Chapter 620: Interlude

Vuxten paused for a moment, resting one hand on his armor, which was open and waiting for him to step into the pedals so could lock around him. The thick warsteel seemed to vibrate under his hand, was warm to the touch, and soothed his anxiety. He looked down at 471, who waved a bladearm and emitted a smiley-face emoji between his antenna.

"I can't believe this," he said softly.

471 put up an emoji of a shrug.

"We should go out there," Vuxten said.

He didn't move.

471 moved over and picked up the MRE plastic wrapper that had strategic holes cut in it and put it on. He picked up a hat made of a bottle cap and a string, then looked at Vuxten, putting up an emoji of a curious face.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Vuxten said. He stepped forward, pushing through the overlapping flaps at the entrance of the tent.

Outside there was a large bonfire with a hexagon of fallen logs around it, none of the logs more than five feet from the fire. All of them had the bark worn off from numerous beings sitting on them. In between two logs was a large upright freezer that sported an open door and contained fresh fruit being refrigerated. The bonfire was burning merrily, despite the fact that it was only just starting to dim into dusk and a couple people that Vuxten only knew by introduction were sitting on the packed dirt by the fire. They were holding thin sticks in their hands and roasting marshmallows while snacking on the fruit pulled out of the fridge unit. Beside all of them sat open bottles of narcobrew.

To the right was a hologram projection system that had been set up so that the people in the field could look over the data they had to plan an operation that Vuxten wasn't quite clear on.

Vuxten's eyes were automatically drawn to where a figure of swirling code sat, listening to a Neko-Marine babble on in her native Engrish-Emoji, nodding and speaking back to her in the same language.

Vuxten blinked slowly, squeezing his eyes shut, and swallowed.

The Digital Omnimessiah was blue and gold swirling code, except for where silver code marred his 'body' here and there. The silver code was Telkan runes and the idea that his people were the ones who had healed the Digital Omnimessiah's wounds made his hands shake.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to see Casey looking down at him with his one eye, the other eye covered with a plain black eye patch.

"You all right, sir?" Casey asked.

Vuxten shook his head. "I think we're past rank here, Casey," the Telkan said. He looked over at the holographic workspace then up at Casey. "You all right that Trucker's here?"

Casey nodded. "I'm a professional, Vux. The sheer scope of what we're doing would have me recommending we somehow recruit Trucker even if he still had Peel's blood splattered on his face."

"My what for who?" Peel asked, stepped up and putting her arm around Casey's waist. "What are you two plotting?"

Casey put his arm around Peel and pulled her close. "Trying to figure out who invented liquid soap and why."

Peel smiled. "That joke is almost as old as you."

"Wow, thanks," Casey said, smiling. He looked back down at Vuxten. "You process much from the initial briefing?"

Vuxten nodded. "Not sure why they need me so bad. I mean, look at who they already have," Vuxten said, making a sweeping motion with one arm to encompass the entire camp. "They've got most of the Biological Apostles, all of whom are Immortals. They've got Trucker, you, a Neko-Marine. What do they need me for?"

Casey shrugged. "Bellona said they need you, Menhit the Singer said they need you, so here you are."

"I can't see how you're so accepting of all this," Vuxten said. He nodded toward a large female Hesstlan who was eating a piece of fruit and petting a white animal Vuxten had learned was a 'goat'. "Even she seems to be more at ease with all of this than me."

Peel let go of Casey to move around and take on of Vuxten's hands. "This is hard for you. You're surrounded by legends. The last few months you've mentioned repeatedly that you were just a janitor before all of this began."

Vuxten nodded.

Peel crouched down, then sat on the dirt. She picked up a handful and slowly poured it back onto the ground. "Do you know who Legion was at first?"

"Vat-Grown Luke, right?" Vuxten said.

"Before even that," Peel said. She smiled as Casey sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her, shifting forward so he was snuggled up behind her.

Vuxten shook his head.

"He was a short life menial labor clone with no long term memory of his own. He was a slave, owned by a wealthy family. Unintelligent, incapable of self-determination, not even really with a sense of self," Peel said. "He survived the Great Glassing and the Digital Omnimessiah and Daxin found him tending to gardens on the estate of the wealthy people who had purchased him, still working, still following the commands imprinted on his brain."

