[IC] The Cradle

[Cath]

Freyr smiled, pathetically grateful for Marae's calming demeanor. It felt like right now, she was at the tip of a titanic spear, moving wildly of its own volition. With the Sliske protocol now being activated, she knew Outremer’s entire infrastructure would rapidly be locked down in preparation for potential volatility. This highly choreographed chain of events had been planned by Outremer’s civil service at breakneck speed over the last few months.

Freyr briefly regretted not ringing President DeWinter herself, to plead again for an evacuation. She wondered where the head of the government was right now. In a bunker somewhere, dealing with a bombing and potential disintegration of Outreman society? Contemplating martial law? It didn’t matter now. She had her instructions, and the authority. She just had to do her best now.

“Yes, thank you. We’ll use them.” Freyr replied to Marae. “The Facilitator will know the Vault inside out, I presume. Use him if you need him. Let's keep comms tight, alright?” She turned to look at the Rothian soldiers taking up space in her already crowded command centre. “Osman, would you take these guys to the Green Room please? Get them settled in. You two as well.” Freyr looked at 595 and Vreta’Sori at this point.

595 looked at the Facilitator, who was currently still on the phone. ”There’s no time for that call with the DG. Let him know I’ll come in once the dust has settled here. Proceed with the plan until then.” The bald man glared at her. ”Alright. Don’t screw this up.” 595 nodded in response.

The Green room was long, thin and tight, with a belt of extremely robust vertical harnesses facing an equally thin observation room through a thick glass screen. 595 applied the same dark red clay to her face in a spiral pattern, starting in the divot between her nose and upper lip. She then let the technicians connect her up to her harness next to Vreta and Osman. Her mind was racing underneath the calm exterior. It was finally happening. “This is history in the making, girls and boys.” She announced over the thunderous background noise. “Let's put on a show.”

Freyr walked in, having made last-minute preparations with her team, and got secured. “Good luck everyone.” she transmitted, just before the harnesses initiated.

[EliteCommander]

Vreta was as ready as he was ever going to be. Eti as well gathered up the other four members of her team. Now that they did not have power to be concerned about, she could bring in her fireteam at its full strength. Whatever might happen, Vreta did feel more comfortable having them present to help. From his understanding, the Humans already had their own security present in the simulation, but they could act as a force multiplier if the Cradle creatures they encountered before showed themselves again.

The Green Room had already been prepared with the Rothians’ harnesses, so there were no more delays. It was at least more comfortable than trying to use a setup sized for a Human; he doubted soldiers like Eti would even be able to fit on the table of a Human’s harness. Comfort aside, using their own designs was also the only way they could be sure they could keep the designs of their technology secure.

---

From Vreta’s perspective, leaving reality came suddenly as soon as the harnesses were initiated. The transition was smoother into the Cradle than it had been for the Object on Rothia, though they had the benefit of centuries of Human refinement on that process. Even once they resolved the language issue, there were some minor differences in the Object’s processes that could make such transitions a bit jarring. Still, even if he had been feeling worse, Vreta would have pushed himself through regardless.

Now that they were in the simulation, only Vreta’s size set him apart from the Rothian soldiers around him. They had all been given full suits of powered armor and military-grade infantry weapons. It wasn’t the first time Vreta had worn this armor even in recent memory, but it still felt strange to him to have cause to use it. One thing he was sure of was that it felt amazing just to move around in the suit, particularly with how it could assist movement. For proper soldiers, its shield emitters could link with energy shield implants in the soldier’s own body to further enhance its defensive properties. Vreta lacked such implants, though the suit’s defenses were still more than formidable on their own. Once Rhia linked in with the suit’s systems, its silver-colored plating could become like a second skin to him to eliminate any potential detriments to agility or dexterity.

