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Lights are on.

Nobody’s around?

That’s odd. Usually White Coat is here.

...huh.

I’m bored.

Let me see if I can find them.

I’ve been practicing my balance, and if I get this correctly...

Yep!

I’m standing without a crutch.

This is no time to be proud.

I’m going to find someone, I guess.

Step, step, step...

The door is open.

Another room full of machines.

The window was a one-way mirror, huh.

Sort of expected it.

Step. Step. Step.

Another door, another step.

It’s a white hallway.

It looks an awful lot like my room.

There’s a sign on the wall.

What...?!

I can’t read it.

All I see is an arrow.

It says to go left.

Do I want to?

No, I’m going right.

Step, step, step, step, step...

A red arrow is pointing back where I came from.

Nope, not listening to you.

Another left turn, another long hallway.

I’m getting more confident with my steps.

Step-step-step-step...

I love this freedom.

Ah, it’s a junction.

Left or right?

Left looks like another white hallway.

Right is dark, and it has red lights on the walls.

Right seems cool, let’s go there.

Pad-pad-pad-pad...

The walls are rough, and have little hexagonal designs etched in... cool!

Whoa.

That’s one huge metal door.

It looks like it’d be thick.

Oh, what’s this?

Someone’s let something slip in the door crack.

A... pencil?

Maybe if I grab the edge of the door?

Yes! I’m in!

Tap-tap-tap down the hallway again...

Another door, but no pencil. Sad.

I can see a window.

It’s not to the outside like my room window.

There’s Blue Coat!

I wonder if White Coat is in there too.

Blue Coat looks angry.

I feel sorry for the dude she’s talking to.

Oh, she’s going up the stairs to the catwalk above the room.

And, she’s gone out.

At least she didn’t use my door, geez.

Oh, no!

The dude is coming my way!

Maybe if I crouch...

The door opens my way, so I can catch it at the apex of the swing.

Creak...kkk...

Now!

Just don’t notice!

He went down the way I just came.

I guess there’s no turning back now.

In the door, and...

Ka-chak.

We’re in!

It’s a large room.

Basically bare, although there’s a hatch in the middle of the floor, and a panel between me and the hatch.

Maybe the panel controls the hatch?

Let me see what I can do.

Tap-tap-tap-tap...

It’s all blue and white, but there’s a big red rectangle.

Is it touch-activated?

Oh, it is!

Shaa... Ksss... Kree... Vnnn.

Whoa.

It’s a pod!

It’s reminiscent of a stasis pod from old movies, or cryogenics...

Another red rectangle? I guess I’ll press you too.

Whoa!!

It’s opening!?

Ooh, smoke. I knew it was cryogenic.

What’s that? A metal man?

It looks about the size of me.

...It’s not doing anything.

Maybe I need to activate it at the pod?

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

Up close, it’s just a bit bigger than me.

It’s all glistening chrome, with nice grey steel accents. The eyes are a dull black, though.

There’s no face, just a rounded plate.

Come to notice it, the eyes feel like a different substance altogether...

HOLY-!

The eyes just lit up!!

They’re glowing pink!

Holy crap! This is awesome!

There are strips down the arms that pulse pink, as well as down the torso and legs.

Wait, what’s that on the palms...?

It’s like a raised bump...

Almost like if you reversed the inside of a speaker.

It’s glowing pink, too.

Whoa, this is some cool stuff.

Does it do anything? Is there a power switch somewhere on its head...?

Kasha-klank-klank-ksss...

No.

Way.

It’s opening up!

It looks like it could fit me inside it!

This is the coolest thing I have ever seen.

I’m going to step in, what the heck!

It’s comfy. Also claustrophobic, but thankfully I’m fine with that.

It’s closing up...!

Whoa, it’s pressurizing my legs... hngh!

It’s a tight squeeze, but... hey, it’s just right!

My torso feels the same way...

Oh, the face plate is closing up over my chin...

Over my mouth, my nose...

And my eyes...

...

It’s dark.

Is this what was supposed to happen?

Hey, I feel something poking the back of my hea- NNGH?!

“AAAAAAAAAGHH!”

HRNGH...!

Ah... hah... hah...

My neck... it hurts...!

Guh... what’s happening?

I feel... dizzy...

Weird lights are swirling in my vision...

Wait...

I can see...

It looks like...

The room?

I can see the room.

No, that’s not right.

I’m inside a robot! There was no openings in the face plate!

“G’kleft. Qadry Bofnir giplith.”

Wh... what...?

That sound isn’t coming from the robot.

It’s coming from inside my head...!

“Ah... he... hello?”

I didn’t understand a thing it said.

“Lostarc dimink giploth wertz.”

