Request for the Field
Jackie walked the narrow corridor to Patrick McGregor's office, the sound of her metallic boots echoing against the brushed-steel walls. The hum of overhead conduits was almost hypnotic, a steady undertone to the chaos brewing in her mind. Each step reminded her of the precision tests she had just completed, the microfractures she had detected, and the subtle anomalies BDJ had flagged in the lab.
This isn't enough, she thought. She needed to secure her place within all of this. She didn't often think of them, her hand moving to the locket she carried in her hidden compartment on her hip. An old photo her mother gave her the last time she saw her family. It was photos of he and her twin brother, her mother's most precious possession.
It was a reminder of her duty to them. Sure their status would always be elevated because they had a family member who had become a cyborg. Sure they would always be able to stay in the outer curves of the city and have their picks of jobs and her brother could have the best education, but things would be better for them if she was alive and strong.
The stronger she was the better off they would be.
But it wasn't just about her family was it. It was that age old truth, only the strong survive. If she were weak she could be swept away. Her strength was her security, her truth, and her shield.
And she was determined to be strong.
At the door, she paused. Through the translucent panels, she could see Patrick hunched over a holographic display, his hands weaving through streams of data that shimmered in midair. His assistant hovered nearby, tapping out sequences on a secondary panel. The two didn't notice her at first; the room was filled with the low murmur of numbers, calculations, and the faint buzz of energy coursing through the lab's infrastructure.
She paused, her ocular implant quietly whirling. Her vision blurred, focused, and blurred again. Then the information streamed in:
"…. Island Stratos Pelagia …. Hydraulic anomalies…. Possible island destabilization… central island sectors compromised."
Along with the information data poured in as well. Her mental processors began calculating. BDJ whispered softly.
"Central Hydraulic array compromised. Primary stabilization of the city plate at risk. 45% system degradation. Only 26% probability of solving the island. Population evacuation suggested.
Her eye lit up. This is what Jackie needed. A 26% probability of success. If she solved this problem she would be on her way to becoming stronger.
GGregor was right she did need field work to make her stronger. Her systems evolved everything she was stressed.
She just needed to stop almost dying every time she entered a new stressful situation.
A cable extended from her cybernetic palm and entered the cyborg identification port. The Nexus Directive's AI spoke, its digitized voice breaking quiet.
"Cyborg Jackie Cannon"
Both Patrick and his assistant stopped and looked up and into her direction simultaneously.
Jackie looked at them blankly as she spoke. "Sir, you wanted to see me?" Her voice was steady, but inside, her heart beat faster. Not from fear—she was beyond fear—but from anticipation.
Patrick's cybernetic eyes assessed her carefully before he spoke. "Jackie. Enter." His tone was calm, almost too calm. She stepped inside, noting the faint glow of her ocular systems reflected in the panel just behind him.
Before he had a chance to speak she rushed through every thought in her brain.
"I want to go to Stratos Pelagia Island. I feel that I can help and fix the hydraulic system there.
"Is that a main purpose for cyborgs? Why wait until the island collapses to go in? Fix it before the people need to be evacuated.
"I can do this."
She didn't beg but her eagerness overflowed.
Patrick's hand hovered over the holographic panel. He didn't respond immediately, which was both frustrating and expected. The assistant shifted, fingers poised, waiting for direction.
BDJ whispered quietly in her mind.
Observation: Probability of approval low. Prepare contingency.
Jackie tilted her head slightly, a tick in her neural network aligning her ocular feed to monitor Patrick's subtle muscle movements. She could see the hesitation, the micro-adjustments of his posture, the slight rotation in his ocular units.
"Jackie," Patrick said finally, "… Stratos Pelagia Island … volatile. The recalibration teams there have reported structural stress. It's not a trivial assignment. The military is actually on standby for evac."
"I understand," she said, meeting his gaze. "But I also understand these systems. If you allow me to go, I can assess the structural weaknesses directly and stabilize them before failures cascade."
The assistant leaned forward. "Sir, if I may…"Her voice was neutral, but Jackie could detect the underlying calculation. "She has shown unusual adaptation in recent tests. Her ocular and neural interface metrics exceed standard parameters. If we deploy her, she may be able to resolve anomalies faster than conventional teams."
Patrick remained silent a moment, watching her. Finally, he said, "You are aware that this is a field assignment. No safety protocols can guarantee your survival."
"I am aware," Jackie said. Her human muscles tensed slightly, her cybernetic side humming softly in response, as if sensing the upcoming trial. "But I want to Become stronger and I am starting to believe that General Thorne is right about field work."
Patrick's eyes lingered on her for a long moment, then he leaned back, fingers tapping the holographic panel in rhythm. "Very well," he said slowly. "I'll authorize limited access. You'll be under remote observation… and tethered to the directive's surveillance nodes." He looked to his assistant.
"Send Sura with her for both observation and backup."
He looked back to Jackie. "Please don't tell Gregor that you think he is right."
Jackie's eye flickered faintly red, a small acknowledgment of the tether, her systems already interfacing with the network.
BDJ whispered in amusement.
Observation: Probability of field success significantly higher than projected. Begin mental preparation.
She straightened, inclining her head. "Thank you, sir. I won't let you down."
Patrick nodded, dismissing her with a wave. "Prepare immediately. A transport pod will be ready within the hour, to take you to the bay. Report directly to the loading bay."
As she turned to leave, her ocular feed detected a subtle shimmer along the corridor—micro-interference patterns, just enough to suggest someone had tried to mask their presence.
BDJ flagged it immediately. "Observation: External monitoring active. Likely an unknown party. Probability: covert interference detected."
Jackie made a mental note. She didn't need to know who, but her systems would track the anomalies. She walked back through the corridors, each step precise, mind calculating, anticipating the transport, analyzing the potential challenges she would face once she reached Stratos Pelagia Island.
An hour later she was ready. Anticipation flowing through every system.
Outside, the city shimmered under the neon drizzle, reflections rippling across the streets and metallic surfaces. The transport pod awaited, silent and sleek. Jackie stepped inside, letting her systems interface with the pod's controls, integrating her neural network with the ship's navigation array. The lights within the pod illuminated around her.
The systems checks processed through her neural processors and she became a passive observer as BDJ checked and cleared everything as the pod prepped for departure.
As the doors sealed, she looked at the city one last time. The familiar hum of machines, the faint glow of neon, the ever-present hum of data… all of it would fade soon. Beyond the city lay unknown structures, stress anomalies, and the very real possibility of danger.
Her systems adjusted automatically, nanofiber suit calibrating to every micro-movement. BDJ's whisper was calm, almost teasing.
"Prepare. Adapt. Survive. Learn."
The pod lifted smoothly, cutting through the rainy night, leaving the city and the lab behind. Ahead lay the Stratos Pelagia Island, unpredictable and unstable. Ahead lay her improving. Ahead lay the test she had been waiting for. Ahead lay the next step forward.
Jackie allowed herself a small smile. This… this was where she belonged.