Vuxten looked over at the slim, androgynous Terran male with brown skin and a bald head, who was leaning forward and listening to Lady Keena talk inside the holographic work space. "Really?"

"Yes," Peel said. "Do you know what Daxin was before the Digital Omnimessiah found him?"

Vuxten shook his head.

"An escaped prisoner accused of war crimes by the very military that ordered him to commit those actions," Peel said. "This is all stuff most of us learn watching movies or hearing the old tales."

"Green Thomas, who isn't here, was a Venusian Biome Organism, well, specifically he was an Organism Repair and Creation Specialist," Casey said. "Again, vat grown and biologically programmed for tasks."

"Okay," Vuxten said, looking up at Casey. "So?"

Casey patted Vuxten's shoulder. "It means that it doesn't matter that you were a janitor only a few years ago. He sees more than you think."

Peel stood up. "Come on, let's go sit down with some of the others," she said. She pointed at where two men sat slightly apart. Both looked tired in some undefined way.

The trio walked up, Casey swerving to the side to grab narcobrew bottles and a bunch of bananas, and stopped in front of the two men.

"Mind if we sit down?" Peel asked.

"Go ahead," one said, his voice sounding exhausted.

The other just stared at the fire with haunted eyes.

"Peel," the woman said. She pointed at Casey, who sat down next to her. "Casey," she pointed at Vuxten. "Vuxten."

"Harry," the man said. He pointed at the other one. "Peter, formerly known as Marco."

Marco just nodded.

"So what brings you here?" Peel asked.

Harry sighed. "I was one of the first two people to walk the SUDS in eight thousand years. Legion hired me as a particle physicist and Sam-UL had me accompany him through a mat-trans to the SUDS, where we released her by accident," he pointed at where Dee was standing in the holospace staring at something that was showing data so fast it was an unintelligible flashing light.

"I managed to get the SUDS to talk to me from outside and accidentally reset the system," Marco/Peter said. "It hard reset all of humanity. Killed everyone with a SUDS device or datalink."

Harry shook his head. "It wasn't just you. It was me and Sam too."

"And the Atrekna archeo-reversion attack," Peel said. She shrugged. "Enough guilt to go around for everyone."

"Why did he collect you?" Harry asked. He accepted the narcobrew that Casey held out. "Thanks."

"No problem," Casey said. He held out the other to Peter, who just took it and nodded. "Us?" he asked.

Peter and Harry both nodded.

"They brought me to wreck shit up. Guess they figured Daxin 'The Walking War Crime' Freeborn wasn't enough," Casey said with a grin.

"Stop that," Peel laughed, shoving Casey's shoulder. "Casey's a Novastar pilot. The last one in the universe. They need him for some reason."

Peter looked up. "Novastar was made with a warsteel variant, wasn't it?"

Casey nodded. "Yeah. Designed specifically for the program."

"High phasic retention and protection, correct?" Peter asked,

Casey nodded again, taking a swig off of his beer but not taking his eye off of Peter.

"From what a quick recon showed, Sam-UL has flooded the entire SUDS area with phasic shades and Enraged," Peter said. He stared at the dirt for a moment. "Your suit would be proof against the phasic shades in addition to the firepower you could put out."

Casey nodded slowly. "I've got... experience at fighting phasic shades."

"What about you?" Peter asked, looking at Peel for a moment then looking back at the dirt when she began to speak.

"I'm military intelligence, I've been handling operator control and guidance for over a century. I'm here to relay orders and keep the strike teams updated," she said.

"And you, my furry friend?" Peter asked Vuxten.

"I don't know," Vuxten admitted.

Peel looked at him for a moment. "He's Enraged. The only one of his species that is Enraged."

Vuxten felt his eartips heat up. "I don't know why they need me."

"I did not know why I was chosen either," the bunny girl said from behind them. She sat down. "My eyes have not been graced with why I have been asked to answer a call by the Digital Omnimessiah himself."

Peter stared at her for a moment. "Menhit believes you will be important."

The girl, Vuxten was pretty sure she was barely an adult Hesstlan, just shrugged. "It will be what it will be," she said. She took a drink of the can in her hand, which Vuxten recognized as a Liquid Hate, one of the more popular drinks in the Telkan Marine Corps.

