Nellie and the Nanites - Bk2 - Ch.18

Chapter 18

Slowly, slowly

Paren’s grin was enough to make Nellie blush to the roots of her hair when she came out of her room the next morning. Trying to ignore the teen girl’s unwavering eyes was a hopeless task as Nellie did her best to act as if nothing at all had happened.

She lasted all of about five minutes.

“What?” She asked the teen, instantly regretting the decision as she saw PAren’s smile grow even wider.

“Sleep well?” Paren cackled, “Or, like, at all?”

“I have no idea what you mean.” Nellie sniffed, trying for the innocent tone she had used with the nuns and failing as miserably now as she always did then.

“Hey, did you hear that?” Paren asked. “I think Salem and Baz are fighting again.”

“Yeah, but they are on the other side of the yard, at least,” Nellie said, happy to change the subject quickly.

“Imagine that,” Paren said with a smug tone. “We can both hear clear across the yard!”

Nellie froze as the implications made themselves known to her.

“Just there, just there…. Oh, yes. Like that, Lucy….” Paren said breathlessly with the most lascivious grin Nellie had ever seen. “See, I would have assumed you would be all, like, quiet in bed. I never expected you’d have such a dirty mouth either!”

Nellie wanted to vanish into the floor. This had to be the most mortifying moment of her life.

“Out!” She demanded, pointing Paren out the door. “Now!”

Paren complied but made a series of graphic noises as she did so. Laying her forehead on the desk, Nellie waited for the worst of the cringing embarrassment to fade. Paren was right about one thing… she’d never expected to feel like she did last night. Ever.

Salem was waiting for her an hour later when Nellie finally stepped out of the office, clipboard in hand but hair slightly less tightly gathered than usual. There were even a few strands that had escaped. By the standards of the uptight synthetic, it was a startling sight.

“Salem, everything all right?” Nellie asked.

“Fine,” Salem said cooly, “I was just discussing the day’s itinerary with Baz. It proved difficult.”

“He’s still giving you problems?” Nellie asked.

“Frankly, I lack the skills to counter his peculiar personality,” Salem ground her perfect teeth, “I am failing to get maximum efficiency from him.”

“Ignore him,” Nellie offered. “Just work around him.”

“He is a pilot. I require him to make use of the second shuttle.” Salem said sternly.

“Just tell me, and I’ll tell him.” Nellie offered. “He won’t argue with me. Not twice.”

“Thank you for the offer,” Salem said thoughtfully, “But I must contend with him myself.”

“Well, if you change your mind, just let me know,” Nellie said with a smile. “It may help to know you can make him someone else’s problem whenever you want to.”

“I think it will, thank you,” Salem nodded. “Now, about the darkening sky…”

Nellie looked up, seeing how much thicker the dust cloud was this morning; it was almost as dark as night, not that she or the synthetics needed much in the way of light to see. There was no way in which this was good news.

None.

“I asked Baz to take up a shuttle for a sample, but he refused.” Salem frowned.

“Oh, did he,” Nellie said. “Baz! Get over here!” She yelled, seeing the now familiar shape slouching toward her slightly faster than usual.

“You caterwalled?” Baz asked with a slight and sarcastic bow.

“Air samples, go get ‘em,” Nellie said with a tired sigh.

“Sure, if Salem comes with me,” He grinned and winked at Salem.

“I wasn’t asking,” Nellie reminded him.

“Uh-huh, got that,” Baz said. “Neither did she.” He jerked a thumb at Salem, “Never does, in fact.”

“Oh, boy,” Nellie rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Is that what this is all about? You don’t like being told what to do?”

“Hey, the first command I ever heard lobotomized me,” Baz shrugged. “Guess that gave me a few issues.” He winked at Salem, “Besides, she is so cute when she’s angry.”

“Baz, will you please go get us some air samples?” Nellie said with a long-suffering sigh.

“Right away!” He said and jogged to the nearest shuttle.

“Well, that’s a new issue,” Nellie started to say when she noticed that Salem was blushing. “Sal, you okay?”

“Fine!” Salem hid behind her clipboard, writing furiously. “Just making a note of that.”

“Okay,” Nellie said with a grin. “Baz, he really gets to you, huh?”

“Captain, you have things to do, I’m sure!” Salem said icily and turned smartly on her boot heels to stalk away. In the process, Nellie got a look at the clipboard for a flash of a second. Replaying the memory to herself, she froze it on the glimpse of paper and could clearly read the words, ‘Baz likes me?’ written twice and underlined.

“Gods, how did I end up in high school again?” Nellie shook her head. An image of Lucy in a school uniform flashed through her head, and she smiled.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Lucy asked from behind her.

Nellie squeeked in guilty shock but recovered quickly.

“Well, now I definitely need to know what that was about,” Lucy grinned. “In the meantime, can we talk?”

