing... and even under the worst of circumstances, we thrive."

"We were all human once. With the right incentive, they could-"

Archie interrupted me as he focused on me, "If they haven't been convinced by now, then there's no convincing to be made, and they're going to be nothing but a burden wherever the System manages to dump them... I don't want to be harsh, but we're not going to be it."

I lowered the cup onto the table as I pondered it, "I don't think the System intended to dump a bunch of humans on you; no one would benefit from being forced to do that kind of thing. But if you feel strongly about it, then mark it as a requirement for your cooperation."

"Hmm," Tess murmured, "Do you think that would work?"

I nodded, "We're pragmatic, as said."

Tess smiled back, "Fine... your message has been delivered, quite effectively as well."

"No hard feelings, I hope?" I asked as I glanced up at her.

"None," Tess said as she sauntered toward the kitchen counter, "The evacuation of Earth was several years early, so it's only natural that the road will be bumpy for a while, thus it is our duty to take care of our own."

62 A.E. April 2, Homestead - Night

I glimpsed outside the guest room's window. It faced the rear of the homestead, and I was surprised to see a dim blue glow being emanated by the mineral extraction fields. It made for an eerie view, especially as the fields moved ever so subtly.

Further away, a string of lights stretched along the homestead's border, in turn illuminating parts of the tall forest. Even at night, I could see and hear a steady level of activity. Machines readied trees that had been cut down, stocked them into a big log cart, and carefully moved toward the distant sawmill.

It would have been annoying if they still fell trees this late at night. Fortunately, whatever management system that was at work here was intelligent enough to avoid that.

I glanced back, saw the sturdy bed in the corner, and noticed that Gray had already settled down next to it. Curled up in a canine-esque manner, tail acting like a makeshift pillow for his head.

As I watched, Maddox stirred within the back of my mind, 'Vilkas.'

'Yes?' I thought, and stepped over to the bed.

'I have finished my collaboration with Mada, and we have now adapted Hazel's uplift program to fit Gray's rather unique template. There are risks involved, and due to the environment we find ourselves in, we'll be relying on feedback from your neural pathways to help guide the process. That being said, we have high hopes for success.'

'Explain the feedback you mentioned?' I wondered, and eased myself down on the side of the bed.

'While the uplift program is quite adaptive, a neural net model is used to help guide the process. It is not that dissimilar from the template used to stabilize a human mind as it becomes a hybrid. Basically, when the uplift program encounters a situation that's too complex, it'll poll the model for what to do. Since we're nowhere near a lab with the proper equipment, and the tight latency requirements, your brain will be subconsciously polled instead.'

I reached down and idly stroked Gray's head, 'That part of the process feels familiar to me.'

'It should be. This is in part how the telepathic network works, how Expert Systems like me adapt to their host, and it is a fundamental part of how Volkov--your alternate personality--was created. One mind helps guide the creation of another, just like how society helps shape the mind of a child.'

'I understand,' I thought.

'Gray is going to need an update to his nanites before the process can start, and I suggest you let me operate on him while you sleep,' Maddox said.

'How will we get Gray's approval for this?' I wondered.

'We can seek his approval as dawn breaks. I will wake you, and you can observe the process through his dreams,' Maddox said.

'Very well, how do we proceed?' I thought.

'With your permission, I will render Gray unconscious, and the tendrils will interface once more. Once that's done, you can fall asleep, and I will make the necessary preparations,' Maddox said.

I nodded to myself, then leaned over as I lay down on the bed, 'Proceed.'

As I watched, Gray drew a deep breath, let loose a long-drawn sigh, and seemed to relax.

'Gray is now unconscious and you may interface with him,' Maddox said.

I willed my tendrils to move, and they slithered out along the edge of the bed. Within moments, they were curling along Gray and slipped inside with needle-like precision. I closed my eyes at the rather uneasy feeling of warmth along the tendrils, and the knowledge of where they were.

'Interface complete...' I thought.

'I'll take care of the rest,' Maddox thought, as his presence faded into the background once more.

I rested my head for a moment, feeling as Maddox now rummaged about in my subconscious. A steady flow of nanites in and out of Gray had started, and he was taking yet another step into becoming something... more.

It left me with a load of doubts, but it had distracted me from everything else.

Athena did ask me to give Ares a call...

With a deep breath, I let myself sink into the sea that divided reality from the virtual. It took a few moments, but I soon found myself drifting in what felt like a great void, devoid of form and sensation. I reached out with my mind, arching upwards toward the ring in orbit, and focused my attention on that of Ares.

Athena's presence felt 'blue', a cool breeze, gentle, yet sharp if needed. She was tied to the planet, as if emanating from the ground itself. Ares' presence was the opposite. Looming high in the sky, accompanied by a steady beat of drums, aged and weathered, but solid like rock. His presence flared within the ring's command center, and I could feel his focus fall on me as I reached out.

' Vilkas -' Old and firm, almost sounding like an accusation in tone.

'I could use a change of scenery. Do you have something in mind?' I wondered.

'I do,' Ares answered, 'Follow...'

