The sterile white of the medical bay was the first thing to register. I was sitting up, and my vision swam for a second before stabilizing. Across from me, the doctor sat perched on a stool. The moment her gaze met mine, she was at my side.
"Are you feeling any glitches?" she asked, her voice calm and clinical.
"No, I feel fine," I replied, standing up. My movements were fluid, too fluid, like I was moving a body that had been meticulously oiled and balanced. A faint hum resonated within my chest—the miniature reactor already purring contentedly.
"Good. I've finished with the procedure. Just report any system hiccups immediately," she instructed.
"Okay."
I took a breath, the new systems analyzing the air quality, the faint scent of antiseptics, and the doctor's specific biological signature.
'AI, show me my stats,' I commanded mentally.
A transparent, azure window materialized in my view, overlaid with dense data. The sheer volume of it was overwhelming, a testament to the night's work.
[Name: Veridian
Race: Automata
Sub-Race: Timekeeper Agent
Core Stats:
* HP: 100,000 (Maximum structural integrity)
* Armor: 200,000 (External plating resilience)
Sub-HP:
* Head: 2,000
* Legs: 2,000
* Thrusters: 3,000
* Power: 100% (Energy Reserve. Gain: 5% per second when active skills are used.)
* Fuel: 125% (Jetpack/Propulsion reserve)
* Ammo: 125% (Internal ammo rack capacity)
* Coolant: 125% (Heat Dissipation Reserve. Gain: 5% per minute when active skills are used.)
Type A Purple Gear:
Equipment:
* Two custom 1911 pistols
* Two custom Mac-10s (ammo-linked)
* Data pad
* Personalized computer (left arm)
* Pocket watch (A nod to my designation)
* Thrusters (below the jetpack)
* Knives
* Plasma swords (hidden in wrists)
* Jetpack (located in the back)
Skills:
(All automaton skills consume power and coolant. Time skills primarily take power. Some can be activated automatically under certain conditions, but manual override is available.)
* Chronokinesis: Veridian can manipulate time to her will. She can stop it, speed it up, slow it down, reverse it, and even erase it completely.
* Paradox Creation: Veridian can compress time and space, making the future and past exist at the same time, thus creating multiple versions of said object simultaneously. Can be used to create copies of herself.
* Manipulation of Space: To a certain degree, Veridian is capable of warping space. (e.g., making a small house large on the inside).
* Time Bomb: Upon detonation, it can stop or slow down time in a certain radius or be switched into a regular bomb.
* Forced Injector (Red / Purple Protocol Required): Allows Veridian to quickly accelerate and decelerate, making her a formidable close-quarters combatant.
* Maneuver Armor (Blue / Purple Protocol Required): Reduces the stun duration caused by enemy attacks, allowing Veridian to better withstand damage.
* High-Performance Balancer (Red Protocol Required): Boosts close combat skills for more fluid and effective maneuvers.
* Emergency Evasion Controller: Allows for a quick dodge maneuver to evade attacks and reposition. (Auto/Manual switch available).
Auxiliary Skills (Passive)
(Does not consume power or coolant. Some are always active.)
* Timekeeper: The effects of time no longer affect you. You do not age. Powers that manipulate time do not affect you.
* Red Protocol: For aggressive, offensive fighting. Increase offense stats.
* Blue Protocol: For defensive fighting. Increase defense stats.
* Purple Protocol (Equipped): A balance of both Red and Blue protocols.
* Anti-Stealth: Disables stealth in a limited range.
* High-Performance Scope: Able to see up to 3km.
* Observation Relay Equipment: Able to see the status of enemies, detect hidden enemies, and provides sonar, early warning systems, and laser warning systems.
* Stings of Fate: Firing her guns, she will always hit her target no matter what.
Perks:
* Driving lv 1
* Basic military training lv 1
* Basic CQC lv 1
* Basic weapons training lv 1
* Space ship piloting lv 1
* Basic blades lv 1
* Basic instinct lv 1
* Jetpack training lv 1
* Space warfare lv 1
* Tactics lv 1
* Medical lv 1
* ... ( etc... )
Mods:
Solar Skin Mk3: Converts sunlight into energy.
Energy Converter Stomach Mk4: Converts food and water into power and coolant (inefficient).
Miniature nuclear reactor mk 7: Consistently powers the user without relying on sun/food. Stable enough that if shot, it won't explode.
Coolant generator mk 6: Creates coolant (5% per minute).
Mk 5 shield: Blocks lasers and ballistic weapons. Breaks upon heavy damage and requires a 5-minute recharge.
Subdermal armor mk 6: Underneath the skin. Blocks most pistol and rifle rounds, but useless against laser weapons.
Prototype Cloaking subdermal mk 4: Enables invisibility by reflecting light. Includes all held weapons. High power drain (10% per minute).
