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Stranger Than Fiction (Worm Tinker of Fiction SI) by Throwaway1971

Books » Private Rated: M, English, Romance, Words: 110k+, Favs: 105, Follows: 131, Published: Dec 24, 2023

5Chapter 7: Seventh Page

Disclaimer: I own Jackshit.

AN: Alright, so, it's been a while since I've updated this story, and I'm sorry about the wait. Honestly, I wanted to have this finished sooner, but the plot bunny for Quantum State happened and, well, things happened. Still, I hope this meagre offering of a chapter should keep you all happy, and that you enjoy it, even if it's more like a filler chapter as things start getting setup for the future.

Enjoy!

XXX

"Are you ready, Miranda? Because once we start, there's no turning back without suffering significant consequences." The question was by no means a formality, the risks of insanity being what they were, but the answer was never in doubt as Miranda locked eyes with me from across the ritual circle.

"All the preparations are complete and it would be a waste to turn back now, ready or not." Was the immediate reply I got back, echoing with firm determination as she turned her gaze back to the chalk lines, mystic scripts and arcane symbols that had been carefully drawn across the concrete floor as the scent of burning incense filled the air around us. Oil lamps illuminated the Arcane Space around us, even as the overhead ceiling had been altered with the inclusion of a series of windows, allowing the overcast night's sky to be seen.

"Then, shall we begin?" At those words, Miranda wasted no time in acting as the Dressing Gown she'd previously been wearing dropped to the ground around her feet as she moved, as naked as the day she was birthed. In one motion, she picked up a stack of papers that had previously been lying on a nearby table in one arm as she advanced into the centre of the ritual circle. Kneeling down, she took her position as she placed the stack of papers down in front of her, what would be the totality of her new life. Taking her motion as a signal to begin, I began to take my positions as my body shifted.

While the last two days had given Miranda the chance to fast in preparation for the ritual, along with construct a thorough and comprehensive new life, they'd also given me a chance to learn and expand my own capabilities, along with make my own preparations. Five right legs took a single step and I felt my perspective shift as my body split seamlessly into five separate instances of myself, each one skeletal and covered in a hexagon-patterned surface. Long, rail-thin limbs carried each instance around the circle as they formed a pentagon around Miranda, looking inwards as heads bowed slightly and hands were clasped at chest height. Even as I moved, controlling each instance with an ever-growing ease, a part of me remained ever-aware of the naked woman kneeling in the middle of the ritual circle, waiting patiently for the ritual to begin.

One thing I had to say about Henry Lawson was that he hadn't settled for anything less than the best, even if his methods had been monstrous and unethical by most standards. However, as a result of his desire for the ultimate genetic dynasty, he'd created a pair of woman with bodies that were in the uppermost percentile of Humanity in just about every category. Just looking at Miranda made that obvious, as her body was probably the envy of supermodels, even more so when you considered that she was only eighteen and still had room to grow. Even as it was, her entire body was covered in subtle, yet powerful, muscles that could easily overpower the vast majority of baseline Humanity. Every curve had been engineered to perfection, all meant to give her yet another edge over baseline Humans: From her long, smooth legs to wide hips and a thin waist; From large, full breasts to pouty lips. And that was without considering everything else that had been done to Miranda and her sister, all for the sake of one man's vanity and desire to leave a mark on history.

However, as each instance started to move, as a chant echoed out from five throat-equivalents, I pushed those thoughts aside as the ritual began. Already, even after just a few words and a slight shift in the stances of all five instances, I could feel the energy in the air, electrifying it as Rauch was pulled up from massive stores buried under my feet. Through five different perspectives, I watched and felt the energy build even as Miranda looked on with a widened gaze, getting all the proof she wanted as cyan afterimages started to follow limbs as they shifted through ritual gestures and motions. Likewise, under out feet, chalk grew bright as energy flowed through it, casting the room in an unearthly glow as shadows hung at odd angles as incense smoke began to circle on an invisible wind.

Within minutes, the ritual was in full swing, chalk glowing with fluorescent light as incense smoke condensed, forming clouds that circled overhead, hanging over the lines of the ritual circle in an impossible mirror of the circle itself as flickers of light sparked through it. Words resounding, bouncing off walls to create odd echoes that shouldn't have been possible as they whispered back, layering over the chants that already filled the Arcane Studio, adding to it, in ways that weren't entirely natural. Power filled the air as Rauch flowed and energy sparked, lines of energy arcing between points in the circles perimeter as I continued on in a form of autopilot as space subtlety distorted around the ritual circle.

And throughout it all, I was aware of Oriana, watching from the doorway to my Arcane studio, showing nowhere near the same amount of restraint as her sister, her eyes looking ready to fall from their sockets even as her lower jaw hung slack. Amusement bubbled up at seeing her expression, and I couldn't help but take a record of it, capturing the image over the shoulder of one of my own instances, being careful not to catch Miranda in it even as the ritual continued.