“Uh.. do you... understand me...?”

Ugh, my voice sounds like a frog.

This language is alien to me.

I wonder if I can move it...?

“Starting language sync.”

“Ah... what?”

Hold on, it just said something I understand!

Nngh...! My head hurts suddenly!

Hah... hah...

“Sync complete. Data logged. Full translation mode enabled.”

Why am I seeing letters and numbers floating aimlessly...?

Wait...

I can read that?!

The terminal! I can read the screen from here!

“Release Project Waveform”... I wonder what that means.

“Greetings. I am Project Waveform A.I. Version 0.9.3. Welcome, user.”

“I’m... not named user...”

“Very well. What would you like me to call you?”

What...?

What is my name?

I don’t know...!

Name, name, name... I don’t...

R...

R... ry...

“Ryu-ô.”

“Affirmative. Welcome, Ryu-ô.”

“Wh.. what is this?”

“This is Project Waveform. I am Project Waveform A.I. Version 0.9.3.”

“Can I... rename you...?”

“Affirmative.”

“Okay... Handro.”

“Affirmative. I am Handro.”

Whoa. This is sick.

“What... do you do?”

“Uploading basic knowledge now.”

Nngh... my head hurts again.

Gwah... it stopped...

Wait...

Project Waveform...?

a secret military experiment designed toEXOSKELETON MADE OF NEOCORE TITANIUM ALLOYSdeveloped over the course of two years byULTRASONIC SOUND WAVES EMITTED FROM PALMS, SOLES AND SHOULDER BLADESpurpose is to be the ultimateADAPTIVE COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND REACTIVE NANODES MAKEcost over sixty trillion in materials aloneUSER-INTERGRATED COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND COMMUNICATIONS ALLOWStake order back into the hands of theALPHA WAVES ALLOW FOR NEAR-PERFECTcontained in bunker 217 off the coast ofWARNING- EXCESSIVE USE WILL DESTROYthank you for your sacrifice.

Thank you for your sacrifice.

Thank

            You

                    For

                            Your

SACRIFICE

...

I...

I understand... I think.

It’s like I learned the basics all in one second.

It’s injected some sort of biocomputer into my brain, and that’s how it communicates with the suit. It uses my normal body movement to move the suit instead. It’s thought based, and it can speed up my brain processes to inhuman speed if necessary.

These nodes on my hands... they must be on my feet too, and my shoulder blades. Yeah. They emit... ultrasonic waves? I don’t know. Apparently it uses some sort of molecular spacing disruption to propel matter violently.

“Handro?”

“Yes, Ryu-ô?”

“Are you able to scan where I am?”

“Affirmative. Scanning.”

Whoa.

A pink pulse is rippling through the building. I see it all!

The hallways, the people, everything. Each one is outlined. I can navigate any corridor with one hundred percent certainty of where it will lead me...!

Is that...

Oh, hell incarnate.

It’s Blue Coat.

She’s coming back.

Whoa, that’ weird, how her outline gives way to her actual form.

“Wha... SECURITY! INITATE LOCKDOWN! PROJECT WAVEFORM IS LOOSE!”

“Handro! We need to move!”

“You are not ready for motion control to be instate-“

“Shut up and do it!”

Argh, my vocal chords hurt.

Whoa...!

I’m shaky, but it feels just like I’m in my regular body!

Can I walk?

K-tang, k-tang, k-tangg!

I’m running!

WHOOP, WHOOP, WHOOP!

Red lights? Why is alarms always red lights?

Let’s get out of here the way I came. Maybe I can make it out that way!

K-tang-k-tang-k-tang-k-tang...

Hopefully this will open...!

Hrah!

KKRAANGK! KA-RUNK!

Well, I knocked the door off its hinges. Sorry, dude who works here.

It sounds like I’m running with tin cans on my feet!

It was left, right, then straight...

Damn! They mobilize fast! They’re on my tail, and from the scans, it looks like they have weapons.

“Handro, do you have stealth capabilities?”

“Negative.”

“Ah, heck! I’m not wasting my time running around here!”

Oh, how do I use the node on my hand again?

That’s it!

Just punch, and...!

“REJECT!”

PWANG-KRACKOW!!

Holy hell!

That blasted a hole right through that six-inch thick concrete wall!

Whoa, I’m high up.

“Handro, we can fly, right?”

“Affirmative. Utilizing the Alpha wave technology, you can-“

“Cut the crap and let’s fly!”

Hup!

And I’m falling. What did I expect?

Reject!

Pwang-ang-ang-ang-ang...

No way!

It works!

Ah, wah, wha-

“Ryu-ô, if you will, flight is better suited if you place your hands out to your sides like wings with your palms facing back. Lean backwards, and hold the diagonal body position. Use your hands to balance.”

