Sitting on the edge of the soft sofa cushion, Kanashima leaned over the small coffee table, a half-eaten round burnt orange fruit resting in her right hand. The sweet, nutrient rich drupes helped calm down her jittery muscles after the latte, something she was very thankful for. The overall heightened presence was nice, great for her continued studying of the information dump, but the erratic movements were disturbing her focus. Taking the last juicy chunk that the current fruit had to offer, she tossed the single seed back to the table, adding to a slowly growing pile.
Ready with the next snack, the Bountiful Basket sat to the right of her visual panel full of the same foodstuff she's learned to love. Another one rolled in her scratched up hands as she explored the final details of the main scarlet panel. Requesting details once more from the virus, more red lines of light converged under the original holographic screen.
[Properties: Voidspawn, Voices from the Void, Inverse Pressure]
[Voidspawn: The void is your home. You are recognized as one of them.]
[Voices of the Void: The void is watching, and it sees everything around you.]
[Inverse Pressure: Your moments of clarity are under extreme conditions.]
Oh God, it's more esoteric than before.
When connected with her intrinsic, her first property made sense. If she was the Void's daughter, she would also be a spawn of it. The second one she figured out on her own after the first bout in the real world, more or less. It was nice getting the confirmation from the virus that the system actually had a hand in applying that sweet, soft voice in her head, also explaining why it was so helpful. It must've generated when she heard the voice first inside the simulation, unfortunately this one couldn't exactly respond to her when prompted. The Void, or rather, the voice of it should've been able to answer what the numbers or the weird designation of people meant before meeting Kailao. Some dumbed down version of the enigmatic helper was still better than nothing though, and it had definitely been invaluable during the chase.
This last one though… clarity? What makes a condition extreme?
The first idea that passed through Kanashima's mind concerned inclement weather, such as huge monsoons or a huge earthquake like that one several years back. Maybe the virus was referring to something with measurable values attached; there were scientific terms that defined extreme based on a value differential, she just wasn't educated enough for that. Those were certainly extreme circumstances, but gaining some sort of peace of mind couldn't be that helpful unless she was going to fight to the death under the wave of a tsunami while doing chemistry.
Looking back at the name, the most helpful clue that had been evading her for the longest time finally clicked into place. If the ALFA virus generated a property talking about pressure, then the feelings of pressure must've been connected with the extreme conditions mentioned in the description. Being under enough pressure to trigger this property is what fueled the clarity. The four on one situation she found herself in last night was definitely one where she was feeling the heat, and the serene and calm state of her mind was very odd to her, even in the moment. The attribute helped her get out of that one alive, processing things faster than she ever had before was a unique experience, but one that did not go unappreciated.
The recent epiphany had her all smiles, falling back into the comfortable embrace of the couch, fruit still in hand. Finishing off the delectable snack, she tossed the seed back onto the table. Glancing up at the holographic clock on the wall, there were still three hours left until Cipher's shift ended today, and she had already finished entertaining herself. She ate a couple more of the fuzzy fruits before laying across the couch once again, coming down from the influx of caffeine. Closing off her gunmetal grey eyes from the bright fluorescent lights, she felt herself drifting away from a fully conscious presence.
I should try to sleep. My body just hurts.
Turning away from the light and onto her good side, she grimaced. Those last two dreams were so disturbing, they seared themselves into her brain. Two pairs of eyes stared back at her through her mind, an icy blue right next to the same gunmetal grey, both drooping with disappointment.
I don't have to deal with this.
Turning away from the disapproving stares, she met a group of five individuals, all with varying looks of dread and despair, almost screaming at her. The lifeless expressions were all burned into her memories as well, serving as a morbid reminder of who she was, each promising the same thing. No monster like her deserved nice and quality sleep.
"Hey, wake up! Good morning! C'mon, get up."
Incessant tapping on the top of her scalp shook her out of her restless, awful stint of sleep. Shifting around in her prone position, she finally faced herself up to meet the person determined to drag her out of slumber. Following the white gloved arm from her head, she met the gaze of a deep pool of light blue eyes smiling back at her.
"Hello."
"Alright, c'mon, up up up."
Grabbing onto Kanashima's still functional arm, the adorable man pulled her up onto her feet. Going from her lying position to standing made her head spin, but she managed to hold onto her balance well enough to not collapse, relying on Cipher's support to continue standing.
"What's your battery lookin' like?"
"It feels solid?"
"No, like the percentage! We can get a quick top off before we go. I'm personally full but if ya need it, you need it."
"Ah, right, of course."
How do I view that? Is it the same as the previous menus?
[Battery Percentage: 94%]
[Battery Health: Great]
[Capacity: 4 Flags]
[No abnormalities detected. Last scan two days ago.]
[Run scan?]