The location to which the team had transited was the city of New Antioch, though it hardly felt like a city any longer. The buildings still stood, mostly as they had been left, but without its former inhabitants, it was more like a town of ghosts. Vreta still vividly remembered the attack he had suffered during his last visit to the city, and how suddenly it had all happened. It was like a switch was flipped, and the creatures were all around them. For now, though, the only beings around them on their arrival were the Human soldiers. The transit station at which they had arrived was now more of a military checkpoint, with fortifications in all directions and more than enough soldiers to guard them.

[Cath]

They were in one corner of Foundation Square; a large paved area surrounding an urban park. The statue of Outremer’s first colonists raising a flag together emerged from the tree line.

New Antioch was still brightly lit from above by large floodlights. The golden domes and spires still stood. But Freyr couldn’t make out any of the city’s usual hustle and bustle. The purposeful movement of staff between the ancient buildings had been replaced by a febrile mass of soldiers out on the street.

Freyr checked that her team had logged in and were feeling alright. She’d brought in Dr Wetherall and his understudy as Systems experts, and the promising young researcher Dr Girard. She was confident they could all be trusted to follow instructions. If the worst came, they’d have the best chance of holding the creature flat while she struck the killer blow. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but it was best to be prepared for anything.

“Okay, attention please.” Osman strode over to a map table and projected a hologram of the city in 3D. “We’ve secured the places each team needs to go. There are two convoys waiting outside to get you in position.” The map showed two arrows, one red and one blue, winding through the streets before arriving at two separate buildings. “Dr Lang, I will ride with you. Sergeant Thrace will ride with Dr Wetherall. Once your work is complete, we will exfil via this same checkpoint, or secure secondary locations." Osman put a hand on her chestplate. "Our role is to keep you alive, so please follow all our instructions.”

Major Osman turned to the squad of Rothians. “We weren’t told about Rothian support. What do you want to do?”

[EliteCommander]

Even though they were in a secure area, Eti’s whole team still seemed on alert from the moment they became conscious in the simulation. Eti focused on confirming the status of their allies, while the gaze of the sniper, Mar, went as far as she could see into the distance. Her armor was equipped with an array of additional sensors, including a cluster of separate cameras on her helmet that could take in and differentiate even slight quantities of light across most of the EM spectrum. Altogether, they gave her helmet a rather insectoid appearance. Kelest still carried the same heavy weapon as on their last mission, though he recognized where they were quickly enough not to accidentally threaten anyone with it. Neither Vreta, nor any of the others, had yet been introduced to the remaining two members of Eti’s team. They both wore standard armor, with standard rifles, so Vreta could not tell just by appearance what their specializations might be. Every member of a Rothian fireteam was generally encouraged to refine their specializations to the point of perfection, so they would certainly have their own expertise as well.

Naturally, as their arrival point was safe, the Rothian team relaxed quickly. The rest of her team stayed back so as not to crowd the map table, while Eti herself approached. As was common for their more augmented soldiers, Eti could feel like a commanding presence merely by standing next to them. She observed the map briefly, but she was unfamiliar with Cradle Security’s conventions for their symbols and map markings. “The chaos above threw everything into disarray. We have not yet received a detailed briefing of the plan, but we cannot delay too long. Which objective is the most vital, Dr. Lang? Assign us to a position to defend and we shall make it unassailable.”

[Cath]

Freyr pouted, unsure how to respond to a question like that. She’d never expected to be giving directives to a very imposing group of alien soldiers. “Erm, they’re both quite important…” She pulled a pad from the small rucksack she’d logged in with and laid it on the map table. Purple energy spikes overlaid the map like mountain ranges.

“The Bridge District is a hotspot for Cradle activity, which makes it more dangerous.” Freyr patted Dr Wetherall’s arm. “The boys are going to help the crew there keep our connection between the Vault and the Cradle intact. That’s absolutely crucial.”

Major Osman leaned over and zoomed the map in to look at just the Bridge District in particular. “Theta Company has secured the inner compound, protecting a staff of one hundred technicians, here.” A glowing red set of buildings stood out from the power base’s large square maze.

