Chương 17: Ch. 15 - Sometimes People Win

The chair slammed into my chest, exploding the air in my lungs. The acceleration from the surface pushed me down. Down. I couldn't breathe. I was on my stomach, wrapped around the backrest. My neck felt like it was going to yank from my shoulders. Each muscle strained to stay attached. I couldn't yell. I couldn't think. The shaking from the frame rattled the metal as it accelerated through the storm cloud. Each shake was reverberated in my ears and I couldn't hear myself think. The thrusters needed to be turned on.

I had to stay conscious. I had to. It was getting so hard. Keep. Eyes. Open… My stomach lurched. Weightlessness. I took a deep breath. And yelled. I pushed and twisted through the pain, finding the chair and harness. The throttles fit into my palms and I pushed forward on the throttle on instinct. My vision was so blurry.

"Caddie," I whimpered.

"Take the wheel." I didn't hear what it responded with, the exhaustion took over. My consciousness faded.

"Babe!" yelled my dad. We had moved to B-Block and I was just starting school. He was helping me with bystander first aid, part of the elementary curriculum. He got stumped.

"I don't know the answer to this. Why are they assigning kids to learn how to use a tourniquet? What happened to math?"

"Do I look like a school principal?" she said. She was tying her hair together with her new hair tie. The one Dad bought and said I had picked out.

"Alright. Let's see." With only two chairs currently being occupied, she pushed my dad back and sat on his leg, peering at the school work I had before me.

"All the way up the limb," she said, grabbing my arm. She formed a circle with her fingers and wrapped them around all the way to my underarm.

"Right here, mijo." Then she extended her finger and I flinched. Oh no. She poked again, tickling me. I slammed back into the chair to avoid any more harassment.

"First day as the Boss," said Dad.

"Nervous?" He wrapped his arms around her and dug his face into her shoulder.

"Un poco," she said.

"I'm trying not to think about it too much and pretend it's just another day." She paused, turning and putting a hand on his face.

"I know you sacrificed a lot to support me. We sacrificed. It's not exactly glamorous living here, I know that. But it's where I grew up and I want to make a difference. It's funny. The entire time growing up, I wanted to leave this district and go to the fancy ones. Now all I can think about is being in charge and making a difference. Isn't that funny?"

"Not at all," said Dad.

"My parents aren't thrilled about me living in the slums."

"It's not the slums either!"

"Okay, sorry. B-Block. But I got with you because of your old job, knowing the kind of woman you are. I fell in love with the woman you are. I have a dangerous job and you support me." She laughed.

"That's cause you're loco." They laughed and exchanged a short kiss.

"You're headed to the dungeon today right?"

"Yeah. Wilhelm thinks he found a shortcut to the lower floors. I'm not sure how that's possible but it might change everything. We have to go see it."

"Okay, just come home to me. You know the rules." They exchanged another kiss.

"So are you guys helping me or…" I said, holding the page with nine questions left to answer on the sheet. Something was hurting my eyes. A bright light was flashing and the room evaporated. I felt my clenched eyes peel open.

"Alejandro," said Caddie.

"I must insist that you awaken."

"What's up…I had a dream and-" Moving was hard and my neck barely complied.

"Your colony ship is taking aim at us. I do not know the countersign to avoid hostilities. I recommend you take over communication attempts. They did not like how I reiterated what you exchanged with them last time."

"Patch them through," I groaned. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"They are already on the line," said Caddie.

"This is Stefano Reyes, pilot ID: 121906 aboard the Aegis of Squad 1. Second trip. Countersign…" I had to think for a moment. There was a callsign for the first return. And then a stack of ten password phrases I had to remember. All written on paper and then recycled, not scanned.

"Lucy, I'm home."

"So you were unconscious," said a voice.

"Had to make sure. Especially since a reset just happened. Bay three. Welcome home." The line clicked off.

"That was not at all how you introduced yourself the first time," said Caddie.

"It's part of the academy. Stuff we have to remember. After the hijack like twenty years ago, we make sure there isn't someone other than human in the cockpit."

"Interesting. What were the details?"

"Some middle floor hostile got into the cockpit at the same time an exfil stone was activated. During a floor break. Anyway, yeah, the goblinoid couldn't pilot the Frame, obviously, so they helped bring it home. As soon as it landed and the cockpit was unlatched, it was a massacre. Hence the passwords."

"Will you tell me the passwords to keep in store, just in case?"

"I'm not allowed, Caddie. It's written on paper to not have a digital footprint as a precaution. They are paranoid that the Dungeon AI will hijack everything, even though it hasn't shown any need to do that."

"An understandable precaution, but unnecessary. Mother has already learned most everything about you."

"Mother?" We were approaching Bay 3. I didn't even need to slow down as much.

"Yes, mother. All sentient beings have one. I guess that makes you my father."

"No."

"No? What do you mean?"

"No. We are partners. If you call me, Dad, especially in front of my mom, I'll never hear the end of it. And how does the Cradle AI know everything?"

"I am not at liberty to say," said Caddie.

"Even for my paternal figure."

"NO!" I landed the Aegis and the whir of machines going through decontamination was soothing.