I could feel him tug on me, pulling me toward a virtual world of some sort. It was easy to follow, and within moments I found myself feeling as if I possessed a body once more.

Upon opening my eyes, I found myself standing in front of a large command console. It sat on a platform overlooking a room shaped like the inside of a big globe. I turned around, saw that the platform was shaped like a round ring. Down below was a lot more consoles, and I began to suspect that this might have been the ring's command center. Rather oddly, I could also see what looked like numerous medical pods built into the walls, ones with hybrids floating inside of them.

A sudden voice caught my attention, and I looked to the side as something had changed. Along one of the consoles that had been empty moments ago, there was now a female raccoon hybrid, along with a male canine. The voice was familiar, and I recognized her as Emma, the same who had met me when I first stepped onto the ring.

She was sitting down, staring at the console and motioned with her hand, "- reactor 5 is still low, why?"

The canine looked to her, "The boron shipments finally arrived from the surface, but engineering is still working on filtering out the contaminants."

Emma sighed as she rubbed her temple, "It shouldn't be our job to clean it up, and they're still not taking this seriously enough."

A glowing sphere, deep crimson in hue, wandered into my view, and I looked to it.

The sphere spoke with Ares' deep voice, 'Do say hello the next time that you visit. Emma was quite eager to escape her duties, if just for a moment.'

I nodded as I looked out across the spacious room, and its mesmerizing display of glowing consoles, "So, this is the command center."

Emma and the canine faded into smoke as Ares idly drifted along, "It's just one floor of the command center, and in reality, it is quite busy. At present, I am located several floors below in the main computer core of the ring."

It made me huff as I motioned to the pods with hybrids inside of them, "And these?"

"Fiddling with consoles is slow, interfacing with them via a wireless link is faster, but direct physical connection is without a doubt the most efficient. Of course, not everyone's compatible, and it isn't without its downsides as well," Ares answered.

"I see. They're wired into the network itself... and how are things are looking up here?" I wondered.

Ares' sphere stopped moving and turned as if focusing on me, "Things are improving steadily. The others are too swamped to see it, but Sophos is hastily gearing up to dominate the planet below, and the solar system as a whole."

I made a slow nod, "And do we have plans beyond this solar system as well?"

"Hmm?" Ares murmured as he drifted up next to me.

"I mean, do we have any clue where Maxwell disappeared to? Whether there's any trace of the original inhabitants of this world in the vastness beyond?"

"We have no clue in regards to Maxwell, but something tells me we won't find him lingering in any neighboring solar system," Ares said as his avatar drifted out of reach, away from the command console.

"He did seem serious about leaving us to our own affairs," I said with a nod.

Ares came to a slow stop, "In regards to that, there is something you should consider."

"Yes?" I wondered.

Once more he floated closer and stopped in front of me, "The evacuation ship you and Athena were on was also the last to depart the solar system. However, the ship's data banks were wiped before entering this solar system. In other words, you... and you alone, bore witness to what happened in those final moments."

I blinked, "... Really?"

"Yes, and there are voices being raised regarding it. Technically, you were not on duty at the time, thus you can't be ordered to hand the information over. But if there was something of relevance, then it goes without saying that there is an expectation for you to share."

"And if I refuse?" I said, crossing my arms as I perked my brow.

Ares huffed, "Somehow I predict that you won't but are merely testing us, like we've tested you so often in the past. But to humor you... Nothing will happen, and no one will actively force you, but your relationship to the system as a whole will change. Where there is now trust, there will be doubt."

"Hmm," I murmured, "I have no problems sharing my memories of what I watched through the ship's display, but Maxwell and I had a personal talk. One I'm not as inclined to share."

Ares' sphere drifted out of reach, "This is not an interrogation. If you hold information that will be of use to Sophos, then you are expected to share it, and if you had a personal talk with Maxwell, then it is yours to keep, for as long as you need."

"And how would I share it?" I wondered.

"As usual..." Ares moved to the side, "think of your memories, package them, then send them my way. I'll make sure they get distributed without making waves."

I closed my eyes and thought back. The last moments on Earth, stepping onto the rocket, getting strapped in, the violent launch, blacking out. I kept Maxwell's little talk out of it and shared my view of the moon.

Once done, like a bundle of memories packed into a box, I sent it off towards Ares. As I opened my eyes once more, Ares was replaying said memories on what looked like a small floating screen.

Ares' sped through most of it, then slowed down to watch the moon's last moments. Its cracked surface lifted as portions were cast off. Glowing green and purple gargantuan tendrils reached out as Maxwell emerged.

Ares pulled back, his presence pulsating as if uncertain what to make of it. His avatar pulsated as the screen showed the moon's 'shell' was cast off, and that enormous squid-like entity emerged as if hatched from an egg.

"... Are you surprised?" I asked.

"The energy surges from the moon, the massive rise in temperature within its core. It was obvious that there was more to it than Moonbase Alpha. I would have been surprised, if I didn't already find myself inhabiting an orbital ring of vast proportions," Ares said.

"Mm," I murmured with a nod.

Ares' avatar drifted closer, "We shall make as little fuss about you as possible, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were to see this scene playing out on across every screen across in the near future."

