Nellie and the Nanites - Bk2 - Ch.35

Chapter 35

Where’s a motion tracker when you need one?

The dark corridors were all tilted at ninety degrees from where they should be. It gave everything an even more ominous feel to it as Nellie and Lucy made their way from the airlock toward the engine room.

Nellie stepped over the deck plating that had fallen onto the wall, currently doing duty as the floor. The engines, cooling rapidly from their months-long operating time, sent ominous creaks and squeals through the hull as the heat bled off. In short, Nellie was scanning everywhere while she waited for the xenomorph that she was sure had to be here somewhere. All she needed now was the sound of something dripping from–

Lucy laughed as Nellie squealed in fright as a drop of water landed on her shoulder.

“Calm down, will you?” Lucy said with a hint of giggles still in her voice. “This is just a scrapped ship, not something out of a horror novel.”

“That is exactly what people say in the movies before something jumps out and eats them,” Nellie pointed out. “Don’t you find this place creepy at all?”

“Not really,” Lucy admitted. “It’s just a place, right?”

“Just remember that if my head gets eaten off, you get eaten too!” Nellie pointed out.”

“I’m quite aware, thank you,” Lucy said demurely. “Now, why not activate your senses so we can make it through here without you screaming every two seconds?”

Still grumbling slightly, Nellie did as Lucy suggested. Instantly, the sparse few feet of hallway she could see was overlaid with a complex set of colors and auras. Taking a few seconds, Nellie allowed her implant to start filtering the information more and more. Once she could clearly see ahead again, it was almost as if someone had turned the lights on.

The metals in the alloys used were all known now, and she could even see where the structural stress was starting to strain the underlying structure. More than that, she had an impression of what was behind the walls and bulkheads around her.

Nellie could clearly see the ductwork hidden behind the walls as well, which was how she could tell that something long and thick was forcing its way through the one at the end of the corridor.

“Lucy,” Nellie whispered. “I hope you have your gun ready.” She pointed to the far wall. Three more of the things were crawling through the spaces between the walls and the inner hull.

“One more on the left!” Lucy yelled as she spun around, firing low to the floor as something stuck a head out of a gap.

“Got it!” Nellie pulled her pistol around, “Explosive rounds!” She called as her Implant dialed the setting on her gun to match. A pair of light pulses met in the air just in front of the creature, and a blast of hot air and sound rushed past Nellie as the two energies clashed, creating an explosion powerful enough to turn a third of the creature into a fine mist.

“I want one of these things to study,” Lucy said as she dove beneath a clawed arm, her foot slamming into the thing’s head as she passed and sending it slamming into the wall.

“Stun round!” Nellie yelled, firing a second later and watching the last creature shudder and shake on the floor. After a moment, she shot it again, then again.

“Uh, not working!” Nellie added as the shaking started to subside.

“Get behind me and block your ears!” Lucy said.

Nellie dove behind her, cutting sound through her suit.

Lucy opened her mouth and screamed, waves of sound shimmering in the air as she increased in pitch and power until Nellie was forced to have the implant cut all sound, leaving her deaf as her vision swam.

She felt light-headed and bent forward, watching splashes of blood hit the visor in front of her. Switching to the internal cam, she saw her eyes and ears starting to bleed as she dropped to one knee.

The next moment, it was gone. She gasped, feeling as if she had just come up from underwater. Lucy was saying something, looking worried. Nellie turned her hearing back on gingerly.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked. “I had to go to a much higher frequency to knock it out than I thought I would.”

“Head…hurts,” Nellie said, shaking it slowly and slamming her hand against the side of her helmet.  Her ears popped twice, and the world came back into focus.

Internal damage repaired.

Her implant listed an alarming amount of injuries, even if they were all small ones. “What the hell was that?” Nellie asked, taking her helmet off to wipe the blood from her face and visor.

“Sonic attacks can work well against creatures immune to energy-based stun methods,” Lucy said. “But it should have passed out way before I got even half as high as I did. If I had to go further, I could have damaged the metal around us.”

“Did it work?” Nellie asked.

“It did,” Lucy confirmed, holding up one of the creatures in her other hand.

It was a strange creature, looking almost like a Komodo dragon as far as the body and tail went. The stubby back legs even resembled the dragon, except for the claws being much larger. It was the front legs and head that didn’t fit. The front legs were actually arms, each one as long as the body and tail combined. The arms were thin but with large gnarled elbows, two of them on each arm. The hands on those arms were three-fingered claw-tipped horror shows.

The face itself was longer than it should be, angular and pointed, with a muzzle that was more scaled wolf than reptile in shape.

“What are you going to do with it?” Nellie asked.

“I want you to convert it,” Lucy said, holding it out. “Quick, before it wakes up.”

“Eww, why?” Nellie asked, revolted at the sight of the thing. She certainly didn’t want to even touch it, let alone inject her nanites into it.