Eh...

Heh...

He’s right...

I’m actually flying!

The rooftops are whizzing by pretty fast. I should check where I’m going.

Whoa...

This city is huge! It’s got to be at least twenty miles straight across of urbanized cityscape!

And it has a huge wall around it! The wall looks tough, but I don’t like the looks of that energy shield either. I’m going to have to find a gate.

Scanning, scanning... there! A gate.

Angle my hands like this, and whoa, whoa, whoo, and we’re on course. This isn’t bad at all.

Whuppa-whuppa-whuppa-whuppa...

“Ryu-ô, we have two armed vehicles in pursuit on air. Caution advised.”

“Handro, can you hijack their radio or something?”

“Affirmative. Attempting frequency backtrace. Frequency found. Tuning...”

Scree... shh... ksshh... cree...

“Shoot that thieving rebel down!”

“Uh... stop!”

And now back to falling.

Oh? Let me just angle a bit better, and...

KRACK!

On a rooftop.

“Reject!”

PWANG!

Whoa!

This thing goes fast! Turn, turn!

“Re-reject!!”

PWANG!

And now I’m heading sideways. Nice.

“Ryu-ô, would you like to input predictive reasoning and reverse input buffering?”

“Y-yeah, if it’ll help!”

And my vision is blue!

Left! Reject!

And now I’m on the straight and narro-

PWANG!

Wait, what?

“What you see now is what will happen given current momentum in approximately two seconds. Your movement is buffered for the two second difference to prevent overcorrection. This helps you navigate at fast speeds without danger of failing since you have two seconds of leeway.”

Left, right, straight...

Okay, I get it.

I’m almost to the gate.

It’s still open! I can make it...!

KRANNG!

WHOA!!

Pwang, pwannng...

That was close! Why did it just close...?

“Ryu-ô, hostile is present and armed.”

Where are they..?

“Well, well, well. Looking to leave the city with your prize?”

It’s...

Blue Coat?!

No way!!

“Hmph. You won’t be getting past me. There’s no way to open that gate without my keycard, and the only way you’re getting my keycard is prying out of my dead hands.”

“Ah... I don’t suppose you’d just let me leave?”

“Hah! You think I’m going to go easy on you, rebel scum? Prepare to die.”

“Handro, do everything you can to make this easy for me.”

“Affirmative. Entering combat mode.”

Ka-shing, krrk-kang...

Whoa. My hands now have some wicked claws.

Wait, when did Blue Coat get a sword?

A rapier, to be exact.

“Ryu-ô. Her stance appears to be that of a professional fencer’s stance. By her muscle movements and breathing, she is very likely to be a formidable opponnent.”

If that’s the case...!

“REJECT!!”

FORWARDS!

PWANG-SWOOSH!

Dodge to the left, and then... reject!

A hit! That sent her off her balance, and now...!

Reject! And back towards her, while she’s got her guard down-

Swish-Shing!

WHOA! Left! Back again!

If I can’t push her away, I’ll claw her to pieces!

I need to catch that sword as she swings!

Wait, wait... now! Grab!

Swi-klank!

YES! REJECT!!!

PWANG!

Krackrush, shhc...

Oh hell.

That’s a lot of blood.

I didn’t know it would throw her that far.

I didn’t know she would hit the wall like that.

I didn’t know.

Oh

       My

              Living

                             Hell

Did I just kill her?!

“Ryu-ô, more hostiles inbound.”

“Ah, hell!”

Quickly! Grab the keycard, and swipe it on the strip by the gate, there...!

BEEP, GAKAKAKAKAKLANK.

The gate’s open! Get me out of here, reject!

Pwang-ang-ang...

The environment out here is totally different! It’s sandy, and the sun is beaming straight down...! I’m entering a desert!

I can hear them behind me...

Thp! Thp! Thp-thp-thp!

They’re shooting! It’s either the desert or death! Keep going!!

Pwang-ang-ang-ang...

Fwoosh-sh-sh-sh...

The sand is coiling around me... I can’t see! I’m heading into a sandstorm!

Thp! Fwizz!

“Further! Further! FURTHER!!”

ang-ang-ang-ANG-ANG-ANG-ANG...

hrraaaaAAAAAAHHHHHH!

ANG-ANG-ANG-AN-SSHH.

No, no!!

Oof, oof, ugh, agh!

Ugh... hah... hah...

Well, I fell.

And now that I’m in the middle of a sandstorm, the sand is covering me from all sides.

And my body hurts so badly that I don’t think I can move any more.

And all I want to do right now is sleep...

Hey...

Why are the lights turning off...?

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