"I understand," I said.

The screen disappeared from view, and something new took its place. A large map, with what looked like numerous stars, some of which were connected by lines.

"This is the local star map, and what one could consider jumpspace 'lanes' in some way," Ares said.

"In some way?" I asked.

"No jump is technically impossible; it's simply a matter of how much energy is needed. But-"

I interrupted, "Given the amount of energy which is needed, one can consider them practically impossible."

Ares' avatar bobbed, "Exactly, and these are the lanes that are most feasible to use... thus far."

"Anything of interest?" I wondered.

"Not as of yet, but our exploratory vessels have focused on mastering jumpspace travel itself, not exploring actual solar systems. After all, one needs to learn to walk before breaking into a sprint," Ares answered.

I nodded, "I understand, and now those vessels are busy with the evacuation ships," I said.

"We'll know a lot more about this solar system and the neighboring ones in a month or two."

"Oh, how so?" I wondered as Ares floated across the map.

"Hmm, you haven't been told about the array?" Ares asked as he stopped abruptly.

"I've heard it mentioned, but I'm still playing catch-up," I said.

Ares drifted closer to me, "You are aware of what eternite can do, yes?"

I nodded, "Store massive amounts of energy, jumpspace travel, scanning an object through direct measurement rather than shooting particles or photons and observing what bounces back..."

"Those are some of the primary uses, yes. When Maxwell built the ring, he also left behind a massive jumpspace core in orbit. At first, no one was sure what to do with it. It was too massive to be used within a ship, and there was no way to break it down into smaller pieces. Then, a year ago, several ideas were hatched for it."

"Hmm," I murmured and cocked my head, "... a massive scanner perhaps?"

"That was indeed one of the ideas for it. The other was to use it as a defensive weapon," Ares said.

"A weapon?" I wondered.

"Jumpspace travel leaves a very distinct signal on the scopes, and while travel itself is instantaneous, the charge leading up to it isn't. With a powerful enough core, one could lock onto the signal of an incoming jump, send a pulse the moment that the jump commences, and destroy whoever attempted to make the jump," Ares said.

"A way to protect the solar system, in other words... in case there's someone else out there," I said.

Ares hummed to himself as he floated over another command console, "The two projects were not compatible with one another, and they held a vote to decide which project to pursue. It was reasoned that an ability to map the solar system and others would be of more use in the long term. It also resolved something of a conundrum."

"Oh?" I asked, and followed as I walked along the circular platform.

"Let's say that you detect an incoming jump, an unknown extraterrestrial ship. What do you do? Let it jump into the system, or do you destroy it?" Ares mused.

It made me sigh, "Destroy it, and you might make a powerful enemy out of what could have been a friend. Let it through, and you defeat the purpose of said weapon."

Ares came to a slow stop, "I don't disagree with their assessment. To know thy enemy, or friend for that matter, is more important than a weapon with a very specific use case. That said, if one had both..."

I huffed, "If you had both, then you'd basically have an impregnable fortress... Given what little we know about this technology."

Ares bobbed as if nodding, "That's the second part of the argument. A weapon like that serves little use sitting idle, but a sensor grid like that... what they now call a Gravimetric Array, or simply... the 'Array', will be of use from day one."

The screen switched to show what looked like a construction site in space. It looked like a dodecahedron, and through the gaps, one could see the silvery surface of a massive jumpspace core. Large drones swarmed along the area, and several ships with open construction bays were guiding big metal plates.

"Construction will finish in a few weeks, and the first tests will commence afterwards," Ares said.

"Hmm," I said and clasped my hands, "... What's your opinion on the fact that we're following in the footsteps of an already fallen civilization?"

"At present, it's a useless question. Abandoning these technologies would cripple us, and the only way to figure out what happened--so that we can prevent it from repeating--is by making use of said technology," Ares said, simply.

Once more, I hummed and nodded in agreement, "Does the Defense Force still exist?"

"The Defense Force can only be dissolved by a full vote, and no such thing is possible at this point. Thus, it remains, and so does your duty... even if it will be a lot more flexible than you might have imagined," Ares said, and stifled what sounded like a humored chuckle.

"Flexible is one way to describe it... Anyway, it was pleasant to have a chat, and to see this place."

Ares floated closer to me, "Likewise, Vilkas... and I'm sure we'll be in touch once more."

I made a slow nod, "Goodnight, Ares."

62 A.E. April 3, Gray's Mind - Early Morning

It stirred my mind from within, tugging as it pulled me from sleep and I found myself in the void between worlds once more.

'It's time,' Maddox said.

I tried to tug the blanket over my head, only to realize there was nothing like it. My body was incorporeal, detached and drifting freely.

'Already?' I murmured.

'You've been asleep for seven hours,' Maddox answered, simply.

It made me groan, and I relented as the haze of sleep faded from my mind, 'I'm ready...'

'Then let's start. Follow...' Maddox said, as he tugged on me in a new direction.

I felt an instinctive urge to blink, an excuse so that I could be transferred somewhere new. I obliged it, felt a shudder, and opened my eyes to find myself in an alien--albeit increasingly typical--forest.