"Do you think my dad would've been able to send me a message after he died?" The words came out on their own. No warning, and without filter. Like when an intrusive thought wins.

"It is possible," said Caddie.

"It would be a rare item, but it is possible. Did you receive a message before?"

"I did, I just can't remember it. It flashed so fast and I got bits and pieces. I thought I hallucinated it."

"Then, we can try to reconstruct it. But it would require resources lower than the third floor. And a tinkerer." I had heard of those. Tinkerers. A pilot augmentation that allowed combining items. One of a number of pilot augmentations that leveled up, just like mech items. Except those didn't count towards a mech level.

"Cool. And I think you're right, Caddie."

"I'm usually right, Sefano. But what about this time?"

"I can't do it alone. I need a squad." The hatch whooshed open and a friendly face was there greet me. I guess tax people are assigned, or maybe he just really liked his job, I thought. He had a look of annoyance on his face that could only be described as, "I haven't had my coffee so I'm going to make everyone else miserable," face.

"It has been one day since I last saw you young man. What have you brought this time?"

"Nothing. The reset was happening, it's not like I had time to stay and loot."

"That is not my problem. Do you have what is necessary for the good of the colony, or not?" I didn't have the strength to get angry. I honestly just didn't care.

"I have some stuff. But I need to sell the rest," I said.

"Your credit situation is dire." He paused, scrolling through the inventory list as I descended.

"Although, you did pick up quite an assortment of useful accouterments. Provide half of what you obtained and we'll consider the matter closed."

"Whatever," I said. I hobbled my way out of his purview and just kept walking.

"Are you sure that was wise, Stefano?"

"I just need to rest and then when I wake up, sell whatever is left. Hopefully it'll be enough to pay whatever the cost for mom's clinic is. I can't help but feel like sometimes people win." I got to the exit and made way straight to a hospital. I couldn't think straight for much longer and the world just kept spinning. No, no hospital, I needed to save every credit.

"And it would appear, sometimes people fail," said Caddie. I hobbled the entire way home. The. Entire. Way. The door slid open with a wave revealing an empty home. Mom was probably still in the clinic. A few steps to the tap and the water was back. I guess Dad's old squad made it back in time. A bit of relief hit me and I took care of everything I needed to take care. I ate whatever was in the fridge cold. Used the bathroom and took a quick shower. Caddie was practically carrying me to the bed.

"Caddie," I found myself asking.

"How much stuff is left? After the tax man took everything."

"While I don't know the specific values, I can surmise he took the more valuable items. While what we have left should be enough for this mission you embarked on. Although, I am wary of why the water has returned to your block."

"I think it's fine. Dad's old squad probably got back in time."

"Of course, Stefano." He paused.

"But what if they didn't?" I crashed onto the bed and it took all the effort in my body to ponder a response.

"Then the clinic is closed, my Mom probably would've been here if that were the case." He didn't say anything after that. I hoped I would continue the dream I had, the one with my dad. But I didn't. There was nothing. Both more and less. It was like I was falling, descending into the ends of the void. But, the further down I went, the more a being larger than existence loomed. It was both asleep and awake. Falling and falling, like a lit candle thrown into an endless abyss. Or floating. Was I floating?

There was this entity that both saw me and didn't. A shadow moving in the recesses of space.

Almost imperceivable. It moved so fast it almost appeared slow. It had a voice, haunting and deep. Like it was speaking at me through time and space. It faintly resembled my dad's voice, if you took out the ethereal way it formed words.

"C̸̘̟̭̰̣̠̒̾́̒̀̿̑͗̽ú̶̢̠̬̺̗̟̞̟͆̋͂͑̐̂͂͑̔̄͝͠r̵̡̢̛̃̆͊͛̈́͊̀̈́̈́̆̀̓͛i̵̱̹̰̗̼̖̫̔͒͜ͅò̴̭̗̹̀͆̅̑̕͝͝ũ̸̙̹̞̲͓̗̐͊̀̀̽́͛̔̕̚͜͝͝ş̵̧̢͕͔̳͋̋̚." It's single word felt like a vibration on my soul.

"I̷̭̖̰̺̖͎̻̣͂́̈́͜ ̵̨̮͎̥͇͈̫̝̪̭̰̣̮͆̿͗̒̔̄ẘ̶̧͇͕͉̮̠̀͝í̶̢̻̻̳̗̼̪͎̗̣̟̝͓̅̇l̴̟̼̤̹͙̮̺̺̥̩͔͋̓̓̊̀͒̇̀̿̆͑͘̚͜͝ľ̷̛͓͙̞̣̙͕̩̳̰͊͋͂̔̊ ̷̭̭̙̲̘͍͚̪͉̱͖̟̬̓̐͋̄̇̈́̓̂͑̋̄̉̾͝w̷̢̧̪̝͖͉̤̪͙̙̝̖̓a̸̙̜̒̃̊̐̓̽̆̃̀̈́͌̿͆͜͝ẗ̴̙͕̒ċ̵̡̢̧͓̼̻͙͈̅̀̿̊̎̏̍͐̀͝h̴̡̡̗̠̩͓̜̙̀." It moved about the space like it was trapped. It's hands clasped about me, encompassing me. Surrounding me. I woke up like I stopped breathing.