As the tempo of the chant increased, sparking high as the smell of Ozone and something like an Old Growth forest smothered the entire chamber. Energy, no longer just mere sparks of unspent power, surged through the empty space around and above us in thick currents that splinted and flowed into one another at random. The world outside the ritual circle had become impossible to see with mortal senses, distorted out of proportion. Images and blurs dominated the space around us, creating the illusion that we were somewhere else. One moment, it was a primordial forest, the next it was a city of black stone pillars that disappeared above us. Every few seconds, it flickered and changed, a mirage of motion to go along with the transition of identity. Oddly appropriate, if slightly disturbing as each scene slide further and further into the eldritch than the last.

Casting a glance at Miranda as I continued chanting, I could already tell that the ritual was getting to her as, unnerving her. Then again, I felt it too, as each image triggered something in what remained of my primitive Lizard Brian. It was like someone was hammering the 'danger' button at the back of my mind as old instincts, left over from an earlier evolutionary stage of Man, came screaming back to the foreground. Miranda was feeling the full effects of it, forcing herself to remain still and calm, even as I felt her heart hammering away like an engine cylinder inside her chest. It was only my own Posthuman nature, along with the lack of a centralised Heart, that prevented me from doing likewise.

The effects of Eldritch Magic, if nothing else, were immediately apparent.

Now, the real question became, if it was already this bad just a few minutes into the ritual, what would be like when the ritual reached it's zenith?

XXX

Over the course of two days, the chanting continued, and my only focus was on Miranda for the entire duration, keeping track of her physical and mental health as the ritual continued. For the most part, my bodies moved on autopilot, speaking the words and making the gestures as energy resonated with each motion. The steps for the entire ritual, every word, every shift in posture and every alteration in tone, all of it, had been downloaded directly into my brain. To go along with that, I'd implanted the skills of a master practitioner into myself, both the theoretical grounding and the muscle memory, needed to carry out a ritual such as this with minimal risks. Technically speaking, I could have simply ignored the ritual entirely as it carried on, left my bodies to function on automatic while I focused on other things, but I didn't.

I refused to.

Even with the risks reduced to the absolute minimum, near zero, that didn't mean that the risks disappeared altogether. And so, I kept a fragment of my attention focused on her throughout the two days of non-stop chanting. It was a minor thing, as I could have completely ignored the ritual entirely, letting it play out on automatic and still been able to respond instantly at the first sign of danger, but I chose not to. To do so would have felt... disrespectful, for lack of a better term, when both Miranda and Oriana were putting their trust and faith in me, especially as I had given them such hope for the future. However, just because I kept a measure of attention on Miranda, didn't mean that I wasn't doing anything else with the rest of it.

Even if the energies of the ritual blocked mundane forms of communication, it did nothing to distort my connection to the ever-growing Ceph Hivemind I'd given birth to. Through that, I directed the growing numbers of Ceph Worker-Drones as they expanded outwards, right alongside keeping in touch with Oriana as she fretted over her sister and obsessively checked over the documents she'd constructed for her new life as she begun to fast. New tunnels were either dug with spell-augmented claws, or uncovered through the use of Elemental Sight-enhanced sensory organs. Supports of hardened Ceph Nano-spores were grown in each new area as it expanded out, veins transporting materials needed for further growth. New Hivemind relay-nodes formed, growing out of already-present Nano-spores as they expanded the influence of the Hivemind along the path of each tunnel. Slowly, each sphere of influence, each centred on a single relay-node, grew larger as the node itself grew in turn.

Further caverns were excavated, coated in layers and supports formed from more Nano-spores before being put to use. Some were converted into storage spaces, freshly refined materials of absolute purity stockpiled within for a later date. Others were turned into Assembly-warrens, spaces filled with Assembly Vats and producing a steady stream of new Worker-Drones of a dozen kinds to add to the growing work force. A dozen were converted entirely into vast server farms, filled with eldritch computational devices that phased in and out of existence as one watched. And that was just the tip of the iceberg as the expansion continued, both outwards and downwards.

Of course, growth wasn't just restricted to the physical aspects of the Ceph. New Minds grew within the Hivemind, germinating from processed data and adding new perspectives and possible innovations to the growing Hivemind. Reports of projects and simulation results filled my connection to the Hivemind on a near-constant basis, forcing me to dedicate a fair amount of attention to assimilate each inload of information as it came in. There were debates on the structure of spells and magic sequences, forums arguing for the adaptations of new Caste-Frames, discussions on the mechanics of Eezo interactions, and a dozen other forms of discourse that dominates the mind-palaces of the Hivemind, all taking place at once. New designs were constructed every second as they were proposed, simulated, tested and then discarded in a near-constant state of self-evolution that was always seeking some new improvement, some way to be better.

In some ways, it was terrifying. In other ways, it was awe-inspiring.