“Right. And the alternative is to come with us to the government communications HQ.” Freyr jabbed a finger at the large circular complex on the opposite side of the city. “We’re going to try and talk to the entity, and or the Cradle itself. “There’s no telling how either will react, but GCHQ has the advantage of being a fortress. There are also likely to be more terraformers and builders on station there than at the power plant.” Freyr looked at Osman, who nodded in confirmation.

She then stared up at Eti. “So which is it?”

[EliteCommander]

As Freyr gave her rundown of the situation, Vreta was the first to receive his answers to the question he had been about to ask. “If that is where we are most likely to come in contact with the entity, then I need to come with you, Freyr. My task here is to assist negotiation with the entity, should that become relevant.”

Eti took just a moment longer to look over the map and consider her options, based on the new information. She had read the reports of the dangers found within Cradle-like objects in the past, as well as seeing them herself during her last mission. She did not want to separate her team, if she could help it, so she needed to place them where they would be most effective. After a few, long seconds of silence, she looked back up towards Freyr and Osman. “If your headquarters is already heavily fortified, you may not need our presence as greatly there. At the same time, if the Bridge district is required to maintain our contact with the outside, then it is critical we maintain it. I recommend keeping a constant channel open with the Vault to allow Nirann access to all tactical information. A Rothian AI of his class can provide exceptional tactical analysis and alert us of any changes within the Cradle. Void Company can ensure that link remains open.”

[Cath]

Osman nodded, grabbing a repeater from a nearby rack. “Parfait. You can ride on the tanks. Let's go then, there is no time to waste. Thrace will-...” Suddenly, lights blinked all over the map and Freyr’s pad pinged rapidly. The flood lamps bathing the square flickered, and a tremendous grinding sound boomed from all around. The floor shook violently, throwing people off balance.

A sharp stabbing pain pricked the back of Freyr’s head; she cried out, clasped the back of her skull with one hand and slid down the table onto the floor. 595 grabbed Freyr under one arm and started pulling her up, until a blinding light behind her eyes hit like a hammer. The Agent arched her back and screamed at the ceiling of the checkpoint, her eye augments turning on and making everyone in the space appear blue for a moment. Then she collapsed, smacking her cheek on the side of the table.

After a couple of agonising moments, the pain disappeared as quickly as it had come. Freyr opened her eyes to find Osman dragging her up to her feet. “Stand up! We are LEAVING!” She saw the Major's mouth moving, almost completely drowned out by the deafening noise around them. Freyr shook her head weakly in protest as Osman pulled her towards the transit station. “Can’t...leave…”

[EliteCommander]

Vreta was not given too much time to worry about the quake before the pain struck him. He braced himself against the table, a growl escaping through his helmet. Inside his head, it was like a war took place across his mind. Rhia reacted to the intrusion within nanoseconds, but her initial attempts to block out the signal were futile, as it did not have a specific source she could target. It was, in essence, reality that created the disruption. It was as if the weave of spacetime itself was probing his neural patterns. Still, that did not prevent Rhia from trying to run interference as best she could. Even if she could not stop the scan, that did not mean she could not disrupt its purpose.

The nature of Rhia’s connection to Vreta was as close as one could be. The implants in Vreta’s brain expanded the capacity of his mind to make room for Rhia to exist comfortably, but she was not confined merely to synthetic computer chips, nor was Vreta strictly shackled to organic neurons. His implants bridged that gap in a multitude of locations, allowing signals to be quickly and freely translated between the two. At its theoretical peak, the system would allow not only Rhia to use Vreta’s brain just as she would her own processors, but for Vreta’s consciousness to be able to use Rhia’s hardware in the same way. Of course, unlike Rhia’s hardware, Vreta’s brain was not built specifically for this purpose. It would take time for an organic mind to learn to “think” with artificial hardware. For now, Rhia had to direct which parts of their hybrid mind were used by which consciousness. To at least try and confuse the scan, she started moving some of his thoughts, memories, and autonomic processes into scattered corners of her hardware, and vice versa from herself into his mind. She mixed up parts of him with parts of herself to hopefully scramble the scan’s results and make its data unreliable. She could not know how successful she had been, but she at least made the attempt to preserve some of their secrets.