"You're not worried?" Harry asked.

"It is not death I fear, but living," the girl admitted, shrugging. "In death my pain will end and my family's sorrow at what I have become will eventually pass into fond recollection."

"I thought you were only a teenager," Harry said, frowning. "You sound a lot older than I would have guessed."

"I know," She shrugged. "Innocence and childhood are among war's casualties," she looked at her hands for a moment. "Before I entered the convent I feared the blood would never wash from my hands. It felt as if my soul had been reduced to bitter ash."

"Rough time?" Casey asked, his voice neutral.

"Many have it rough," the girl said. She looked at Peel. "My name is Dambree."

"Peel," the Terran woman said. She made introductions again.

"She is Joan," Dambree said, pointing at the Neko-Marine, who had just walked into the holospace. "The Dying Joan, struck down on Perseus-Eight during the Glassing War. Her wound is mortal but her heart, her conviction and her faith, is stronger than death."

"You can understand her?" Harry asked.

Dambree nodded. "She speaks clearly if one just listens."

Vuxten glanced at Casey who mouthed "Ooookaaay."

The Detainee stepped out of the holospace. "Peel! Can you come here? Trucker and Daxin want your opinion."

"Be right there," Peel said, standing up. She lightly tapped the top of Casey's head. "Don't do anything I would do."

"I won't," he smiled. He watched her walk away.

"Do you know what you have to do?" Vuxten asked Dambree. He felt close to the Hesstlan woman, felt a kinship for her even though he had only seen her a few days ago.

She shrugged. "Whatever it is, when the time comes, I'll do my best to perform whatever duty has befallen me," she stared at the fire. "Before the Slorpies came I would have worried myself sick about what will be, what might have been, and what could be," she looked at Vuxten and he saw the same red glow in her eyes that he often saw in his own. "Now, I know that for a long time I was all that stood between my siblings and a malevolent universe's laughing whims."

Vuxten just nodded.

Dambree stared at him for a long moment. "You know that, as I learned it so did you," she said. Her gaze held Vuxten's fast and he stared into the burning madness.

Vuxten heard Menhit the Singer laugh and looked over.

471 was in front of her and it took him a minute to realize what the little green mantid was doing.

Dancing The Robot.

Menhit was laughing and clapping, Kalki next to her with a large smile on his face.

"A most precise imitation, my little friend," Kalki laughed. He broke a fruit open, snapped off a piece, and handed it to 471, who gave a bow. "A sweet reward for such a skillful dancer."

Vuxten could see the 'thank you' emoji from even where he sat.

"A friend?" Dambree asked.

Vuxten looked back it her. "My best friend," he said. "I'd be dead without him."

Dambree nodded. "As Mister Mewmew was to me."

Vuxten looked around. "Is he here?"

Dambree shook her head. "My younger siblings needed him more than me. I miss him. Like my siblings, he loves me even though I have, in some ways, stopped loving myself."

Dambree stiffened as Casey put his arm around her and squeezed slightly.

"Don't let the darkness drag you down and smother your soul, kid," he said. "You're not among strangers to how you're feeling here."

Staring at the fire, Dambree took a long drink off her Liquid Hate.

"Your convent, do they know you're here?" Casey asked. Dambree nodded. "That's good. The Mother Superior undoubtably prays for you every night and the orphans or nuns or both probably light candles for your soul."

"You speak as if you know," Dambree said. She took another drink, not looking away from the fire.

"I'm familiar with monasteries, nunneries, convents, and such places," Casey said. He squeezed her lightly across the shoulders. "If you're like me, you'll take all the prayers you can get."

Seeing Legion waving at him from the holospace Vuxten stood up. "If you'll excuse me."

"Sure, Vux," Casey said.

Peter, Harry, and Dambree just nodded.

Vuxten took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he walked over to the holospace. It had a slight resistance feeling, like stepping into a positive pressure building and it tingled a little across the back of his teeth.

"You need me?" Vuxten asked Legion.

The slender Terran nodded. "Daxin tells me you wear scout armor. Imperium Era and modern era fusion, but still scout armor class."

"For my people it's heavy infantry armor, but I initially served as a scout," Vuxten said.

"We thought we had more time," Dee said from behind him. Vuxten felt the fur on his back raise up slightly.