Unfortunately, as the forty-eighth hour ticked by, I had to turn away from it as I refocused, returning my total attention to my bodies, and the woman they surrounded.

XXX

As the last word left my multiple mouths, the energy disappeared completely, having already faded to near-nothing as the ritual reached it's conclusion. The world around us was no longer distorted, no longer under the effects of the ritual's eldritch magics as I moved one of my bodies over to Miranda as sensors ran over her, checking to see if anything was wrong. Results came back quickly as SECOND ran the symptoms observed through a cross-reference of medical ailments and psychological disorders. Dazed and some minor dehydration, but fine otherwise. In fact, her enhanced biology had ensured that, in comparison to a baseline Human, she was a lot better off. Still, even with that enhanced biology, exposure to the mind-bending nature of Eldritch Magic wasn't something anyone could just walk away from, especially for someone with no prior exposure to it. Something that went doubly so after being through into the metaphorical, and metaphysical, deep end.

Kneeling down, one of my bodies picked Miranda up in a bridal carry as another stepped over to a nearby bench, picking up the dressing gown that the woman had worn prior to the beginning of the ritual itself. An alert flashed through my mind a second later as the dressing gown was draped over her, giving the designer being some level of modesty as the door to the studio was pushed open. Nano-tech flowed as each of my five bodies merged back into one, Miranda still in my arms as Oriana stepped into the room, her eyes instantly fixed on her sister as she lay in my arms.

"What happened? Is she alright? Did something go wrong with the ritual?" Were the first words out of Oriana's mouth, immediately cementing exactly where her priorities were as she crossed the room with distance-devouring strides, only to reverse direction and fall into step beside me as we met.

"Nothing went wrong. In fact, the ritual worked exactly as it was supposed to. Had it not worked, then it would have probably just fizzled out, leading to us needing to redo the entire thing all over again, fasting and all." I answered easily, having seen the unspoken question in Oriana's eyes, as they finally snap up to look me in the eye rather than stare down at her sister's limp form. "No, the ritual worked, but exposure to the Eldritch isn't exactly something the Human mind, regardless of how augmented they might be biologically, is built to deal with. No, just give her some time to rest and get her head on straight, and Miranda will be back to normal in no time."

"... Thank god..." My answer seemed to reassure her, even as she muttered the words under her breath as some degree of tension faded from her shoulders. The sense of relief was a palpable thing, one that I didn't need any kind of social analysis software to see, even if the results of several played through my mind as SECOND automatically provided them.

"Ok, that makes sense... Well, about as much sense as anything else you've told us since we signed on with you, but it's consistent." Oriana remarked, no longer as worried as she had been when she'd stepped into the studio. However, as she said that, she paused, her face turning thoughtful as she glanced down at her immobile sister's form for a moment before looking back at me with slightly narrowed eyes. For a time, she said nothing, the air filled with the sounds of machines, mundane and exotic, working away as we crossed through my workshop, towards the apartment-space I'd given the two sisters. "Though... That does make me wonder... You said that the Human mind isn't meant to deal with the Eldritch, but you seem to be walking around alright, and you were right in the middle of that, right beside Miranda."

"For one thing, exposure therapy is a thing. I've built up a level of tolerance to the Eldritch, even if only via second-hand exposure, something that both you and Miranda lack. It also doesn't help that 'Craft the Labyrinthian Identity' isn't a minor ritual by any stretch, and could be likened to jumping straight into the deep end of a swimming pool to try and learn how to swim, rather than starting at the shallow end and working your way along." I explained, hearing the accusation in her tone, and completely unbothered by it. "Plus, being a Posthuman has it's advantages. Being able to alter and remove aspects of my own mind, such as phobias or insanity, is just one of them."

Oriana fell silent at that once more, her face turning thoughtful as we reached the apartment-space. Letting Oriana move ahead of me, opening the door for me as I carried Miranda in, I followed after her until we reached her sister's room. Once again, Oriana moved ahead as she pulled the bed covers up to let me slip the limp body of her sibling in, lowering the covers afterwards as the two of us backed out of the room, turning off the lights as we did so. Turning around, I followed Oriana back into the main room of the apartment-space, where she stopped, turning to face me as she leaned against the dining table that sat to one side.

"So... I'm next, right? Should I go and get ready, then?" Oriana asked, arms crossed as she looks over at me. For my part, I lean against the wall, just to the left of the entry of the narrow hall we'd just come from. At her question, I shook my head.

"Not tonight, tomorrow morning." I answered simply, causing an eyebrow to rise up the woman's brow in response as I continued. "The Magic involved is complicated, and require a lot of background, but the basic just of it is that when the instructions for a ritual say ' fast for two days,' what it really means is 'fast for two dawn-dusk cycles.' So, in the case of ritual that you are going through tomorrow, and what your sister just went through, it means that you have to fast for two dawn-dusk cycles before starting the ritual on the third dawn-dusk cycle, and ending it on the fourth cycle. It's weird, I know, but nobody ever said that the rules for bending reality into knots didn't have weird rules to it."