Eventually, after enough microseconds had passed, Rhia started to feel the pain herself, or at least her equivalent of it. That part of this simulation’s reality that had been invading Vreta’s mind set its sights firmly on her. Though, for Rhia, it was less of a scan and more of a direct attack on her being. It was as if quantum fluctuations were trying to scramble her data, like wiping a drive by corrupting its files. Fortunately, this entity’s attack was not specifically suited to dealing with her. It may not have known of her true nature, as she did not store data in the same way as the average computer. Corrupted data could be healed, and pathways between the nodes restored or rerouted. Not only that, her connection into Vreta’s mind allowed her to pass fluidly between synthetic and organic mediums. It was an ability she could use to shield herself, and hopefully keep the both of them protected.

Altogether, the chaos within Vreta’s mind left him beyond disoriented. It was only by Rhia’s direct control of a few of his muscle groups that he avoided collapsing to the ground entirely. Fortunately, Rhia knew how to avoid causing him lasting harm. ”Rhia, by the blackest depths of the Void, what was that?” He asked within his mind, though even just thinking still caused him a headache.

”Don’t know, still working on that.” She answered quickly. ”It was like reality was performing a scan on you, and trying to kill me. I’ll go over all the data I saved, see what I can figure out.”

After a few seconds, and once he was sure he had full control of his motor functions, Vreta pushed himself back up fully to his feet. ”Any damage?”

”Nothing permanent. I can get us back to a hundred percent. I get the feeling we’re different from what this…thing was expecting. Still, I don’t know what it’s capable of, and I’d really rather get out of this sim. We’re in its territory.”

Vreta was far from the only one to be affected. Freyr, the Agent, even members of Eti’s team showed signs of pain. Eti, Mar, and Kelest were all recovering. The only members of Void Company that did not seem meaningfully affected were the two members who had not taken part in the previous mission: something that seemed to establish a clear pattern.

“I don’t…think we should stay in this sim.” Vreta replied to Freyr.

[Cath]

Osman threw Freyr back into the checkpoint’s transit station and keyed in an emergency extraction from a nearby panel. Nothing happened. The rending squeal issuing from all around them ceased as quickly as it had begun. Activating comms out loud so everyone could hear, Osman called the Bridge District. “Theta Company, report!”. Heavily distorted shouts and warbles answered her. “Come in!”.

“These things love running interference, don’t they?” Dr Wetherall whined, massaging the back of his head while struggling to his feet. Osman ignored him. “The transit network is down, and comms are funny…” She looked at the map again, refreshing the energy chart. Massive ripples ringed the Bridge, with other smaller hotspots all over the city. “Thrace, get down there right away. They need help. Take them with you. We stick to the mission!” Osman ordered.

The gruff, grey-haired soldier saluted, before grabbing Dr Wetherall and his understudy. He motioned for Void Company to follow him out of the tent. Osman marched back to the transit station, where Freyr had stood up and was staggering weakly towards her. Osman grabbed the Doctor and held her up. “Vreta’Sori, Dr Girard, take the Agent out to the convoy. Move!” The Agent in question was on all fours by the map table, just finished with throwing up a small puddle of viscous liquid.

[EliteCommander]

Rhia did everything she could to help get Vreta ready and alert as quickly as she could. Her understanding and control of his brain allowed her to dull his headache, as well as manipulating his adrenal response and nanites to get him moving quickly. Of course, fighting nature usually came at a cost, but it was up to her to make sure he never felt it. They had the mission ahead of them, and at this point, no choice but to complete it.