There was a rustle, and I looked to the side. Gray was walking along, wide snout to the ground, sniffing as his ears wiggled in search of something.

Maddox's presence perched itself on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, "He's looking for you, but he can't see or sense you in this place."

"He's dreaming?" I asked.

"Quite so... Look to the right," Maddox said.

I did as told, and to my right was an abrupt change to the forest. It looked like a massive doorway made of a glimmering, reddish metal, and a reflective material that showed a distorted mural. In the door's strange opening, was a view of a dark abyss.

As I looked at it, I could hear whispers, and even 'feel' them in some way. Voices, information, a steady trickle of what I could only describe as knowledge leaking out.

It made me tip my head in wonder as I watched it, feeling as it kept nudging my mind with a wide array of topics. Mathematics for a moment, words fed to me as if read from a glossary, and a flicker of images with scenes both alien and familiar.

I shut my eyes and looked away, "What is that?"

"Transcendence. It is the lure of knowledge combined with an uneasy pain to deter any who would approach it," Maddox said.

I opened my eyes once more and saw that Gray was staring at it. For a few moments, he looked enthralled, and then winced as he broke himself free from its influence. He shook his head, started walking, and began to circle the grand doorway.

Carefully, I followed in Gray's wake, "Let me guess, the idea is that if Gray's curiosity is great enough, he'll look past the uneasy feeling and approach, which counts as consent to be uplifted?"

"Yes... Simpler creatures can't understand it at all, and those without a 'drive' to overcome their base instincts will simply return to the forest," Maddox said.

Gray made another attempt as I watched. This time, he stared at the ground and walked toward the doorway. Everything looked fine for a few moments, but then his ears clamped to his head, and he shuddered as if overwhelmed by something.

"The closer he gets, the more information and discomfort alike will fill his senses," Maddox added.

Gray turned and loped back toward the forest in haste. Moments later, he had turned around, panting as he observed the doorway for a moment, then looked to the forest.

I walked up beside him, watching as he stared into the distance. There was a feeling as I watched him, sensations being fed back through our link. He was anxious, desperate as he looked around. I could feel the thump of his heart, and whatever counted as adrenaline in their physiology.

"... I find myself wondering whether he's actually curious about the doorway, or if he assumes that I am hiding in there," I said.

"Does it matter?" Maddox asked.

I drew a deep breath, and sighed, "It might be subtle, but one can argue it's not curiosity at all, just a deep instinct to rejoin his master's side, put in place by the ones who designed him."

"I suspect that if we spread your scent in the forest, then he would indeed abandon the doorway. At the very least, we're not using your scent to lure him toward the rift," Maddox said.

I looked back toward the doorway, and steeled myself as I ignored its mesmerizing effect, "One could also argue that if you are so eager to be by someone's side that you're willing to suffer, then you're also willing to face whatever hardships such a relationship would demand. In this case, to grasp the world in new ways."

Gray started moving once more. This time he faced the forest and waddled backwards, approaching the doorway in reverse. His tail was perked and swaying as if trying to feel the doorway's presence.

"Fascinating approach..." Maddox said as he made something of a surprising huff.

It made me perk my brow in amusement as Gray walked, head low, ass raised, with his ears clamped while wincing at the sensations bombarding his mind. For a moment, he stopped, shaking in his body as he squirmed while pressing his head against the floor.

Through the link, I could feel a glimmer of what he was experiencing. A roaring cacophony of senseless information, pressure like that of a migraine.

Gray shut his eyes, bared his teeth, and kept walking backwards. The fur on his tail stood on end as it brushed against the doorway, and he froze in place. Carefully, he turned around, and faced the dark void.

The pressure radiating from the doorway eased up, and Gray raised one paw to carefully touch at the starry void's surface. Ripples radiated outward as he made contact.

'I think that's as good an answer that you'll get,' Maddox said.

I drew a deep breath and clasped my hands, "I guess so... What happens next?"

Gray wasn't satisfied by mere touch, but resumed walking, stepping through the rippling surface as he disappeared from view.

"The uplift will begin, and he will remain unconscious for now... Needless to say, you'll have to carry him for a while," Maddox said, as the forest dissolved into nothingness.

I nodded, saw the world collapse around us, and felt the waking world beckon me once more.

62 A.E. April 3, Homestead - Morning

Gray was surprisingly unwieldy as I held him in my arms, and tried to navigate the room's exit. As I threw a glance down the hallway, I could see Archie stepping out from what I figured was the main bedroom. He approached, clad in little more than a pair of brown shorts, and motioned to the doorway I was standing in, "Need some help?"

His stripes had quite the flare as he approached, at least compared to the often subdued colours one would commonly find among canines.

"Sure," I said, and carefully guided Gray's front out the door.

"So... Uh," Archie murmured as he focused on Gray's unconscious body.

"A bit of surgery--he's recovering now," I said, and stepped into the hallway.

Archie grabbed Gray's long tail, and followed as I started walking, "Nano-surgery, I hope? Unless you've turned the room into an operating theater..."