"Alright. So I should just... What? Wait until then?" Oriana questioned tersely, seemingly rhetorically, even as I hummed in thought.

"Basically, yes." I answered, ignoring the rhetorical nature of the questions. At that, what tension remained in her seemed to evaporate at that, her fingers twitching as a number of emotions flashed over her face, each catalogued by my sensors. Fear and helpless worry, for her sister; Anxious anticipation, for her turn at the ritual; Resignation, that there was nothing she could do to change things. Finally, she simply slumped bonelessly back into one of the chairs around the table, I watched as she rubbed a hand over her face, giving a deep sigh as she did so with a slight grimace across her features.

"Great..." Oriana commented, a light trace of sarcasm laced into the single word as she looked back to me. However, as she said that, I considered what if there was something I could give her to focus on, to pass the time and to take her mind off the current state that the ritual had left Miranda in. A list quickly formed in my mind as SECOND ran a risk assessment of each of them in turn. Some were discarded as being too risky, exposing Oriana to unnecessary risk by sending her out, where she could be spotted by one of her creator's informants. Others were discarded due to being impractical or for simply being beyond the current abilities of the designed-woman. The list of possibilities was rapidly narrowed down within moments until a select few options remained, with one of them immediately standing out as I pushed off from the wall I'd been leaning on, the sudden motion attracting Oriana's attention.

"Well..." I began, crossing the room in long bounds until I stood by the table, pulling a seat out before sitting down in it next to the Lawson sister. "Originally, I was planning on waiting until both of you had gone through with the ritual, to reduce the number of risks we'd all need to worry about, but there are a few things we could have a look at. At least, if you want? And you don't mind staying up a bit longer?"

"... Like?" The word came after a moment of silence, accompanied with an expression of curiosity and a knowing, yet thankful, glint to her eye as she looked at me. My lips twitched up at that, confirmation that Oriana knew exactly what I was trying to do, but was thankful for it, as it gave her something to do beyond worry uselessly for her sister.

"Well, firstly..."

XXX

Stepping into the main room of the living area that Nathan had given to her and her sister, Miranda mindlessly walked over to the table and took a seat as she gazed into the middle distance, dumping a satchel bag at her feet in the process. A part of her felt like she was dreaming, unsure about whether or not she wanted to wake up even as she desperately hoped that this, that this new reality that she'd woken up to, was real.

Leaning back in her chosen chair, and looking up at the ceiling as she ran a hand through her hair, Miranda ran back through the events of the last few hours in her head, trying to find any kind of inconsistency. She remembered back to her first moments waking up, her mind clouded as she struggled to process the returning memories of the ritual, of seeing sounds, tasting colours and smelling shapes. For a time, her vision had danced with techno-colour, making her glad for the bin near her bed, otherwise she'd have coated the floor, and parts of her bed, in a light layer of vomit. Eventually, after struggling through her memories of the ritual, she'd managed to get out of bed and get dressed, putting on a fresh set of clothes and slipping on a jacket.

After that, she'd come here, to the living area of the apartment, and seen what was on the table. Bringing her gaze back down to the table in question, she looked at it's paper-covered surface, noting that it was still exactly as it had been left when she'd first discovered it. The entire surface of it was covered in a mis-match of papers that were either piled up in a hap-hazard manner, or laid out fully. Across pages, she had recognised her sister's handwriting, while others held the handwriting of another, probably Nathan's, by process of elimination. She'd taken a look at some of them, eyes scanning over them as she'd grabbed something to eat, glad to no longer be fasting as she'd cheerfully wolf down whatever she could find. Yet, each as she devoured the food she'd brought with her to the table, she'd still been reading over the notes that had been left lying around.

Immediately, cogs had started turning as she'd read over lists of investments, properties, stocks and their respective prices, along with information related to what looked like a series of PR campaigns and funding plans. Offhandedly, she'd added a few notes of her own, suggestions and comments that should help things along as, while both she and Ori had been taught the same lessons, she'd had more time to practice them under the controlling influence of their 'father.' As she did so, she'd eventually found a note addressed to her, informing her of what had happened while she'd recovered from the... Experience, of the previous day.

Namely, it explained that her sister was currently going through the same ritual she'd just undergone, and that it wasn't recommended that she come and watch. Not that she felt any desire to do so, but the warning was appreciated, if nothing else. Along with that, the note had outlined that, while Nathan would be busy with Oriana's ritual, he was still in contact with the various systems of his base of operations. And, while it noted that the response time wouldn't be too impressive, he would be able to arrange for anything she needed, if she asked for it. A further recommendation had completed the note, asking her to do her own checks to ensure the ritual had worked. There was no doubt in Nathan's writing, and he'd fully explained that it would work, but she agreed with his caution. After all, 'trust, but verify' was an old saying for a reason.