Following Osman’s direction, Vreta approached Agent 595 at the map table. While Dr. Girard did seem ready and willing to help, Vreta found it far easier to simply reach down, grab her carefully under her shoulders and legs, and lift her up into his arms himself. Her armor added weight, but not so much that it would be difficult for him to carry her. Weight efficiency was as much of a design consideration for Humans as it was for Rothians, after all.

Vreta quickly carried the Agent with him into the back of one of the convoy’s armored vehicles. It was an even more cramped space than the monorail for him as he had to keep hunched over at all times just to fit his head under the roof, and no matter how he angled his knees they still dug into the seat in front of him. This time, though, his mind barely registered such inconveniences.

Void Company, meanwhile, had even more urgency to their mission now. The Bridge was the most likely means by which they could regain their full connection to the outside world, so reclaiming control over it was vital. None of the five even bothered to attempt to use one of the smaller armored vehicle, instead moving straight to ride on the outside of one of the tanks.

“Mar, keep your head on a swivel.” Eti remarked as they climbed up onto the vehicle. For an infantry-portable system, her sensory suite was second-to-none, though based on the reports they had read, danger could come in unexpected forms within these simulations. They could not ignore anything that might become a threat.

[Cath]

Since the Cradle had never permitted flight over a certain altitude, the area colonised by Humans had a road network more reminiscent of Earth than Outremer. The last six months had re-energised a military industrial complex previously engrossed by spaceships to deliver first-class land vehicles for CraSec. The convoys waiting to take the teams in different directions used state of the art hover-mobility. Instead of wheels, the vehicles had powerful magnetic emitters which kept them just a few feet off the road.

Freyr almost didn’t realise they were vehicles in her groggy state. Even the tanks at either end of the column were almost completely silent. She let Osman chuck her into the back of an armoured car, next to Dr Girard and behind Vreta and Agent 595. The Major then jogged around the back and got into the opposite passenger seat. “Ok, allons’y! Package secure. Callsign Tangier, you have a green light to proceed.” With just a gentle hum, the convoy began powering forwards out of the checkpoint.

Osman checked the clock on her HUD. They were running behind schedule already. She turned around in her seat to check out the passengers behind her. “Everybody alright? There is water in the door compartment.” 595 leaned forward and threw up again on her armoured feet. She followed up by spitting out a wad of phlegm, then wiping her mouth. “It’s kicking my butt, what was that?”

Dr Girard pulled the stopper out of one of the water bottles and placed it in Freyr’s shaking hands. “We talked about this as a possibility; that the Cradle and the Object could communicate through us in a more immediate way, like neurons moving through a synapse. You all went inside the Object on Rothia, correct?”

The convoy took a sharp right, heading off the square and onto one of New Antioch’s main artery roads. Freyr drank deeply from the bottle, then, feeling hot, she poured some on her upturned face. She wasn’t listening to anyone in the car; she was still trying to figure out the voice, or feeling, that’d washed over her in those few seconds back in the tent. Why did it feel so familiar?

[EliteCommander]

Vreta’s helmet did make it easier for him to hide his general discomfort. It felt hard to concentrate, though Rhia could certainly help mitigate the physical issues he was feeling. Yet again, they were facing consequences of the unknowns they were being forced to work with. There was far more recklessness in many of the plans they had gone through with than he would ever normally be comfortable with, were he the one making the decisions.

At the very least, Vreta could still focus enough to pay attention to what was being said around him. Could the Object be responsible for this, or was it something within the Cradle? Dr. Girard suggested the Object might be able to communicate with the Cradle in some way using their own minds. It was a possibility, through Vreta could imagine other scenarios where such advanced objects could bypass conventional barriers. It was a less worrying possibility, though unfortunately, not one that Vreta found especially likely.