Mk 8 hidden weapon system (mk 3 HMG ammo link): Located in her right arm. Can launch a rocket or deploy a mini-gun.
Internal belt fed: Connects to compatible weapons (currently, the two custom Mac-10s).]
Holy, I am stacked! I'm completely OP with this loadout, I thought, suppressing a gasp. This wasn't just an upgrade; it was a total war-ready rebuild.
"Veridian." The doctor voice pulled me from the dazzling list.
I dismissed the stats window. "Yes?"
"Look, normally, getting this much modification in one sitting is insane, but because you're like me an Automaton it won't cause a system collapse. But you have to be extremely careful. Make sure no one else knows that you are an Automaton." Her tone had gone from clinical to gravely serious.
"Yeah, I will," I promised.
"Also, do you have a place to stay?" she asked, her demeanor softening slightly.
"No, I don't. I was planning to get one," I replied.
"No need. You can stay at my apartment," she said simply.
"Is that re—" I started, but she cut me off, holding up a hand.
"Yes, it's fine for you to stay. But you have to wait. I still have some appointments I need to deal with. You can wait at my office while I just finish up." She stood up, motioning toward a closed door.
"See you later, I guess," I said, a wave of gratitude washing over me.
Waiting felt like a waste of power. As soon as the office door closed behind her, I decided to test my new abilities, keeping the output to the absolute minimum so I wouldn't vaporize the furniture.
"I can see through walls and hear farther than before," I muttered, engaging the Observation Relay Equipment. The wall became translucent, and I could clearly see rhe doctor in the operating theater, performing a procedure on a human patient, her movements meticulous.
"Mhm... Let me test out my invisibility."
I activated the Prototype Cloaking Subdermal Mk 4. The world immediately became crisper as I, and everything I carried, began reflecting all light, erasing my presence.
"Nice!" I whispered, grabbing one of the custom Mac-10s from the table. The weapon, though now invisible to the naked eye, felt perfectly natural in my hand.
"This will be very useful."
The radar system within my vision flared a moment later, detecting the unique electrical signature of the doctor moving toward the office. I instantly deactivated the cloaking, settling back into the chair before she opened the door.
"Okay, I'm done with my appointments. Are you ready to go?" she asked, stepping inside.
"Yep," I said, standing up.
Before heading to the exit, a sudden wave of confidence—maybe bordering on arrogance—made me pause.
"Hey, Doc? Can I ask you a question?" I asked. She perked up, turning her head back toward me.
"What is it?"
"Well, with this upgrade, am I the strongest?"
She stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Huh!? Why are you laughing!" I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Sorry, sorry," she chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye. "You just caught me off guard. No, Veridian, you're not. There are far more powerful people out there. Right now, you're just in the middle."
"Explain," I said, a little confused.
"Well, you were created post-war. Back then, yes, you might have been the most powerful Automaton ever built, but now, you're just... an old relic. Like me." She shrugged.
I was mildly offended at the term 'relic.'
"I was created post-war, so even though you're technically newer than me, I have decades more experience than you," she conceded, which I simply nodded to. "Now, in the war, there were four primary classes."
"Four classes?" I repeated, intrigued.
"Yeah. The Defense Type, the Offensive Type, the Support Type, and the Balancer Type. As you can tell by my equipment, I'm a Support Type specifically, a Support Type B Medic, which means I have specialized healing equipment. The other types have sub-types too. And lastly, the Balancer Type... which is you." She looked at me seriously, the amusement gone.
"You're special," she said.
"Special? How?"
"Because you're the last Balancer Type in the universe. The technology to create a complete system like yours is lost to time."
A chill, a combination of pride and isolation, ran through my core. The last.
"So whatever you do, never tell anyone," she finished, her eyes drilling into mine.
"Yeah, I get it," I affirmed.
We headed toward the exit.
"Do you want to follow me in your car, or come with me in mine?" she asked.
"I'll come with you. I'll just leave my car here for now."
We walked out to the parking area and got into her vehicle, which looked like a sleek, aerodynamic sports car.
"If you have any more questions, just ask me, okay?" she said as I buckled in.
"Yeah, sure."
As we drove into the city, I was mesmerized. Flying cars—or rather, a steady stream of vehicles flying silently above the streets—whizzed past the windshield. It felt like something out of a century-old data-fiction file.
"You're giving me a weird look," The doctor murmured, focusing on the road.
I shook my head, already compiling a list of things to study later. After a short drive, we pulled up to a towering, high-tech apartment building.
"Here we are. Make yourself at home." She placed a keycard near the door panel, which slid open with a soft whoosh.
"Yeah, thank you for everything," I said, genuinely moved.
She smiled warmly and, without warning, pulled me into a hug. My enhanced sensors registered the comfortable weight of her own body, and I instinctively hugged her back, feeling, for the first time since waking, something akin to belonging.