“We can use it to scout, for one,” Lucy said, shaking it in front of her, “But mostly, we need to know what it is. This is not a natural creature.”

Nellie scanned it with her Implant and saw Lucy was right. At the very least, it was not native to this planet. Her local wildlife information from Salem and the others had nothing even remotely close to it.

“I’m not a fan of this,” Nellie said as she took the creature from Lucy. The skin on the body was a little loose as if the creature was starving, and it gathered sickeningly as she gripped it.

“Come on, before it wakes up!” Lucy said.

Nellie extended one nanite tendril from the third knuckle in her hand, flipped Lucy off with it, and then jammed the thing into the creature’s neck.

Repair, Rebuild, Convert?

Nellie hesitated but chose to convert, feeling the rush of nanites flowing from her chest, down her arm, and into the creature. It was different from when she had converted Paren. For one thing, this was an animal, not a person, and for another, she could FEEL the nanites now. She could sense them moving through the blood vessels and spreading into the organs. She felt the creature twitch as they reached the brain, forming new pathways to control the creature. For the first time, she understood in a visceral way what was happening. To be honest, she was not sure she liked it.

These things were clearly predators, but it still felt… icky was the only word that came to mind. A second later, she realized why it felt so wrong and gasped.

“Something already altered the brain paths!” Nellie said in shock.

“How do you know?” Lucy asked, like a patient teacher.

“I can sense the nanites encountering structures that are almost like computer chips. Also, the pathways are mostly wiggly, random, but others are as straight as an arrow and feel more artificial than the others.” Nellie replied thoughtfully. “Hang on; I want my Implant to interpret the data from the nanites…”

Parsing data….

Processing….

….

….

Anomalous brain matter detected!

Brain matter has been printed... No growth signs.

Areas responsible for aggression are hard-coded to always be active.

No sign of areas responsible for higher brain function.

…

Genetic Anomalies detected!

Six different genetic patterns were sampled within the body.

…

Physical Anomalies detected!

Surgical alteration in multiple areas.

Metal and augmentation found in several body systems.

…

Control chip located in abdomen… reading.

Control sets:

Hunt

Kill

Eat

Hide

Sense

Report

End of Control Set.

Add controls?

Y/N/Later.

…

…

Adding Control Sets as requested…

Follow

Stay

Wait

Play

Look Cute

Added!

…

…

Anomaly detected!

Creature has no means to reproduce... Species ruled as manufactured!

Name Drone?

Name Accepted!

Drone Named: Weasel!

Nellie gently dropped the drone to the floor as the conversion was completed. She felt the moment it came online, feeling a slight tug on her consciousness as another drone was added to her list and a small connection to whatever passed for the thoughts of the creature.

They felt, sharp, almost mechanical in nature despite the thing’s very organic appearance.

“This is weird,” Nellie said, almost feeling tethered to the drone. “Not like Paren at all.”

“This is the first conversion that was just you and your implant,” Lucy said with a huge smile. “Congratulations, Nell!”

“What?” Nellie asked.

“I did nothing,” Lucy said with a proud grin. “That was just YOUR nanites, YOUR Implant, and you. No help from me at all!” She ran forward and picked up the drone, examining it closely. “I can still see what you did, of course, but that was all–” She stopped. “Play? Act Cute?”

“Well, it should have something other than hunting and killing to do.” Nellie insisted.

“Okay, that’s a choice… I guess,” Lucy shrugged. “Weasel?”

“Go Weasel!” Nellie cheered as it tore apart another of the strange creatures. It was their third time getting attacked, and if anything, Weasel was getting better by the minute. “This is great!” Nellie laughed. “Like if Tim Burton made Pokemon!”

“I don’t know what any of that is,” Lucy shook her head as she shot one of the things creeping up behind them. “I’m not sure I want to either.”

“Can I make another?” Nellie asked. “I think Weasel needs a friend!”

“You need time to adjust first, okay?” Lucy advised.

The last of their attackers died as Weasel ripped its throat out and padded back toward them, blood coating both long arms as it dragged itself along the floor.

“Who’s mommy’s murderous little baby?” Nellie laughed as she picked up her drone and gave it a celebratory spin.

“That’s disturbing,” Lucy noted idly.

“Show Aunty Lucy your cute face!” Nellie said to Weasel, holding it up for her to see. The thing's face twisted into a gormless expression while its long tongue dangled awkwardly out of its mouth.

“And so it that!” Lucy sighed.

“Hey, this was your idea, remember?” Nellie said as she shifted Weasel onto her back. Its long arms wrapped around her shoulders, holding it snug against her back while the tail wrapped itself around her waist.

“I did not expect you to be quite so enthusiastic,” Lucy admitted. “I’m sure Weasel will grow on me.”

“I think Oodles will like having a friend to play with,” Nellie said happily. “I even added a ‘No Eating Oodles’ command to him just to be on the safe side.”

“About Oodles,” Lucy said. “He’s grown a bit since he’s been helping me out.”