“So, what’s up?” Nellie asked, suddenly terrified that Lucy would break up with her or something. Could they break up? Was that a thing? Were they even dating? Nellie’s mind was spinning as she looked at Lucy’s gentle smile.

“I was hoping I could convince you to let me make a few upgrades, just a basic information overlay, some minor tweaks to allow me to make further upgrades later on.” Lucy sat back on the table, her legs swinging.

“Is that all?” Nellie laughed, relieved beyond words. “Sure, go ahead.” She was still feeling relief when Lucy shrugged and nodded.

It was only as the information started to scroll across her vision that Nellie realized she hadn’t asked for details.

Brain augmentation initializing…

Cybernetics Suite Mk(1) Installed!

Heads Up Display Module Installed!

Neural Interface Module Installed!

Data collection Module Installed!

Custom User Interface Installed!

Connecting to Nanite Swarm… complete!

Connecting to Drone Units… complete!

Nellie stumbled slightly as her mind expanded. She felt a moment of dissociation as if her body was somehow separate from her for a moment before everything slammed back into place. Her stomach lurched, and she threw up as she dropped to her knees.

It was overwhelming for a few minutes until everything calmed down, and she became aware of Lucy holding her hair back for her.

“So, I was planning on explaining everything first, but you seemed like you were okay with it,” Lucy said gently. “I know it’s an adjustment, but trust me… this is a good thing.” She stroked Nellie’s head again. “In a few minutes, you’ll feel better than ever!”

===<<<>>>===

The soldiers were on the move. Crush-Cha moved out ahead of the main force, scouting ahead. Nothing had managed to calm his sense of impending doom, and frankly, people were getting tired of hearing it.

Personally, Crush would have liked to kick the lot of them up the ass and make them do as he wanted, but that would ultimately not be very productive in the long run. His hoverbike flowed smoothly over the landscape without any worries about the conditions, but he certainly didn’t like the look of it. He could already feel the chill had become a biting cold, and the ground under his bike was frosted over. The further south they headed, the worse it got.

He was trying to convince himself it wasn’t getting even darker when the first snowflake fluttered down ahead of him. Crush yanked the bike to the side and drifted to a stop as a second and third flake followed the first. By the time the fourth flake fell, Crush was headed back to the column of troops at full speed. Even so, he only just made it before the winds rose and the snow thickened into a whiteout.

His unit brought him food and drink while he made a full report to Brix. The tiny lamp on the desk only made the darkness outside seem darker as the winds howled.

“It can’t be,” Brix said, shaking his head. “Everyone knows that’s just a story.”

“It’s not a story, Brix,” Crush-Cha said slowly, “The Endless Dark is a real phenomenon. I know, I’ve seen it before.” Different groups called it different things. To some, it was the Endless Dark; to others, the Oncoming Storm. In the end, it all added up to the same thing. The sun was gone, and it wasn’t coming back.

The almost countless number of colonies established by the space-faring races over the years virtually guaranteed that every group knew about it, even if they had never had it happen at home. Very few peaceful races made it to the stars, so most already had some version of it in their history.

A calamity befell the world. A great weapon, or an asteroid impact, or worse, caused the atmosphere to become choked with ash, dust, and other compounds. The Endless Dark began when it got thick enough to block all the light from the local sun or suns. It wasn’t just the darkness or the cold that made it dangerous. It was the effect of never seeing the sunlight. People could manage without it for a short while but after that…

It was why night shift workers always had days off where they could at least get a few hours of sunlight. Even just seeing it was enough. Without that simple thing, seeing the sun, something happened to people. As the months passed, people would get meaner and short-tempered. They’d have trouble sleeping or become listless and unable to work. It was a powder keg.

Eventually, after the first months had passed, the violence would start. It was a vicious cycle from then on. Everyone would be suspicious of each other and jumpy. Paranoia would spike to dangerous levels. The refugees that in the daylight would find help and aid would instead be killed on sight, or worse.

To make matters worse, once that happened, people were never the same again. They would always have a part of themselves still trapped in the darkness.

Hence, the Endless Dark. They spend too long in it, and they would never be able to leave it, not really.

“When?” Brix looked startled.

Crush had been part of a two-person recon team when he had first completed his ‘special’ training.  His partner in those days was a combat veteran by the name of Des. The pairing of a green recruit with a veteran was standard. It lets the best skills and experience pass on to the next generation before the vets retire. Crush had worshiped the ground Des walked on. The big man had seemed to know everything. He had been everywhere, he said, and seen everything. Crush believed him then and still did to this day.

The pair were sent to infiltrate a colony established by one of the galactic mining consortiums. They were supposed to be there for only a few weeks. A simple in and out with a few secrets to bring back for the higher-ups. A simple job, perfect for him to cut his teeth on. The planet in question was stable, with only a few thousand colonists on it. Most, if not all, worked for the consortium itself either in mining or support roles. Someone has to cook the food, sweep the streets, that kind of thing. A disgruntled colonist had reported to a recruiting officer that the mining colony had discovered some rare radiological material and was doing their own experiments with it instead of reporting it.