A radial circle appeared to the right of the number, the ring almost filled up all the way. Opening the battery panel as straightforward as the other two had been, shifting her concentration from her storage to the core and to her coils didn't call for any learning. She had no clue what flag meant in terms of energy storage, but the rest of the panel was simple enough.
"Ninety four percent."
"That's good! We can top that off really quick if you'd like, but not necessary. It would take just a minute."
"Wild Eyes has a supercharger here?"
"Oh, Kailao showed you one already?"
Kailao? He's connected to these guys? Is he part of the rebels?
A simple nod was all she managed, her brain moving far too fast to hold up the conversation vocally. Unknowing or uncaringly, Cipher continued to drag her along through the back area and down some steps she never knew existed until now.
How fun, another hidden basement. Seems to be a common theme. I always wanted one.
The supercharger experience at the cafe was similar to the one under the convenience store, just with more stations to accommodate the collective of Electrogens sponsored by the rebellion. That group now included her, even if she wasn't technically part of their cohort.
If this is how they treat their members, maybe it really is better than regular life.
"We'll take my car, c'mon!"
"You have a vehicle?"
"Yup, it's just… there she is!"
Standing just a few meters from the alleyway entrance, a long gloved hand pointed into the street directly at a sleek, low to the ground coupe. The entirety of the exterior was blacked out, down to the rims and tinted windows. Rolling to a stop, the triplet motor held a soft purr, opening the driver side door and awaiting its owner. The feminine employee strolled forward, ahead of her, and climbed into the right side of the vehicle.
"What's wrong? Hop in!"
Nodding quickly, Kanashima dashed around the vehicle. As she approached the other door, it swung open right in front of her automatically. The interior leather, real wood, and periwinkle accents inside were just as, if not, more beautiful than the rest of the automobile. Sinking into the soft and cushy seats, her back sang at the proper lumbar support. Leaning into the curved backrest, a leather strap wrapped around her shoulder and down to her opposite side waist, tethering her to the carseat.
Wow, this is incredible. Just how rich is Cipher… how rich is the whole group? Am I really okay here?
"This is… a very nice vehicle."
"It is, isn't it? I wouldn't have splurged so much, but Serafin really insisted. It's hard to say no to your boss, haha. Said I'm going to need something fast as hell."
Turning his attention forward once more, a mechanical lock retreated back into the vehicle as it lurched forward, accelerating to speed along the side road. The buildings scrolled past faster and faster through the dimmed windows, carrying the duo out of the district.
"You get paid enough to afford this?"
"That and the group sponsors vehicles, we all have to have one. Serafin has a vehicle too, you rode in that to the terminal."
"You have the more luxurious one?"
"I'm usually driving her around, that's why she gave the okay on the two seater. If you join, you'll have more of a pick since your partner isn't assigned. "
"I don't have that kind of education."
"We'll also get you an accelerated course."
"Are you trying to convince me to join?"
"Is it working?"
A purple flicker of light through the front windshield caught Kanashima's eye, shimmering across a small patch of asphalt in the sun. Blinking a few times, she registered the calling card of what she presumed was her bug at work, but the vehicle was moving too fast for her to alert Cipher with any sort of legible meaning. The tire blew through the rather large puddle of liquid, losing all notes of traction with the street and slinging the vehicle to the side.
An almost inhumane reaction time accompanied Cipher as he swung the steering wheel, turning into the slip and pulling out of the slide in record time, all while looking relatively unfazed. The vehicle continued to hum along the track as Kanashima took her time recovering from the shock, right hand knuckles turning white around the corner of her seat cushion.
"See, accelerated driving course! Brilliant work they do there, really."
Yeah, maybe if I don't die before it.
The rest of the drive was as smooth as the stretch before the pool of unlucky water. Some time soon after the introduction to Wild Eyes' joining bonuses, the supercar driver adjusted something in the center of the dashboard. The speakers of the low rider rang to life a bass heavy melody, replacing the silence with the song from his morning routine. She found herself actually nodding along to some of the beats as they drove through the suburbs of the neighboring district. Finally slowing down after a right turn, the vehicle came to a complete stop in front of a rather sizable three story house.
"Sorry, I have to stop by my home quickly! It won't be a minute, at least I hope. Actually- scratch that. I know how Fontaine gets when I bring home cafe desserts. Ah, do you want to come in?"
"Me? Into your house? Are you sure?"
"Can't have you sitting in the car. My sisters are really kind, they'll take well to you! Just don't talk about anything Wild Eyes, I'd really rather they don't get involved."
Stepping out of the car, her coworker walked around to the other side and manually opened up the passenger car door. Helping Kanashima step out of the vehicle, he dragged her along to the front door.
"It's Lilith!"
"I've been dying for those sweets!"
"Ah… I'm home…"