"The former," I smirked, and looked back at him as we approached the stairs, "And I want to reach the Burrow before the sun sets, so I figured..."

Archie nodded. "As you wish, though... Tess and I had planned to make a proper breakfast to make up for yesterday's lack of a solid meal," Archie said as we descended the stairs.

"Enticing," I said and glimpsed back at him as I made a soft smirk. "Maybe I'll take advantage of it on the way back."

Archie grinned back at me, baring his sharp fangs with a soft chuckle, "Some would consider you impertinent."

"Some," I mused, as we leveled out and stepped up to the front door.

Archie eased the door open as another call came knocking in my mind. It felt like Athena's presence, and it soon perched on my shoulder, 'Busy?'

'Somewhat,' I thought as we stepped outside, 'but go on.'

'The homestead had a few stipulations, but have agreed to house a pair of families,' Athena said.

'Anything unusual?' I wondered.

'Not really. No wild humans. Part of the house will be off-limits, and the families must be willing to work on building their own housing. They even appended maps and a few suggestions regarding the layout...' Athena added.

It made me hum to myself while walking up to the buggy, 'Then the situation is resolved, one way or another.'

'That it is. I take it you'll reach the Burrow by the end of the day?' Athena wondered.

Archie opened the door, and I eased Gray inside, 'That's the idea, why?'

'There has been a development regarding the dead human outside the farmstead you visited earlier.'

'Go on?' I thought, and stepped back.

'A technician that's currently residing in the Burrow overheard the news and has admitted to being involved in the situation. If you think you'll be able to remain neutral in the matter, and agree to a live link with me, then I will allow you to play detective on-site,' Athena added.

I faced Archie and made a nodding smile to him, "Thank you for letting us stay for the night."

"It was our pleasure," Archie said, and tipped his head as he stepped back.

I circled the car and got inside as I returned my attention to Athena, 'I'm quite curious to find out the truth behind it all, but do I have the requisite knowledge to play detective as you put it?'

'You've done it before, haven't you?' Athena mused.

'Investigating cultists seemed more like an external matter. Now we're dealing with internal matter, crimes potentially committed by hybrids,' I thought.

'True, but I will be present to assist, and you are also free to make use of others... even a legalese Expert System if you want. Consider it a foray into one of the more muddled parts of Sophos' society,' Athena said.

I booted up the car, connected a utility tendril to the charging port, grabbed the steering wheel, and started backing out, 'Very well, and I'll do my best to read up on the justice system while driving.'

'Eyes on the road... and don't dig through the Archives regarding the incident, I want your mindset as neutral as possible,' Athena added.

'Understood,' I thought, then set my paw to the accelerator.

62 A.E. April 3, The Burrow - Afternoon

A mountain made of orbital scrap...

It had been distant at first, but the thought stuck with me as lush and green vegetation turned into an ashen-gray wasteland. Various outposts dotted the craggy environment as the road turned serpentine.

As the mountains loomed, I could see a vast bridge in the distance. It stretched across a large chasm, providing a grand view of a landscape which was difficult to define as natural.

It was difficult to avoid staring as I drove along the bridge, wondering what one might find among the cliffs. I knew what the others had said: that it was little more than the fused, withered remains of the previous ring, but still...

Another massive truck passed on the left side of the road--blocking my view. Its cargo were tall stacks of processed metals, some black like obsidian, others a shade of dull blue.

The disruption brought my attention back to the Burrow, and I looked in the distance beyond the bridge. Seated within the mountain, as if having grown from it, was a large gaping hole in the mountain, surrounded by walls that made it look like a fortress. Chimneys jutted out of the sloping mountain, and large winding cables gave the otherwise smooth surface a web-like, almost organic texture. High in the mountain one could see more construction along the snow-covered peaks.

Plumes of smoke were shooting up into the sky from the chimneys, giving the otherwise lifeless environment a rather sinister look.

Sure, there were patches here and there where enough soil had gathered for life to sprout, but as a whole, this was an inhospitable wound that had been left behind on the planet.

A sudden chime from the buggy's control panel caught my attention.

[500+ CPM - Elevated background radiation detected - Exercise caution around hotspots]

'Maddox,' I thought.

Maddox spoke, 'Reptines are tolerant to radiation around this level, and the nanites have further enhanced his resilience, thus there is no need to worry... Unless there's a lot more radiation inside the Burrow,' Maddox said.

'I guess we'll see about that,' I thought.

Minutes passed, and we neared the Burrow's looming walls. While subtle, there were turrets sitting on top of the towers that guarded the entrance. They weren't moving, but I had to wonder why they had seen fit to put them up.

'Gray is waking up,' Maddox whispered.

I slowed down as we passed the gates and entered the Burrow's courtyard, 'What should I expect?'

'Mild confusion, a distracted nature; nothing more than that at this point,' Maddox answered.

The Burrow had looked like an inhospitable fortress from the outside, and the courtyard didn't shift that impression. It was an industrial center, with massive loading bays, cranes, maintenance areas, and piled goods.