"We thought wrong," Daxin rumbled. "The kid's already on the move. We're not sure what he's doing, but he's up to something."

"We do know that he's trying to disable the mat-trans system. If he does that, we can't reach the SUDS," Trucker said. He twisted his wrist and made a pulling motion, zooming in on a massive map. "He's stopped trying to hack his way in through the computer systems, stopping trying to bypass the physical security like air gaps and one way data cable. He's throwing combat robots and Enraged Ones at the mat-trans master control system."

Dee snorted. "What he thinks is the master control system."

"Tell Peel it's game on, time to get her game face on," Trucker said. He looked at Vuxten, his face serious. "You and Casey need to armor up. The clock's ticking already."

Vuxten nodded, feeling his mouth go dry. "I'll let 471 one too."

Trucker turned back to the map. "I'll be going with you."

Vuxten just nodded again.

If I keep nodding so much my head's going to fall off, he thought to himself. But what do I say? What can I say?

He felt again like he was pushing through the thin skin of a bubble as he left the holospace, making a beeline for Peel and Casey. When he stopped Casey broke off talking to Harry and looked up.

"What's up, Vux?" He asked.

"Game time," Vuxten said. He swallowed. "Trucker says to suit up, our window's closing and it's now or never."

"Oh," Casey said. He wiped his mouth and glanced at where camo net had been draped from a tree branch. "Uh," he wiped his mouth again and Vuxten noticed his hand was shaking slightly. "I'll... I'll go..."

The Digital Omnimessiah stepped up behind Casey and rested one glittering hand on his shoulder.

"Where you go, I will be with you, my son," Code Made Flesh said gently. "Let me and your own gods be your guiding light during this time, let us help you shoulder your burdens and our love strengthen your soul."

Casey swallowed and nodded.

Peel stood up, turning around and holding her hand out. "Come on, Casey."

Casey suddenly smiled, looking younger somehow. He took Peel's hand and let her heave him up.

471 tapped Vuxten's leg and Vuxten looked down.

--ride or die-- he signaled.

Vuxten nodded. "Come on, let's go put it on."

--victory or death-- 471 transmitted, hurrying to keep up with Vuxten.

"Either is fine," Vuxten answered.

They pushed into the tent together and Vuxten stopped and stared at his armor. He knew that Casey would be kneeling in front of Lozen, praying, and for a moment wished he had prayers of his own, but none came to him.

"Well, this promises to be a good idea," he said. He stepped up into the open boots and chinned the activation button.

The suit wrapped around him and for a second he was in darkness. The control jack punched into the cybernetic socket at the base of his skull and the suit went live. It hissed and the pressure sleeve inflated, the visor flickered and streamed data.

--online-- 471 said from the engineer's protective housing.

"Weapon check," Vuxten said, stepping forward and grabbing the weapon sitting on the table.

A ornate and inlaid M-318 20mm autocannon.

They went through the functions, Vuxten slapping a standard magac battle rifle onto his back, a magac pistol at his waist, and his Cutting Bar Mark Two on the other hip.

He turned and left the tent, moving carefully. He walked up to where Trucker was standing in basic armor.

"We'll have to move fast once we get there," Trucker said, looking down at Vuxten. "Sam-UL's got some help we all wish he wouldn't have."

"What?" Vuxten asked.

Before Trucker could answer he saw Casey push aside the camouflage, revealing the brutal and malevolent lines of the Novastar power armor. One eye was glowing red, the other glowing silver, and lighting crawled up and down its arms as it moved forward and stopped next to Vuxten. Peel stepped up, dressed in standard unpowered combat armor, same as Trucker.

"Your goal is to protect the primary mat-trans system on SUDS Layer Alpha," Dee said, stepping into the small group. "Once the entire team has been deployed to their deployment sites, then you'll be relocating or moving to an alternate strike point."

"What will we be facing?" Casey asked, his voice synthesized and growling.

Dee lifted up her hands and a burning circle slowly formed. Fire leaped up around the small group.

"Everything," Dee said. "You will be facing everything God can throw at us."

There was a weird fzzzzt across the back of Vuxten's teeth that suddenly spread down his throat and through his body.

Right before he blacked out he heard Trucker say a single word.

"Androids."