With that said, and her chosen meal devoured, she'd set off into Brockton Bay with a list of locations in mind. Each location had played a part in her own series of checks, along with being required if she'd wanted to have access to the assets that had been compiled in the ritual-documents. Her first stop had been the post office, where she discovered that a PO box now existed under her name. Within, she'd found a series of documents, keys and files that she'd posted to herself, according to her ritual-documents. As a first check, it had been perfect, as it contained everything else she needed to verify the that everything else on those documents had been made real.

From there, armed with the contents of the PO Box, she'd headed for Brockton Bay Central Bank, where a safe deposit box now existed under her name. Security questions had been asked, along with an ID check, all of which had come back positive as she'd been led into the vault to retrieve her deposit box, and its contents. Within the box, she'd found a laptop, a pen drive, several files filled with documents, a few bundles of dollar notes, and a small collection of jewelry. Emptying the box out, she'd left the bank feeling giddy with anticipation as she headed for an out of the way internet cafe she'd spotted a week ago. With a drink in hand, she'd gone through the process of checking every other asset she'd listed in the ritual-documents.

However, as she did so, as she ran through offshore accounts and stock portfolios, she'd felt herself becoming more and more overcome with a kind of dull numbness as she compared sort codes and account numbers from memory, only to find them matching. Impossibilities stared back at her from the LCD screen of her laptop, bringing things into focus as she'd continued to check the remaining details of what Nathan's ritual had created, transmuting fiction into fact. By the time she was done, even going so far as to check a series of social media accounts she'd wanted made as a further test, she'd wandered back to the Lair in a daze, still aware of the world around her, but not really processing anything, not really thinking. The scope of what had been done was just too big, too sudden, for her to truly rationalise to herself as anything other than impossible.

Than magic.

Suddenly, something caught her eye, snapping her out of her reminiscing as she turned. Reaching out, she grabbed at something hidden in a pile of papers and pulled it out smoothly, careful not to tear it as she held it in front of her. Looking at the piece of paper held in front of her eyes, it took a moment for her to comprehend what it said as her eyes scanned over it repeatedly. Eventually, it clicked in her mind what she was looking at, and she couldn't help but smile at the realisation that came with it.

It was a bucket list, written in her sister's hand writing, with the added caption of 'Once the ritual is over and we're free!' underlined several times beneath the title, and bracketed in cartoonish smiley faces. Joy surged through her as dull shock gave way to the epiphany that, along with the incredulous thought of 'how the hell did I miss this earlier?', as after so long, after running and hiding, fearful that they might not see tomorrow, they would soon both be free, at long last.

"And we owe it all to him..." Miranda whispered aloud, leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed as she simply exalted in the feeling, in the joy of the moment.

A minute past as she enjoyed that simple knowledge, only broken when she finally took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she looked down at the table as she picked out half-finished lists and documents, some she'd altered and others she hadn't. Reaching down for her satchel bag, she pulled it up with one hand as she cleared a small space for herself on the clutter-covered table with the other. With a space cleared, she started piling up the contents of her satchel on the table, booting up the laptop as she grabbed at some of the pieces of paper lying around. Plans and ideas spun in her mind as she considered how best to turn a bunch of loosely connected lists into something actionable. At the very least, she'd have time to work on it, as a glance at a nearby clock told her that Oriana's ritual was still a day and a half from being over.

And if she took a bit of time to herself to indulge in her new-found freedom, along the way?

Well, that was just a bonus.

XXX

The ritual ended, and, as with Miranda, I quickly picked Oriana up in a bridal carry as her gown was wrapped around her. Just like her sister, she didn't even notice as she gazed into the middle distance, suffering the after-effects of being exposed to so much Eldritch energy with no prior exposure. And, just like her sister, I fully expected Oriana to make a full recovery, having seen Miranda busy herself around the living space as she'd typed away at a new laptop she'd acquired, along with collections of neatly piled documents and papers fresh from a portable printer beside her.

I'd barely finished that thought before the door to the studio swung open and Miranda stepped in, her eyes glanced at me, but immediately locked-on to the still form of her sister held in my arms. In a mirror copy of her sister a few days ago, long legs carried her to my side in distance-devouring strides, her eyes still fixed on Oriana as she moved.

"My sister? Will she be alright?" Were the first words she'd spoken to me since I'd last seen the designer being, worry and relief obvious on her face, but lesser in comparison to the near-panic of her sister when Miranda had completed her own ritual. Different expectations, perhaps? First-hand knowledge that the ritual, did, in fact, work? Maybe a combination of the two, or something else? A question for another time, perhaps, as there were other things to focus on at the moment.

"She'll be alright after she has some time to sleep the after-effects off and get her mind in order." I answered back, drawing a sigh of relief from the older sister as what tension existed in her frame disappeared at those words.

"So just like me, then?" Miranda queried, getting a nod in return.