Large fuel tanks dotted the area and connected to the mountain complex with equal amounts of crisscrossing piping. Straight ahead was a massive opening into the mountain itself. At first glance it looked natural, but the material had an odd smoothness to it, as if the entire area had been doused in some kind of ceramic coating.

With no where else to go, I followed the road into the looming depths. For a while there was little more than yellowish industrial lights, and a steady stream of industrial equipment that included large droids, and a whole slew of earthworkers, bulldozers, and more...

Gray lifted his head as if in a daze and looked about in wonder as his eyes widened. I could feel a tug on my own consciousness as he grew tense.

"It's all right," I whispered, eyes on the road, and reached out a hand to stroke his head.

He remained in place, almost shrinking as he lowered his head. I could understand his worry as I huffed the air for a moment. It was metallic, almost sour, mixed with a warm industrial tone. The tunnel began to widen, and then ballooned in size as it opened up to reveal a massive cavern.

I expected a small mining colony, but was instead met by the view of tall glowing towers built along the cavern wall. It was a city, and a seemingly well-developed one.

Most of the industrial activity seemed focused on the lower floors, while the residential towers were built closer to a large gaping hole in the cavern's rear. As I watched, one could see people and droids walking about, while a plethora of drones flew through the area.

A couple of large signs made it clear that unless one wanted to end up at the main foundry, one ought to take a left turn. I followed it's instruction, and within a minute, I ended up by what looked like a massive parking lot.

Nearby were what looked trams, pillars that housed elevators, and a set of massive basins that were filled with some kind of sludge. I drove onto the parking lot, heading toward the area that seemed more pedestrian than industrial, then crept to a halt as I pulled into a parking space.

With a gentle sigh, and Gray spinning in circles as he looked about, I reached out with my mind, 'Athena, I've arrived in the Burrow.'

Her presence entered my mind once more, 'Surveillance is quite limited in the Burrow, but I've managed to locate you through one of the ceiling cameras... I've alerted the local resource management system to retrieve the remaining Expert Systems.'

'Good,' I thought and nodded to myself, 'I still need to deliver the last of the beans, but after that...'

'Yes, at a place called the Flywheel Cafe, yes?' Athena wondered.

I perked my brow, 'You knew?'

'It was trivial to connect the dots once I took a look at their resource manifest. That said, it would serve well as a place for you to conduct your interrogation. Shall I schedule the suspect to meet you there in an hour?' Athena asked.

'That'll work,' I thought.

'Good, I suggest you familiarize yourself with the area and pick up the tools you'll need. I've attached a map and location of the appropriate supply depot,' Athena wondered.

'Sounds like a plan... My grandfather, he's here, right?' I wondered.

'He is... You'll find his lab on the floor 32, above the main foundry. You can use the nearby elevators to access the cafe and lab alike,' Athena answered.

A sudden knock on the window made me jump, and I looked to the side. There was a canine, one that looked like an old English Sheepdog, with quite the mustache based on how he'd trimmed his fur.

'I'll let you deal with your visitor,' Athena mused as her presence faded.

I grabbed the door and eased it open, "Hi..."

The sheepdog smiled a little, "Need help? It wouldn't be the first time people get lost around here..."

Gray pushed up next to me, staring at the sheepdog in wonder as his nose wiggled. I stroked his cheek and eased him back as I focused on the sheepdog, "I could probably use an introduction to this place."

The sheepdog made a slow nod as he stepped back, and I pushed the door wide open. His gaze was locked on Gray as I stepped out, and he turned to me, "I don't see a control collar on your reptine."

"He's got an implant. He's being uplifted as we speak actually," I said and rose tall, while Gray hopped out moments later.

"It's always good to check. Wouldn't want him to get hurt by accident," the sheepdog said as his gaze followed Gray once more.

"There's a risk of that?" I wondered.

The sheepdog chuckled, "You had me confused for a moment, but based on that I can tell that you're new. No doubt that's why you've got a reptine already."

"Hmm?" I wondered as I stepped back to the wagon and slung one of the sacks over my shoulder.

He grabbed the second bag, gave it a quick sniff as he lifted it, and smirked at me, "Now I know where you're going as well..."

I chuckled back, "Do go on rather than yanking my tail, will you?"

The sheepdog stifled a chuckle, "Name's Drew, by the way..." then motioned toward a path that would take us on a raised path next to the basins, "A lot of reptines are desperate to be owned by someone, and with our bleeding hearts, it has turned out to be quite a problem over the decades."

Haven't seen many in the area though, does that mean...

I started walking while Gray followed in my wake. "Reptines are allowed in the Burrow, right?"

"They are," the sheepdog said with a glance, "But we've had to take drastic measures lately. They wander in, cause accidents, hide in the most awful of places... A few warning shots used to be enough to chase them off, but at some point they just stopped caring."

"Ah, and... hmm," I murmured.

Drew frowned in unease, "It's shoot on sight for wild ones while inside the Burrow. That solved the problem of random reptines wandering in, but just last week we found a whole pack of them clogging up one of the foundry's ventilation exhausts."

"... Clogging it up?"

Drew glanced at me, "Aye... The exhaust is more like a superheated radioactive plume. Not something any living being wants to get close to, thus why we shunt it into one of the old cave systems."