“Hmm, I don’t know the specifications of your vault, but I have to assume it is able to be…sealed against any type of signal known to you. I wouldn’t expect you to put any…less than your best into it.” Vreta remarked, still catching his breath somewhat. “I suppose there may be possibilities that our minds may not be the vector. What might work over short distances…quantum tunneling, perhaps? Though, manipulating probability fields to force tunneling across more than a few nanometers is quite a difficult task. A wormhole, perhaps on a microscopic scale, could also accomplish the same thing. The risk of causing damage with one of that scale would be minimal, even if opening it blind. Still, your proposal does seem the most likely. I just wonder what message has been sent?”

[Cath]

Dr Girard nodded in general agreement, leaning forward to poke her head through the gap in the seats. “We really are in uncharted territory now, so all possibilities must remain on the table. As for what they said, we all know the Cradle and the Rothian Object are prolific data managers. They could’ve ‘said’ everything that’s happened in all our lifetimes, including minute detail on the last six hours...Are you alright? You sound breathless.”

“Tangier Two, come in, over.” Osman said out loud from the front. No reply. “GCHQ, what’s your status, over?” A painful screech and warble blasted the inside of the car. “GCHQ, we’re getting a lot of interference this end, please repeat.” Osman said, before turning to face Vreta. “Try your friends.”

"We really need to figure out a better way to communicate. Both of these environments seem to block radio signals at will." Freyr mumbled to herself, nursing her head. Suddenly, the driver swore and swerved to avoid someone running out in front of them. Freyr and Dr Girard both shouted in fright. Gunfire erupted from the grand entranceway to one of the blocks on their left. “They’re here! Help us!” The runner screamed.

[EliteCommander]

Vreta straightened up somewhat and nodded to Girard. “I won’t say it didn’t affect me, but I’ve recovered. Diagnostics says I’m fine.” There were a few moments where Vreta was able to consider the problem of communication, as Freyr mentioned. Rothian suit transmitters were both powerful, and could operate across a wide range of the EM spectrum, so he would try to see if he could get a better signal. Though, they were not immune to disruption. There were other options for communication, though Vreta was not sure if they would be able to set it up on short notice. “We have transmitters that use gravitational manipulation to create readable signals. Methods for jamming EM signals do not work on them, though it’s pretty short range. Gravity is something like ten to the thirty-sixth times weaker than electromagnetism, so even our best gravitation communicators only work over about the range of a city. Still, it might be useful for us, especially if we can make use of it to communicate with the Vault. ‘Distance’ isn’t really a factor there.”

In any case, Vreta started to try to raise Void Company through his suit communicator by sending out his signal across a range of frequencies, hoping that at least one would get through clearly. However, the sudden swerving, shouting, and gunfire quickly interrupted him. Vreta himself ended up letting out a low growl after slamming his head against the roof. “We can’t stay here. We have our own mission.”

Vreta, regardless, was still quick to take action. Their transport was armed with a roof mounted turret, though it was unmanned at the moment. The turret could be accessed through the center of the passenger hold, and with some effort, he could open the hatch and fit through the gap to man it himself. Even if they could not spend the time to stop and help everyone along their path, he could at least give them some covering fire. The turret may not have been particularly comfortable for a Rothian to use, but it was possible for him, and he would only risk striking other passengers with his tail if he traversed the turret too quickly.

[Cath]

The convoy powered on without stopping, and the man running into the road bounced off the front of the armoured car behind them. Freyr wailed at the back window as she watched more people, civilian and military, spilling out of the building. The CraSec guards out front were shooting at...people. People with bloodshot eyes and black gums and gnashing teeth. They ran at the soldiers, jumping on them and trying to take their helmets off. Their armour sparked.

Energy bolts lanced into the crowd from guns along the convoy's length, including atop their own car. "There are people dying right there! We can stop quickly, we have room!" Freyr yelled over the noise. "Negative! It's not safe for you here!" 595 was already sideways in her seat, ready to address any threats at her door. She swivelled her head to glare at Freyr. "Stick to mission parameters!” She barked, for the benefit of everyone in the car. The Agent appeared to aggravated. Freyr gulped.