"Exactly like you. Like I said to your sister, rituals like this are pretty high level things, and generally aren't carried out by, or on, those that are completely new to the capabilities of Eldritch Magics. A kind of exposure therapy is used to build up tolerance to this kind of thing, so as to prevent people from going catatonic after every ritual." I explained as we walked, Miranda moving ahead of me as we approached the door to the studio, holding it open for me as I slipped through, Oriana held still in my arms. Entering the main living area, I took a moment to take a better look around as eyes and sensors ran over collections of documents that had been neatly piled up on the table, along with the original notes that me and Oriana had made in the night before her own ritual had begun.

"You've been keeping yourself busy, I see." I noted, an amused lift echoing in my words as Miranda glanced back at me over her shoulder, a grin visible at the corner of her mouth.

"You and Ori left me plenty of material to work through and research. Besides, it beat sitting around doing nothing." Miranda retorted teasingly as she walked ahead, giving me great view of her jean-clad ass as she seemed to add a bit more sway to each step as we moved through the apartment-space. "Didn't you watch me?"

"At the beginning, yes, but that only went so far, and was more to ensure that there hadn't been any unexpected side-effects from your ritual. Not something that was very likely to happen, especially with the lengths I went through to ensure such would be the case, but better safe than sorry." I answered easily, getting a nod from her in return. "Aside from that, I spent most of my time focusing on getting Oriana through her ritual as safely as possible, along with directing a few expansion projects underground."

In truth, I'd been doing a fair bit more than that, but that accounted for the basics of what I'd been doing. A lot could be done in a few days, especially when one had access to a work force that didn't eat, sleep, take breaks or pause in it's work beyond what was required to go from task to task. In the time it took for Oriana's ritual to be completed, the network of tunnels had been expanded even further than before, now spreading underneath a large part of the city and spreading the influence of the Typhon Hivemind with it. Care had been taken as the work had progressed, ensuring that as the tunnels grew, there wasn't a chance of someone stumbling on to them, being buried deep enough underground to avoid detection. Something helped along by the various sensor-defeating systems and sensor deflecting materials, never mind the influence of the Hivemind itself, that would ensure that no one would discover them.

At least, not without literally unearthing them entirely, at any rate.

Of course, that, and the other projects I'd been monitoring, had quickly taken a backseat when it came time to spin the wheel of fortune once more. I'd felt it open up, the options floating in the back of my mind even as I kept a close eye on the ritual taking place between my various physical bodies. The choice laid out to me was simple: I could either roll for more ME-technologies, or I could roll for something completely new, and see how that went. In keeping with my original plan, I'd decided to roll for something completely knew. The moment the decision was made, I felt the traces of my current specialty in Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei-based technologies disappear as the wheel started to spin.

A moment and an eternity followed, as the wheel spun on a cosmic axle that disappeared into infinity, only for it to stop at a new point of light that bloomed into something new within my mind. Words, equations, designs and knowledge quickly filled my mind a second later, recognition coming soon after as SECOND combed through the new information and compiled it into documents meant to make assimilation of it easier still.

"Useful?" Miranda questioned, moving ahead of me as she opened the door to Oriana's room, before quickly moving to the side of the comatose woman's bed and lifting up the covers.

"Very." Was my answer as I slid Oriana under the covers, pulling my arms back to allow Miranda to gently lay the cover back over the still form of her sister as I retreated back to the living area.

Stepping back into the living area, I stopped by the table, looking over the various documents that Miranda had been working on since the morning after her ritual had been completed. I saw stock reports laid out next to internal memos and financial reports for a number of organisations I'd stated an interest in while talking with Oriana. Alongside those, I carefully examined several documents detailing housing and property prices in Brockton Bay, along with estimates of various costs attached to them, such as labour, material and equipment. Shifting a piece of paper to one side, I spotted a stock report for Medhall hidden underneath a few others, apparently added for the sack of completeness, but didn't get too far into it as I heard feet quietly padding along the carpeted hall.

"I'd rather avoid Medhall, if at all possible." I noted, eyes still scanning over the document as SECOND ran a cross-check with the information presented on the paper before me as I turned my head to face the woman beside me.

"Oh? Any reason for that?" Miranda inquired as she padded over to me, choosing to lean on the edge of the table to my left as she crossed her arms across her chest and peering down at the paper in question.

"Medhall, Mead hall" I gave, as way of an answer. Many things could be said about Miranda and her sister, but stupid wasn't one of them as the answer clicked into place.

"Empire?" I nodded, before adding.

"And their European backers, the Gesellschaft."

"Anders knows?"

"Anders is Kaiser, his father was Allfather, founder of both Medhall and the Empire Eighty-Eight." Miranda grimaced slightly, clearly having had a few ideas for that particular company, but the link to the Empire, and by extension, the Gesellschaft, had just made that a non-starter.