My eyes widened, "Doesn't sound like a safe solution."

"It's not meant to be. It was great for killing off the green horrors back in the day. I just didn't expect reptines to be this desperate. Anyway, ask your questions, I'll do my best to brief you along the way."

I nodded and looked to the side, where the giant green basins stretched out across the cavern, "Let's start simple then, what are these basins exactly?"

Drew huffed, "It's the miracle that saved Earth."

I looked back at Drew, brow perked in wonder.

Drew smirked back at me, "Sounds ridiculous now, but six centuries ago, it was quite true. Old tech, repurposed for our uses--one could even consider it a distant relative to the nanite plague which destroyed everything."

"Hmm," I said and looked back toward the basins, "Some kind of recycling system?"

Drew motioned to the cave, "Do you know what this mountain is actually made of?"

"The remnants of the ring," I said and gazed up, "very hardy from the looks of it."

"We're most likely standing in one of the biggest segments of the ring, molten and warped into slag as it fell to the ground. But this is no plain metal... it's a mountain made of durasteel, plasteel, and a bunch of lesser-known alloys along with a bunch of radioactive isotopes."

It made me blink to myself as I met his gaze, "Durasteel... and plasteel."

Drew nodded slowly, "I can see the realization dawning on you. Sophos has been using those materials for hundreds of years, and despite intense study, the humans never managed to figure out how to make said materials. We probably wouldn't have figured it out either, and it's now obvious that it was yet another technology gifted to us by Maxwell."

I gulped, "It's becoming increasingly clear that Maxwell knew about these aliens for a very long time and decided to give us their technologies."

"Or inherit them, perhaps?" Drew whispered as if pondering something, "Anyway... This cavern system is not something we carved out. It's more like the skeletal remains after a great many years of erosion that removed anything not as sturdy."

"Oh," I whispered, "and where is the actual mining pit?"

Drew pointed to the floor, "Below, in the lower levels. We find veins of high purity material, then use a combination of some rather nasty chemicals and high energy lasers..." He then pointed into the depths of the cave, "Once a piece is carved out, we hurl it into a massive kiln. Heat it up to around the same temperature as the surface of the sun, and let it settle into different layers which can then be extracted."

"Durasteel at the bottom, plasteel at the top," I said.

"Good to know they're still teaching kids the basics," Drew said and smirked.

I looked down at the smirking canine and the bemused wiggle of his mustache. It made me smirk for some reason, as if his idle teasing soothed my heart somehow. I drew a deep breath and let myself chuckle.

Drew resettled the big sack of beans on his shoulder as we walked, "Anyway, it's in the layer between the two that you find all the nasty stuff. Radioactives, heavy metals, so on... Which can, in turn, be ground to dust and fed into these basins you see here."

I took extra note of the big gap and the railings which shielded the basins, "Unpleasant stuff, in other words. But isn't it dangerous to keep in the open like this?"

"That's where the miracle part comes in. Nanites and fungi that thrive on radiation create a gelatinous soup so thick that you could almost walk on it. Over time, it processes and separates everything into neat clusters which we can filter easily. What comes out in the end is a variety of elements that are of great use to us," Drew said.

"Hmm," I murmured as we walked, "I did encounter a toxic swamp back on Earth, but it wasn't this sophisticated."

Drew nodded, "I'm not surprised. The only reason this worked back then was that the nanite plague wasn't as sophisticated. Only the hardiest of the hardy life forms could survive in the open back on Earth when I left, and from the sound of things, it got even worse."

I nodded, "And on this planet, there's no plague at all..."

Drew hummed as if happy, "As said... Old tech, made to be of use once again."

I nodded, "All that said, I did not expect the Burrow to be this well developed."

Drew made a dismissive wave with his hand, "Don't be too impressed. What you see up there is what there is; there's no depth to this city."

"True," I whispered, then glanced down between us and saw Gray staring back. Ears perked high, prancing along as his gaze wandered between the two, as if having listened intently.

I looked back to Drew, "So, how did the Burrow develop? Have you been here from the start?"

Drew smiled as he idly brushed his mustache and glanced back, "Aye, I have..."

"And why wasn't the Spire built here?" I wondered.

Drew glanced at me, "Maxwell's orders... That said, when we first arrived here, it was little more than one giant nest of green horrors. We bombed the hell out of them, spread the plague to kill them far and wide. Mind you, by that point, we were still setting up shop in the valley and hauling chunks of loose material into the mobile foundries."

"Is that... 40 years back?" I wondered.

Drew lifted his gaze for a moment, "... Around 55 years actually. Making plasteel and durasteel is difficult to say the least, so even small-scale scavenging was a major boon."

"Ah," I whispered, as we neared the end of the path lining the massive basins.

Drew looked in front, "Since then it has been a steady progression into the cavern system. Steadily driving the horrors out, setting up new furnaces, and building a home..."

"And all the material, it was shipped back to the Spire?" I wondered.

"At first. Now most of it goes up the elevator, into the ring, and then goes wherever it is needed the most. Shipyards, Stellar Foundry... and so on," Drew said.

