Felix barely slept that first night in Haven. The quarters they'd assigned him were comfortable enough, a small apartment carved out of what used to be an office building, complete with running water and actual electricity. But his mind wouldn't stop racing, processing everything he'd seen and learned, already formulating approaches to the problems ahead.
When dawn broke through his window, painting the Mana barrier above in shades of gold and blue, he was already dressed and ready to go. Cyber had stationed herself in the main room, her systems in low-power mode but still alert. She activated fully when he emerged from the bedroom.
"You should have rested more," she said, her voice carrying a note of concern that was becoming increasingly human.
"Your body is still recovering from stasis. Pushing yourself too hard could damage the integration between your organic and mechanical components."
"I'll rest when I'm dead," Felix replied, then paused.
"Again. I'll rest when I'm dead again. That sounds less morbid."
"Not by much," Cyber observed, but she fell into step beside him as he headed for the door.
"The Engineering Division workshop is in Sector Four, about a fifteen-minute walk from here."
"Councilor Reeves sent a message overnight. She'll meet us there at oh-seven-hundred with the team she's assembled for your assessment."
The streets of Haven were already busy despite the early hour. Felix noticed that people moved with purpose here, everyone contributing to the community's survival in some way. He passed construction crews heading out to reinforce the eastern wall, farmers tending rooftop gardens that provided fresh produce, and children being escorted to school by armed guards who looked relaxed but alert.
It was a society that had learned to function under constant threat, and Felix found himself impressed by the efficiency of it all. In his time, cities had been chaotic sprawls where most people lived disconnected from their neighbors. Here, everyone knew they depended on each other for survival.
The Engineering Division occupied a cluster of buildings that had been transformed into a massive workshop complex. Felix could hear the sounds of industry before he even reached the entrance.
Metal being cut, welders sparking, the hum of Mana-powered equipment, and voices calling out measurements and instructions. It reminded him of the research facilities from his own era, that particular energy that came from people working together to build something new.
Councilor Reeves met them at the main entrance, looking more relaxed than she had in the formal council chamber. She wore practical work clothes, her hair tied back, and her hands were already smudged with what looked like lubricant or sealant.
"Mister Brixton," she greeted him with a firm handshake. "I hope you're ready for a long day."
"I've gathered twelve of our best engineers and technicians. Some are old world trained, most are second or third generation, but all of them are sharp and motivated."
"Fair warning though, they're also skeptical. We've had people claim to have miracle solutions before, and those usually ended in disappointment or disaster."
"I'd be skeptical too," Felix said honestly.
"Show me what you're working with, and I'll show you what's possible."
Reeves led them through the complex, pointing out different sections as they walked. "Main fabrication area is to the left."
"We can work with most metals and some plastics, though material quality is always an issue. To the right is our electronics and systems integration lab."
"That's where we try to reverse engineer old world tech and adapt it to work with Mana cores. Success rate is about forty percent, which sounds bad until you realize we're basically teaching ourselves everything from scratch."
They passed through a large bay where several vehicles in various states of repair were being worked on. Felix spotted what looked like a functioning hover transport being fitted with armor plating and weapon mounts. The sight sparked dozens of questions about power distribution and weight balance, but he filed them away for later.
"And this," Reeves said, pushing open a heavy door, "is where you'll be working."
The room beyond was spacious and well-lit by a combination of skylights and Mana-powered lamps. Workbenches lined the walls, covered with tools that ranged from simple hand implements to sophisticated diagnostic equipment.
In the center of the room stood a large holographic projector, currently displaying a rotating schematic of what looked like a Mana core assembly. And surrounding all of this were the people who would be Felix's team.
They turned as one when he entered, and Felix found himself being evaluated by a dozen pairs of eyes representing a cross-section of Haven's population. Humans, cyborgs, and even two androids stood among the group, each one watching him with varying degrees of curiosity, skepticism, or outright hostility.
Reeves gestured for attention. "Everyone, this is Felix Brixton, the engineer I mentioned yesterday. Mister Brixton, meet your team."
She started with the person closest to her, a woman in her forties with graying hair and the weathered look of someone who'd spent years doing hard physical labor. "This is Doctor Amara Singh."
"She's our lead materials scientist, specializes in Mana crystal formation and properties."
Doctor Singh nodded curtly. "I've read what little we have of your published research from before the outbreak."