“Good for him!” Nellie said. “I’ve missed the little guy.”

The good times ended once they found the engine room. The massive-looking engines were all covered in layers of corrosion, and the housings were all extensively cracked. If they had come along even a week later, it was doubtful they would have been in time to prevent one of them from ripping free and slamming through the center of the ship, tearing the entire thing apart in the process.

Even without the Implant’s help, Nellie knew this was going to be a hell of a job. They also had to be incredibly careful; the cold air outside had led to the sudden cooling of several already damaged metals, leaving them very brittle and likely to fail.

“This is a shit show,” Nellie said as she worked her way closer to the middle engine. The housing had the most damage; in terms of structural stability, it was completely shot. Time alone would tear this one free in a matter of days or weeks at best.

“I’m going to have the shuttle move into place, and we can secure it before we start cutting,” Lucy said. “If we don’t…”

“Squish,” Nellie finished for her. “Even the nanites might have trouble repairing me from that.”

“I’ll work on the logs while you head out and secure the cables?” Lucy offered.

“Want me to leave Weasel with you?” Nellie asked.

“Actually, yes,” Lucy said. “He can watch my back while I work.”

“See, Weasel? Aunty Lucy likes you, really!” Nellie teased as she set Weasel down and ordered him to protect Lucy.

Of course, that meant she had to make her way back through the ship alone, which was not exactly great fun. The moment her head cleared the hatchway and she was back in the darkness, she took a long, deep breath before climbing out onto the hull.

It was a bit of a climb up the pocked and pit-marked hull to get to the engines, but with all her upgrades, it was not much of a challenge. She could see the Shuttle hovering over the engines above her as she climbed, and the moment she cleared the edge, the cables dropped from the base, and she started to maneuver her way over to clamp them on.

The last of the heat from the engines was dying away now, the soft glow vanishing as the hot metal cooled completely. Nellie was able to move in short hops, moving across the venting as she grabbed one cable and slammed the huge clip into the mounting. It clunked reassuringly as she moved to the next. She needed to secure it at four hard points if she wanted to be sure the shuttle would be able to hold the weight steady.

The second cable thunked into place as she started to work around to the other side of the exhaust and grab the third cable. The slight feeling under her left foot was all the warning it gave her before the vent crumbled away beneath her.

Nellie was left hanging by one hand, legs kicking against the crumbling edge as she fought to flip herself back up on top.

She was just clearing the hole when the flashes of light above her alerted her to trouble. She brought up the shuttle cameras on her HUD as she pressed herself against the engine and started to edge past the crumbled venting plates.

She could see the Centrum Models they brought with them. They were firing out of the bay, crouched low and charging shots before unleashing them into the night. She winced when she brought up the sensors.

“Lucy!” She yelled. “Coral Strider heading this way!”

“Kind of busy here, babe,” Lucy said over the sound of blaster fire. “Weasel’s friends dropped by for a party.”

“Let’s ditch,” Nellie said. “This is too risky.”

“No way I can get to the hatch in under fifteen minutes. Easier to take the engine at this point. I can get out that way.” Lucy replied.

“Okay,” Nellie said grimly. “I’ll do it quick.”

“We’ll be waiting!” Lucy said before the comm line clicked closed.

Nellie connected the third line as she brought the laser arrays online. She checked the shuttle sensors again, seeing that the coral strider was almost on top.

“Centrum’s focus fire left foreleg,” She commanded. “Maximum power.”

Her units responded, the fire rate kicking to the maximum as they stopped conserving energy and went for the leg with abandon.

Nellie grabbed the last cable and leaped for the hard point, snapping it in place and immediately targeting the right foreleg with everything the shuttle had.

The coral strider let out a hissing screech of pain, moving sideways to try and avoid the shuttle fire.

Nellie climbed the lines up to the shuttle, hauling herself up hand over hand until she could swing onto the extended ramp. The Coral strider was still circling, limping, and dragging one leg as it tried to find an angle to attack from. She kept it targeted with the laser arrays, but it was getting smarter, trying to move in little bursts, and her shots were starting to miss. Despite the damage to the legs, it showed no sign of giving up. If anything, they seemed to have pissed it off more. Another few minutes, and who knows what could happen.

“Lucy?” Nellie called.

“Yes?” Lucy called back. “I know, Nell.”

“Can you and Weasel get into the corridor for a minute?” Nellie asked.

“Why?” Lucy asked suspiciously.

“I’m gonna cut through,” Nellie replied.

“Nellie,” Lucy warned.

“I know, Luce,” Nellie said. “I know.

She heard scrambling and fire over the com line, along with Weasel’s hissing little snarls.

“Make it quick, okay?” Lucy asked. “And try not to hit the power core, or this thing is going to explode.”

“I’ll do my best,” Nellie promised, manually taking control of the laser arrays and targeting a tight circle around the engine. “Firing!”