The car's comm network lit up with a constellation of comms. Not just the convoy, which had been heavily distorted, but from nearby buildings. Osman wrestled with the controls. "Tangier two, come in!" Their column veered into a narrower road. Freyr leapt back from the window when she saw a mass of people running towards the side of the car before they disappeared from view.

[EliteCommander]

Vreta was not able to help as much as he wished he could. Not only did the convoy have no intention of stopping, but he had to be careful to identify his targets. They had the same silhouettes as the people he was meant to be protecting, and he did not know if there were genuine civilians dispersed among them. The CraSec guards were easy enough to identify, so Rhia quickly filtered targets based on aggressive behavior towards confirmed allies, which at least gave Vreta something to shoot as they drove past. He was accurate and took out at least a few targets, but Vreta did not know if some brief covering fire would be enough for them to regroup. He felt as if they were leaving them to die, though if their team did not complete their mission, that was a fate that could be shared by far more innocents.

Aside from what was in front of him, Rhia also helped Vreta to manage communications with Void Company. There was still interference, but by stitching together variants of the signal across multiple wavelengths, they could clean it up enough to be usable. “On our way to…Bridge. Some creatures…not significant. Mar eliminates…before we see them.” Eti informed Vreta.

“Understood.” Vreta answered. “We’re still on course to our target. We’ve encountered creatures, but no setbacks yet. I’ll keep you updated.”

Vreta shifted his focus more on any creature that threatened to get close to the convoy, though there were some that had moved out of his view. As they moved into a narrower path, Vreta shouted down to the others in the passenger hold below, electing not to rely on comms for the moment. “I got in contact with Void Company. They’re still on course; no major setbacks yet.”

[Cath]

“Don’t shoot them! They might be treatable.” Freyr pleaded, unsure if anyone could hear her over the guns. She looked out of the back window and saw some people following them round the corner. Some were trying to get into the underground garages beneath most of the buildings. Her team had seen afflictions like this before which faded after a time - but they had never been this endemic before.

“It’s good to hear someone is on course. We are off the approved route.” 595 snapped, checking the route she’d copied from the map table back at the checkpoint. “Terra-glitch on the main road ma’am. In a few turns we’ll be back on track.” The driver enlarged a copy of the HUD he was looking at and chucked it over his shoulder onto the Agent’s holo. “Hmmm.” She studied it closely. “Hey! Tuck your tail in!”

“Tangier One, this is GCHQ. Come in, over.” The car’s comm set squawked.

“GCHQ this is Tangier One, Go ahead!” Osman answered.

“Tangier One, we need you to...around and head back...Foundation Square, over.” Came the muffled response.

Osman responded immediately. “We can’t do that, HQ. We’re moving through a hot zone. Requesting immediate tactical oversight.”

“...Superintendent...down. KR-10 signal came from inside...Cradle. Lost in...your sector. Advise immediate...Over.”

“GCHQ, say again! GCHQ, come in.” Osman called through the static, glancing out of her window at the side roads branching off from their narrow channel.

“What is a KR-10?” Dr Girard asked, leaning forward.

“Skinners.” 595 answered gravely, unholstering her pistol.

Just then, a cacophony of curses and shouting blasted over comms, and the car in front braked suddenly.

Their driver slammed on the breaks, and managed to slow down enough that their car just lightly crunched into the vehicle ahead. The car behind did the same, then tried to reverse slowly. They were at a standstill. “Another Terra-glitch!” The column leader reported. “Get us out of here, now!” Osman commanded.

[EliteCommander]

Vreta would be lying if he said he was not conflicted. It seemed like an assumption that these people’s mental state would be recoverable, but if it was, then he would agree with Freyr. Though, that still did not make for an easy decision, considering the circumstances. “I can try to leave them alone where possible, but if they are in danger of killing an ally, I have to take action.”