"Your theories on energy density compression were decades ahead of their time. I'm interested to see if you can translate theory into practice in our current circumstances."
"Next is Chen Wei," Reeves continued, indicating a young man who couldn't have been more than twenty-five.
"Don't let his age fool you. He's a prodigy when it comes to Mana flow dynamics. Designed our current barrier generator optimization algorithm when he was seventeen."
Wei bowed slightly, his expression eager rather than hostile. "It's an honor, sir. I've been trying to recreate some of your original integration protocols for years. Having you here to actually explain them is like a gift from the old gods."
"We don't worship the old gods anymore, Wei," grumbled a heavyset cyborg with arms that were clearly built for heavy lifting.
"They died with the old world."
Reeves sighed. "That's Viktor Petrov, our chief fabricator."
"If you need something built, he's the one who'll either make it happen or explain why it's impossible."
"Usually the latter," Viktor said, but there was a hint of humor in his gravelly voice.
"I look forward to hearing your impossible ideas, Brixton. Maybe some of them will only be mostly impossible."
The introductions continued. There was Yuu Kimura, an expert in weapons systems integration. Marcus Cole, a former soldier who'd transitioned into military hardware design.
The two androids, designated Unit-7 and Unit-12, who served as precision assembly specialists. A shy teenager named Elena who apparently had a gift for predictive modeling. And several others, each with their own specialization and their own reasons for being chosen.
The last introduction caught Felix off guard. "And finally," Reeves said, "this is Ashley Chen, who you've already met."
"She'll be serving as our primary field tester and liaison with the Wielder Corps. Anything we build needs to work in real combat conditions, and she's one of our best for providing practical feedback."
Ashley grinned at his surprised expression. "Surprise. Guess I forgot to mention I'm also part of the Engineering Division's combat testing unit."
"It's how I can afford to maintain that fancy bike. Perks of the job."
Reeves clapped her hands once, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Alright, now that introductions are done, let's get to work."
"Mister Brixton, we have three days to convince the Council that you're worth the resource investment."
"I suggest we start by having you assess what we currently have available, then you can explain what you think we can accomplish with it."
Felix moved to the central holographic display, his fingers already itching to start manipulating the interface. "First, I need to see your complete inventory."
"Every Mana core you have, every piece of salvaged tech, every working tool and material sample."
"Then I need access to your research database, particularly any experimental logs from failed integration attempts. The failures will tell me as much as the successes."
"You'll have it all within the hour," Reeves promised.
"But before we dive into the technical side, I need to ask you something directly. Councilor Morrison isn't wrong to be concerned."
"Your original Mana Integration Project did destroy the world, even if that wasn't your intention. What makes you so sure that whatever you build now won't cause a similar catastrophe?"
The room went quiet, everyone waiting for his answer. Felix met Reeves' gaze steadily, appreciating the directness of the question.
"Because this time I'm not working alone in a lab, insulated from the real-world consequences of my decisions," he said.
"This time I have people like you and Ashley and everyone else in this room to tell me when I'm about to do something stupid."
"The original project failed because we were so focused on the theoretical possibilities that we didn't consider the practical dangers. We were arrogant, thinking we could control something we barely understood."
He looked around at the assembled team. "I won't make that mistake again."
"Everything we do here will be tested, reviewed, and validated before it goes anywhere near active deployment."
"We'll start small, scale carefully, and stop immediately if something shows signs of going wrong."
"I'm not here to be a genius working miracles. I'm here to be part of a team trying to make things better, one careful step at a time."
Doctor Singh exchanged a glance with Viktor, then nodded slowly. "That's a better answer than I expected. Most geniuses can't admit they need help."
"I'm not a genius," Felix said. "I'm just an engineer who's been given a second chance. I plan to make it count."
"Well then," Reeves said, a smile crossing her face. "Let's get started."
"We've got a world to rebuild, and only three days to prove we can do it. Wei, pull up the resource inventory."
"Viktor, start clearing workspace for prototype assembly. Everyone else, prepare for a very long day. Something tells me Mister Brixton isn't the type to take breaks."
"You're absolutely right," Cyber confirmed with a trace of amusement.
As the team sprang into action, Felix felt something he hadn't experienced since waking up. Not just hope, but genuine excitement.
These people weren't looking for a savior. They were looking for a colleague, someone who could work alongside them to solve problems that had seemed insurmountable. That, he could do.