"I see." Was her only verbal response to that, gears spinning, grinding and thrashing against one another within her mind as she sighed ever so slightly before she continued after a moment. "I'll need to reconsider a few of the ideas I've written out, but most of them should still be workable with a few edits. It's a shame, really, with Medhall being one of the biggest and more profitable employers in the city, and yet, being little more than a front for two different Neo-Nazi groups."

"Very true." I noted agreeingly. "Though, even though it is a front, it still generates income for those two groups, ones that have done their best to keep any possible associations as hidden as possible. One wonders what might happen should such things come to light, don't you agree?"

"Indeed." Miranda smiled slyly, hearing the implications as she stood back up, pushing away from the table as she turned to face me fully. "A few rumours, along with the right facts, could certainly draw some attention to such an association, even if nothing was stated outright."

"Something to consider in the future, though, I can definitely see a few patterns that could be used to highlight certain trends in Medhall hiring and firing policies." I remarked with a smirk of my own, as SECOND dug through internet archives and pulled up news reports on arrests made on Medhall employees found guilty of one crime or another. Interestingly enough, they came from a wide range of ethnic groups, bar one, white. "I'll forward you a few things I've found, but I'm pretty sure it's just the tip of the iceberg."

"Thanks. At the least, having a place to start should make things easier." Miranda acknowledged, before continuing as she gestured to the table. "So, should we begin?"

"... No, let's wait until tomorrow, once Oriana is up and about. More heads being better than less, and all that. Besides which, it should also save time in that Oriana won't need to play catch-up to figure out what we're doing and where we are in things." The answer came after a moment of thought, but seemed pretty obvious, since keeping everyone on the same page and working towards concurrent objectives would help make things more productive.

"Alright." Miranda agreed, as I stepped back from the table and turned to make my way out of the Lawson sisters' living space. I barely took three steps before Miranda spoke up once more, speaking in a tone I'd have almost called purposefully casual. "Though, there was one other thing I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh? Sure, what did you wan-?!" Was as far as I got in my question as I stopped, turning back to face her. Any further words were silenced as Miranda closed the distance between us, grabbing two fistfuls of my T-shirt and pulled both of us together as her lips slammed into mine. Cherry, was my only thought for an instant as augmented neurological systems failed me, my mind grinding to an near-instant stand-still even as all sensory sensitivity spiked and took everything in, making me hyper-aware of the woman that now pressed herself against me.

Her lips tasted of cherries, lipstick applied in the last minute from a designer brand. SECOND produced a full report on both the brand and the lipstick itself.

Her hair, previously messy, tangled and clumped together, now cascaded down from her head in brown waves that spoke of professional care and attention. SECOND found camera footage of Miranda visiting one of the best hair salons in the city.

Her clothes, previously loose and concealing, had been replaced with a pair of tight, low-rise dark blue jeans and a tight, low-cut white tank top that hugged her body, showing off her naval and well toned body in equal measure. SECOND hacked store databases, cross-referenced with CCTV camera footage, and revealed that they were designer brands as well.

All of that was taken in and processed in a moment, as my body moved, directed by the remnants of subconscious instincts as my hands slowly slide up to grasp the sides of Miranda's waist. One hand moved around and down, grasping at her full ass and pulling it closer, fingers pressing down and squeezing the mass of firm flesh. The other hand moved upwards, tracing the curve of the woman's back as it came to a stop just under her shoulder blades, pulling her closer and pressing her generous chest further into mine. Lips, previously still with surprise, started responding as I moved to match the woman in my arms. Tongues slipped out, dueling between us as Miranda responded in kind, one arm wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling her up and deepening the kiss as the other grasped the back of my head and pulled me down to her. I felt her fingers run through my hair, nails tracing across skin.

It was a kiss, and I knew exactly how long it lasted, and yet, I also didn't. It lasted for moments, but felt like an eternity as I lost myself in it, enjoying it as everything else disappeared.

And then it was over, and I forced myself to pull back as Miranda did the same, panting breathlessly as she gulped down air, her face flushed, but an undeniably pleased expression carved onto her features.

"... Well... That's one hell of a conversation..." I couldn't help but utter after a moment of pseudo-silence, drawing a snort of amusement from the lady in my arms, who grinned like the cat that caught the canary.

"I thought you might." Miranda commented teasingly, having regained her breath as she paused, seemingly gathering her thoughts as her hand lazily traced shapes against my back as her expression turned solemn.

"You've done a lot for us, for Oriana and I." Miranda began. "You gave us a choice, and a chance, that most wouldn't even consider giving, especially given how we met. You trusted us enough bring us here, to your workshop, and gave us a safe place to stay, eat and rest without fear of being dragged from it in chains. You gave us the opportunity to build new lives for ourselves, beyond our Father's reach. And now, you've given us the true freedom we've dreamed of, ever since we ran away from Henry Lawson, to be able to live a life free from him and his machinations. For that, we owe you more than words can ever describe, more than I think we'll ever truly be able to repay."