Ultimately, the convoy could outrun anyone chasing them on foot, though not if they kept getting held up. He heard the discussion about the Skinner presence from the others below him. It concerned him how infiltration into the Cradle itself by a terrorist group was even possible to begin with. The Rothians had to be given approval codes to use their own harnesses, which meant that, for the Skinners to have access, they would need to have codes as well. That, or they had found a way to bypass Outremer’s security measures entirely. Either possibility was concerning. For as much as their government liked to project power, they seemed to have vanishingly little control.

The obstacle that eventually stopped the convoy was a stark reminder of how the world around them, no matter how real it seemed, was a fabrication in a number of ways. Not only was it a simulation, not beholden to the rules of their reality, but the city itself was a facade on top of the Cradle’s true nature. On the road ahead, there was digital artifacting and a multicolored mist that obscured the way ahead. One of the Humans called it a “Terra-glitch”, but it seemed more like the simulation trying to correct the changes the Humans had made.

Vreta let out a low growl under his breath as he looked around. Narrow pathways and massive buildings on all sides that restricted both movement and visibility, along with providing vantage points onto their current position…this was not a place they would want to spend any length of time. “Keep sharp. This position is prime for an ambush.” He said to the others.

[Cath]

“GCHQ - say again regarding the Super. Urgently requesting a ping of our location, over!” Osman snapped.

“Get us the fuck out of here!” 595 urged, staring out a side window down one of the alleys. It looked empty, though the lighting wasn’t great.

The tank at the front of the column was half inside the Terra-glitch, and so needed to reverse a good thirty metres to turn onto the nearest side road. Their own car reversed slightly before crunching into the vehicle behind. Freyr watched out of the back window as the car and tank behind them started backing up properly. “Go go go!” She called.

“Ma’am, there’s something inside this glitch.” One of Major Osman’s subordinates reported from the front of the column. “Looks like a building.”

“What?” 595 scoffed.

“Acknowledged. Let's not stick around to find out who lives there.” Osman dismissed them. “One-Six, scan the area. I think Super is offline.”

“Copy.”

“I hear something. Listen!” 595 announced. “We weren’t humming that much before.”

[EliteCommander]

Vreta certainly agreed with his companions’ intention to get their convoy out of here as soon as possible, so he had no arguments with their plan. When it came to scanning their surroundings, though, Vreta could see a bit more clearly. Rhia directed his sensors, both in his suit and among his implants, to scour every nook and cranny around them for threats. Particularly once Agent 595 pointed out the low, constant hum all around them, Vreta wanted to find its source.

The combat armor Vreta wore only further improved the sensors he could access. Visual scans could encompass a wide section of the light spectrum, and he could detect electromagnetic signatures as well. Given their surroundings, his echolocation was particularly effective as well. The tall buildings and tight quarters allowed the sound waves to propagate far and wide to quickly build up a real-time map of the are, and the objects within. What they detected was alarming, causing a sudden, drastic shift in Vreta’s demeanor.

Vreta focused up, gripping tightly onto the controls of the turret and calming his mind. For survival, all that could be allowed to occupy his mind was the threat, and how to deal with it. Rhia collated the data and Vreta passed it on as quickly and efficiently as he could. “Contacts from all side roads. Cloaked, large…silhouette of vehicles, not creatures. Six minimum. Additional movement in the buildings; I sense open windows in the buildings on the fourth and fifth floors at three, ten, and eight o’clock. Movement within, unknown numbers.”

Rhia knew the protocols of Outreman military equipment enough to interface with, and send useful information to, their HUDs, she just needed the authorization to do so. In this case, it would be much quicker to simply ask for the authorization than to try to force her way in. “I need squadmate access to your tactical displays, quickly!” Vreta shouted into the passenger hold below him, which was accompanied by a proper authorization request from Rhia to both Osman and 595.”