[SHORT STORY] Dust Devil - Part 03

[…]

[… … …]

[Systems operational.]

Roe opened her eyes.

Her Display was flashing Danger signs all over her vision. She could instantly feel that something was wrong, but she didn’t know what. She was alive, however. By the stars, she was alive.

Oh, Mother. She thought. It seems you aren’t done with me yet…

After a moment of embracing the bliss of being alive. She noticed she was holding something. Not something – someone. The Martian.

They were in the corner of the train car. And they were upside down.

She dismissed the error messages from her vision. Her body could be repaired, at great cost to her Catevra, yes, but it could be repaired. A human body however, not to mention a Martian’s one, was far too frail and weak. She had to make sure he was alright.

She tried to get up, but failed and slipped back down. She slammed on the car’s ceiling, now floor – her left hand was gone. Great. Out of all the malfunctions, a severed hand was not what I was hoping for. The combination of her hardened skin and armored clothing was able to withstand most injuries that would otherwise maim a human. It wasn’t strong enough apparently, yet another annoyance to deal with.

She checked the Martian pulse – he was still alive. Miraculously, he appeared to have sustained no life threatening injuries. His mask was still intact, protective foils apparently did their job; although, Roe noticed, the mask was heavily damaged. That had to get sorted out first.

[30 minutes until system shutdown.]

What? She pulled up her error messages again. Her Carbon Dioxide filter was heavily damaged and working at less proficiency. She had to get it fixed, and fast.

Her Defense System however, was still functioning. That fact was why she was still alive. It managed to seal her wound before she lost too much blood. She inspected her hand, and found that a thin metal plate had been placed where the hole would be. Upon further inspection, she noticed the veins and subsequently her blood flow, had been readjusted to compensate for her missing hand. She mouthed a silent thanks to her mother – apparently her Molding made her even more impressive than people had led her to believe. Her annoyance evaporated.

However, just then Roe became aware of another frightening truth – the Dust Devil was still raging on.

She could hear it, the sharp whistling sound. Most people who heard the terrible scream of the Dust Devil never lived to tell the tale. This was Roe’s third time hearing it.

The sound was dampened however. Apparently, the train car had flown, and crashed, inside a cave. Roe almost burst out laughing at the realization. It seemed like her mother compensated for Roe’s staggering bad fortune with some staggering good fortune.

Roe soon deduced that her hand had to be cut from stray glass. The windows of the train cars were incredibly thick, made to specifically withstand Dust Devils. The rational being, if you were unlucky enough to venture into one, you would still survive inside the car. One window had cracked. The shard would have killed the Martian on the spot, for certain.

“H-Hunter…” Roe heard a whimper behind her.

The Martian wakes up on cue it seems. Roe thought.

“Miner.” Roe said, crouching next to him.

“We, we’re alive?” The Miner’s voice was barely audible.

“Yes. We – “

The fool actually went to take off his mask. Roe hurriedly grabbed his hand, stopping him. The Martian’s eyes went wide at the realization of what he was about to do. Novice is right. He is still not used to his mask. Dome sheltered fool.

“T-thank you.” The Martian said. “I-I’m such a fool.” Roe released his hand. “Thank you, Roe.”

Oh, stars. Roe cursed to herself. She had exchanged names with the Martian, before the storm hit them. Thinking that they wouldn’t survive.

“Roe?” The Martian, Jax, frowned. “You look – “

“Don’t ever utter my name, Miner.” Roe said, her tone vile. “And I’ll bestow the same courtesy to you.”

The Martian’s frown slowly eased. “Ah. Yes.” He said, voice sounding solemn through his mask. “I apologize.”

They sat there – quiet.

[25 minutes until system shutdown.]

“M-my Display isn’t working.” The Martian said.

“Is that so?” Roe asked.

“I can’t access anything.” The Martian said, rising to rest on his elbows. “It must have been damaged earlier.”

That shouldn’t be possible. She checked her own Display, and soon found the source.

“Your Display is not damaged, Martian.” Roe said. “Your Connection Port is. Martian Displays don’t work unless they are connected to the Web.”

The Martian looked at her, face puzzled. “Yes they do. What do you mean?”

“It’s a security measure installed to keep you in check.” Roe said. “If a Martian goes rogue, they lose the ability to access their Display.”

“That’s nonsense! Not only is it not true, but it doesn’t make any sense!”

“Think of it what you want, Martian. But we are currently trapped inside an active Dust Devil. And both our methods of breathing have been compromised. We won’t last long unless we reach a Refilling Shelter.”

His eyes widened again. Why did I have to get stranded with a Martian pup. Roe thought begrudgingly.

“Well, your Display is working.” The Martian said. “Couldn’t you just check the nearest one?”

“As I’ve said.” Roe said, tone clearly annoyed. “We don’t have Web access because we are in the center of a raging behemoth.”

The Martian eyed his mask. “One of my filters is damaged. I don’t know how long I have left…”

Roe glared at him. Did he even listen to what I said? She was now thoroughly annoyed.

The Martian however, seemed to be contemplating something. “I guess there is no choice.” He said, rising to his feet. Roe joined him. “Take my Companion System. If you can access your Display as you claim, it is the best chance we got of making it out of this storm alive.”

Roe blinked. She was too stunned to give the man a response.

“Look.” The Martian said. This time his voice was firm. “We don’t have much time. I’m not sure if a Hunter is allowed to have a Companion. But the punishment can’t be as harsh as dying from Carbon Dioxide suffocation, right?”

“Y-yes.” There was no punishment for using a Companion System. The Martian needn’t know that however. The reason why hunters never used one was because it disabled one’s Defense System. The Companion System was made to run every function and subsystem installed. Most Hunters that were fortunate enough to have used one, have told her the experience was most unpleasant. The Earthans and Martians however, were dependent and reliant on their Companions.

On top of that, getting one on Mars required a fortune in Cassis. A fortune that a first time Miner shouldn’t be predisposed to having. Which meant, her transport partner had not been sincere with her. Typical Martian prejudice. She was glad he was not that different from others she had met. She was fooled by –

“Hunter! Please! Our time is short and – “

“I’ll do it.” Roe said. “Anything is better than poisoning.”

The Martian nodded, slowly. “It must be torture for you. Disobeying your laws. Thank you.”

Roe merely nodded. Let him think she was playing the martyr. He wasn’t being fully honest either.

[20 minutes until system shutdown.]

He produced a double sided chip from behind his neck. Not only does he have a Companion System, but he also has an easy-access port. Roe thought, accepting the chip. He must think me a fool, continuing the mining charade.

Roe, also had an easy-access port. But she was Molded, she had most Artificial benefits. She removed her Defense System and replaced it with the newly acquired chip. Her Display asked if she wanted to hand over all functions to the Companion System. Oh, mother. I must be the biggest fool to have ever held a Gladio. She selected yes. And progress bars started to appear on her Display, she closed it.

“Well? No problems I assume?” The Martian asked, nervously.

“No problems.” Roe said. “It is being installed as we speak, it will probably take several hours before it is fully – “

[What do we have here?]

Roe almost jumped. She heard a smooth male robotic voice in her head.

[A new host? And a fully Artificial one at that? How exciting!]