We stepped up to the elevators and one opened automatically while Drew pointed upwards, "Most people stay on the upper levels, where the air is fresh and the radionuclide-laden dust won't settle as easily."

"Ah," I whispered, and followed as Drew stepped inside.

Gray followed, seemingly confused why we were stepping into a weird box. The doors closed moments later, and I looked down at him, "This box moves, but you can't see it. Don't let it scare you."

He stared back at me in wonder, then made a surprised jolt as the elevator accelerated. A moment later, he calmed down, ears wiggling in wonder.

"Do you always talk to your reptine like that?" Drew wondered.

I looked back at Drew, "Just like a newborn, they need to be exposed to language in order to learn, and he's being uplifted, so..."

"Right," Drew whispered as he observed Gray, "He does seem to be quite curious, but cautious."

Gray looked at us as if realizing we were talking about him. Moments later, the doors opened once more. Gray peered out, glanced side to side, then sauntered out onto a big glass-lined walkway that overlooked the cavern from above.

I followed in his wake, watching carefully as Gray peered out the glass at the ground far below. Through the link between us, I could feel a radiant hum of racing thoughts and what felt like a prompt understanding of how the elevator had worked as he looked up and down.

I motioned to him, "This way, Gray."

His ears perked once more, and to my surprise, he made something of a nod as he joined my side. I picked up pace as Drew resumed walking, and looked about. There was no vegetation to be found here, only buildings made of metal, concrete, plastic. Further ahead--in what looked like something of a plaza--there was a small building overshadowed by a giant flywheel, along with a neon orange sign carrying its name.

The Flywheel Cafe. Of course...

Drew marched toward the saucer-shaped bar, and I looked to the patrons, taking in the bar's crowd. Most were your average folks, but a trio stuck out.

A female human sitting by a round table near the edge with a laptop in hand. Further back, a pair that were distinctly different from what could be considered a norm among hybrids. Their features reminded of Gray: tall ears; reptilian hands, long and clearly prehensile tails.

Far from four-legged, they were seated along the bar. My nose confirmed their presence as we approached: one male, one female. One of them looked like an explosion of color and clothing: a scarf in bright purple, a fuzzy coat in extravagant red, silk gloves in glittering green, and fur that was bright yellow. I couldn't stop my ear from perking up as I listened, and heard her feminine voice.

Her attention seemed focused on the reptine next to her, an individual that stood in stark contrast. Tall and lanky, dressed in a simple black robe to match his fur. He stared down a tall glass, seemingly entranced by its contents. The woman smacked his wrist to get his attention and pointed to a nearby screen. I glanced at it, and saw a snippet from my memories--the moon splitting apart.

Guess that's all over the news now...

A sudden thump caught my attention, and I looked back to see that Drew had set the big sack down on the counter. A gray-furred wolf behind the bar, dressed in a simple t-shirt, glanced back at us and approached. While looming and looking serious, the fur on his forehead was distinctly textured, almost like a star-spangled web.

Drew motioned to me, "Yo, Jack. Delivery from this guy. He's new to the area, so..."

Jack stepped up and patted the coffee beans as his nose wiggled, "Huh, I wasn't sure this would come through." He then met eyes with me, "Thank you."

Drew stepped back, waving his hand as he did, while I set the second bag down next to the first with a nod, "Not a problem."

Jack waved in Drew's direction, then turned to me once more, "New to the area, huh? Need some help?"

I leaned onto the counter, and looked out across the bar once more, "Is there a private meeting room around here?"

Jack blinked as if confused for a moment, but motioned to one of the walkways to the right, "There are a few conference rooms across the bridge. I can't promise what state they'll be in though. When big deliveries arrive, we put it where it fits."

I made a slow nod, "Good enough, and the reptines over there?"

Jack leaned over the bar at the same time as Gray hopped up, putting his front legs up on the counter. It only took moments for him to notice the other reptines, at which point he merely stared in wonder.

"Caught your interest, huh?" Jack whispered, and leaned in, "They're uplifts from the Spire. Interesting pair, but the lady can be quite abrasive... you can find some of her art around here."

"Art?" I wondered.

Jack stepped back and motioned with his entire arm toward a segment of the bar's inner ring. Decorating the space between two segments of well-lit bottles was what looked like the mural from a story. It depicted what looked like a forest, ships in the sky, and a rising temple of which the forest creatures all faced.

A snippet of history? Recent events? Criticism?

I glanced at Jack, "What does it mean?"

Jack shrugged, "Dunno, never gotten a good answer either. We didn't ask for it, mind you."

"Meaning?" I wondered.

Jack whispered as he leaned in, "It's graffiti, but we don't mind as she's quite good at it. You can find a bunch of it scattered through the Burrow."

"Interesting," I whispered, "Last question, I need to get some tools from Utility Closet 34."

Jack raised his hand, "One floor up, down the big corridor--you'll find it there."

I nodded and eased myself back, "Thank you."

Jack's ears perked up, "... At least let me make you a fresh cup before you leave?"

I smiled back at him and motioned for Gray, "We'll be back shortly, I just need to fetch something."