The report was given a low credibility rating, but they decided Crush and Des would have a look, just to tick a box on a form to say they had. That fact had been the first thing to start the rift between Crush and the Forces, eventually leading to him quitting. Of course, it would be years before he realized that for himself, but when they first set foot on the planet, Crush was a true believer.

Crush and Des arrived via a drop pod a few days travel out from the colony itself. Crush was barely out of his teen years, and old Des made sure never to let him forget how green he was. Even organizing the supplies had been a lesson. Crush had memorized the mission briefing, ordered supplies for three weeks instead of two, and called it a good job. Des clipped him around the ear, ordered six weeks' supplies, and made sure that they were both up to date on their prophylactic shots.

A blushing Crush had protested that he wasn’t the kind of soldier to go and get laid when he was on a mission. Des had laughed so hard he cried and simply said, ‘They never made a soldier who didn’t try it at least once, lad!’

All those supplies loaded down their hover buggy so much that it barely cleared the rocky landscape, but Des insisted they bring every last ration and power pack with them. Their infiltration point was a small village that worked as a farming community to feed the main base. A contact met them at the pre-arranged time on a hill overlooking the farmland below.

Crush had missed the knowing look Des got on his face when Crush shook hands with the fiery Brackta woman, Alli, who smuggled them past the scan net, which was all the defenses the base had bothered with out here. To this day, Crush could remember the slightly sweet smell of her as she crouched next to him while Des hacked the sensors to register them as authorized. It had to be done from the inside; the whole thing was shielded. If you were already inside, however….

That done, they were able to move freely through the village with the cover of being relatives of Alli’s who had come to visit and consider transferring to the planet. It took less than two days for Des to be proved right when Crush woke in Alli’s bed. The old bastard had a smug grin on his face for days afterward.

With a base established under Alli’s house in a hidden cellar she had dug herself, they moved on to their investigation of the main base. Crush was on overwatch, his rifle scope trained on Des as the veteran made his way through the base, chatting here and there. He learned more about infiltration in those few days of watching than he did during his entire training time. Des was a marvel to watch. He’d stride around the corner as a busy and confident man, only to come out the other side a staggering and weak miner recovering from an injury. A quick chat and a few pleasantries later, he would totter off around the next corner and become a fresh transfer looking for where he was supposed to be.

Almost everyone knew him within a week of wandering the place, even if they knew him by a dozen different names. More than once, Crush ground his teeth after Des turned and winked up at him before heading off with some man or woman for an hour or two. Keeping overwatch on his partner while they got laid had not been in his recruitment packet.

They were just about to call the job done when the disaster struck. A massive explosion on the distant horizon was rapidly followed by two more. The ground shook for almost three minutes before it finally settled.

Of course, that had collapsed at least three of the tunnels they were mining, and it was all hands to the emergency crews to try and dig people out. Des even had Crush come down and help out. No one asked who he was or where he came from. At that point, no one cared.

It took almost a week before they had managed to clear enough of the rubble to get everyone who survived out. More than once, Crush lost the contents of his stomach at what they found. He was hardly the only one who did, so no one commented.

The morning of the sixth day, Des and Crush headed out in their buggy to investigate the cause of the explosions. There had been no evidence of any radiological elements that Des could find in the main base, but that didn’t mean they hadn’t built a new one. That was what Crush thought anyway, which is why he had a row of radiation badges hanging from the roll bar on the buggy as they glided across the barren landscape. The moment one of them went black, he was happy to call the mission done.

Only that never happened. Over a week of travel later, they arrived at the first crater in what should have been the midday sun. Instead, it was as black as midnight. Both of them were in full armor now, rebreathers locked into place as they made their way through the torn-apart landscape. Their temperature regulators started to struggle before they could get too close, but it was enough. The caldera was so large they couldn’t even see the other side.

“Supervolcano,” Des had muttered to himself.

Crush had been ready to call it again, but Des insisted they go and check the other explosion sites, or as he now called them, eruption zones. Des was right, of course, and the next week and a half was spent working through a destroyed world to find the other two caldera.

It took them over a month and a half to confirm the situation and arrive back at the village. Alli was waiting for them, her beautiful nails bitten down to the quick. Her face as Des told her what happened was a picture he would sooner forget. By the time he was done, Alli was shaking and weeping. Feeling like the brave soldier Crush had tried to comfort her with the promise she could evacuate with them… she just laughed and threw their encrypted comm unit at them.

She had been trying to call into command for over two weeks. It would be another month before they realized that something in the mantle blocked comm signals, and a decent chunk of that had been blown into the atmosphere.

Long story short, they were stuck here until someone came to check on them.