"So..."The woman in my arms continued, her voice transitioning from it's original solemn and candor timbre, to something lighter, more flirtatious, as she leaned in close and pressed herself against me, more so than before. "I want you to know that, if you need anything, anything at all...? All you need to do is ask~..."

With that last remark, little more than a breathy whisper in my ear, I felt her press her lips against my cheek before she pulled back, slipping free from my arms as she turned and walked away, a heavy sway in each step that drew the eye as she moved.

"See you in the morning, Nathan." Was her last words as she disappeared from the living area, a wink and a grin thrown my way over her shoulder just before she turned down the corridor towards her own room. Even then, I heard her walk, heard her heart beating and spontaneously knew the results of a half-dozen social programs running in the back of my head as SECOND compiled them all together. In truth, they were unneeded, but they helped me accept that this was no deception, no trick or trap. Miranda's sincerity was obvious, her gratitude unfettered, and she'd believed every single word she'd spoken, regardless of the implications that sang through my head as I ran back over the words, again and again.

It was unexpected, beyond anything I'd expected, but, as I ran a hand down my lipstick-marked cheek, I found that I couldn't argue with the result of it. And in turn, I was thankful for it. Thankful for the rare moment it had offered, where I'd been able to just forget about the oncoming extinction, the Illuminate-wannabes, and a dozen other things besides, and just enjoy the moment. To just... Be. No stress. No deadline. Nothing, beyond me and her.

I couldn't help it as a slight smile pulled at my lips, treasuring the memory as I walked back over to the table and leaned against it, hands pressing against it's surface as I leaned back, looking up, seeing beyond the ceiling. Friends were hard to come by, and trusted friends, true friends, were worth their weight in Rare Earth Elements. Now, thanks to the ritual I'd just carried out for the Lawson sisters, I'd didn't doubt I'd just found two friends for life, both who'd trust me with their lives, and who I could talk to ask myself, rather than as a mask. Not to mention, it also gave me two new reasons to fight, to win, against what was coming. That thought caused my smile to shift into a grin, as an old phrase came to mind.

"Your mind is software. Program it. Your body is a shell. Change it. Death is a disease. Cure it. Extinction is approaching. Fight it." I spoke aloud, filling the silence with my words as I found them oddly appropriate, for a number of reasons.

Extinction was on the horizon, the good night was falling.

It was time to prepare, for we'd soon rage, rage against the dying of the light.

XXX

AN: Well, there you have it, things are starting as plans are being made and it won't be much longer before things start spontaneously combusting at random. Still, hope you all liked it and, as always, feel free to give suggestions, feedback and comments as the story progresses.

Also, for anyone interested:

Eclipse Phase (single-stage)

Nano-based technologies: Everything from the creation of equipment, weapons and even entire Morphs, to the construction of Nano-Hives and the design of Nano-based drugs and toxins. Everything has some basis in Nanotechnologies, with the higher levels allowing for self-replicating 'grey goo' weapons, and even more advanced forms of technologies, such as Femtoswarms.

The Stack: An implant designed keep a constant record of the Brain and all that happens within it, effectively acting as a backup memory drive for the Human experience. Should a being implanted with a Stack be killed, they can be resurrected via implanting/downloading the memories into a fresh Morph, otherwise known as Resleeving, allowing for a form of Immortality through transference from one form to the next. If the Stack cannot be retrieved, then the memories stored in archives can be used instead, though, any new memories since the last upload will not be present, and will not be known to the newly reborn individual.

AI technologies: From things of animalistic intelligence, to self-evolving AI-godminds, machine intelligences have come in many shapes and sizes. Some hostile, some friendly, but none can doubt their capabilities in either form.

VR and Psychosurgery: The creation of virtual worlds is hardly a new concept, but the capability to alter one's perception of time within it is. Alterations made can be used to create new existences just as real as The Real, or so completely different as to boggle the mind. However, such programs are a two-way street, allowing for the manipulation of the mind through the right methods and techniques, and allowing one to reshape and individual as though they were a Potter shaping wet Clay.

Augmentations and Morphs: A vast collection of bodies and alterations, both mechanical and biological, that can be applied in any number or combination one might desire, allowing for the creation of truly impressive beings, regardless of their humble beginnings.

The Exsurgent Virus: A virus of Extra-terrestrial origins, it's full capabilities unknown and it's purpose unclear. While recreating the exact virus is next to impossible, drawing inspiration from several of it's strains is not, and recreating the effects of many more well within the grasp of those with the right knowledge. Such a thing can also be said for the many things created as a result of it's arrival, and those victims that suffered because of it...

Pandora Gates: Wormhole gates originally assumed to be constructed by the TITANs, but other evidence points to a far more ancient origin. Each gate allows for the connection to uncountable possible destinations, assuming that a full network is present. Though, even if it was initially designed as a transportation system, the possibilities of weaponization still remain...

Chapter 49 - 7