18. Spirit
"Your...what, now?" Cass blinked, somewhat taken aback by Hahngar's statement, though the edge of her mouth twitched in amusement. Yes, the pilot was an odd one, unlike any she had ever met. Before she could dwell on that for long, he revealed that Equinox's treasured breakthrough was in the bag, and even as she opened her mouth to demand that he hand it over, he suggested that they 'try them on', catching her off-guard.
She eyed him warily for a moment before holstering her weapon with a faint sigh and following him into the cockpit. His excitement was proving somewhat contagious, and it seemed genuine enough, so the odds he was going to betray her were low. Plus, she wanted to know what 'try them on' meant. If Equinox's new discovery was wearable, that limited the possibilities for what it could be, and if she could find out what the things were before selling them, then she'd have an advantage. Not only that, but 'them' implied that there was more than one thing in that bag. Who knows? Maybe we can both get something out of this after all.
Settling into the co-pilot seat she had sat in before, she leaned over to peer into the bag, resting her hands on her knees. Inside lay what looked to be a pair of inverse-triangle-shaped pieces of lightweight, flexible, woven armor, with three indents in the shapes of circles in a triangle formation on the back of each. The circles had what looked like wires connecting them into the triangle shape, and those same wires ran through the rest of the material and the circles themselves in intriguing patterns. Whatever these were, they looked like they could be powered, but were currently inactive. She nudged the bag with her foot, causing one of the devices to slide onto its back, revealing what looked like a set of neural clamps, designed to attach to the user's shoulders, neck, and spine, along with additional material folded into this side of the device, presumably meant to be unfolded and attached to the upper arms and legs.
"Interesting," she muttered, leaning down further to investigate. "These neural clamps...they're a new technology, mostly used for virtual reality simulations. They're supposed to be a more immersive and secure way to fake sensory input, but I've met plenty of skeptics who say it's unsafe, and that users can end up trapped in the virtual world if the clamps malfunction. Never gotten to try those rigs out myself." She frowned, adding, "These ones look unusual, though. Not entirely sure what their function is, but it's not overriding sensory input. It's something else entirely." Her curiosity piqued, she reached down to pull one out, and examined it for another moment, testing the flexibility. It felt surprisingly similar to normal fabric for how strong it was.
After a moment of hesitation, she mumbled "ah, hell with it" and shrugged off her jacket, replacing it with the device. The material folded into it unfolded easily, with barely-visible zippers that allowed her to secure it to her upper arms, legs, and neck. As she slipped it on, she could feel the clamps resting against her shirt, but they weren't doing anything yet. A quick search revealed a fingerprint reader in the waist area, and she placed her finger on it without thinking. This was quickly followed by what felt like a needle pricking her finger, and she jerked her finger sharply away, looking at the tiny bead of blood on her fingertip.
"DNA signature recognized. CF-NT002 imprinted."
That was the last thing she saw and heard before the clamps engaged, sending tiny sensors burrowing under her skin to the nerve, and she blacked out.
There was an oddly metallic taste in her mouth. That was the first thing she was aware of. The next, that half her face felt numb. The next, that her eyes were closed, so she opened them.
She was lying on her side, her face pressed against the floor. Her arms were limp in front of her, with a barely visible mesh covering the visible skin on her hands and lower arms. As she raised her head, she felt liquid moving in her mouth, and she raised one finger to test it. It came away red, and she spat what remained onto the floor where her head had laid a moment ago. Her cheek hurt, and she guessed that was where the blood had come from. As she focused on that, she became aware of another odd sensation, of several tiny prickling sensations underneath her skin. It was odd and slightly unnerving, but oddly pleasant, and she blinked and shook her head a few times to clear it. The sensation stayed, though it faded slightly, and she could feel an odd warmth at her core growing.
Okay, okay, this is weird, and not what I expected. Stay focused. Where's Hahngar?
She looked around and saw Hahngar in the pilot seat, slumped over the controls, though he appeared to be shaking himself awake. She could see the faint mesh covering the visible areas of his skin, though she had had to be looking for it, and even then it was incredibly hard to see. She reached around to feel her back, and her fingers found the device she had attached to her back, only it was warm. Slowly, she stood, moving to where she could see Hahngar's back. The circles were lit up, glowing with a warm, faintly pulsing green light. The pulse was regular, and as she watched for a moment, she realized it was in time with his heartbeat. As she looked down at him, a vaguely robotic voice spoke in her ear.
"User is conscious. CF-NT002 has safely begun integration. Please state your name for the record."
Cass, she nearly said aloud, but she caught herself before it came out. Nonetheless, the voice responded.
"User Cass registered. CF-NT002 is permanently imprinted to your DNA and electrical signature, and will follow your direction exclusively. CF-NT002 is designed for operation within the C-Flux Network, and is highly experimental. Capabilities include protection from harmful environments, projectiles, and effects, enhancement of reflex action and processing ability, ability to manipulate the C-Flux Network based on the user's unique DNA, and more potentially to be discovered. Cass will have to discover the capabilities of CF-NT002 herself, as CF-NT002 has not been tested, and its full capabilities, and those of the C-Flux Network, are unknown.
"CF-NT002 functions by interfacing directly with Cass' nerve system and brain, and will reply to mental impulses and commands. CF-NT002 requires time to properly interface and synchronize with Cass. Do not remove CF-NT002 before it has time to properly sync with Cass, as this is highly dangerous and could result in permanent crippling or death. For best use, it is recommended Cass wears the CF-NT002 directly on skin, for easier interface with Cass' nerve system, and better concealment of CF-NT002."
The voice faded, and Cass realized she had sunk to the floor and leaned back against the side of the cockpit. She held her hand out in front of her, staring at the mesh, struggling to process the information she had just absorbed.
"So...these things are permanently imprinted to us, they give us the ability to manipulate something called the C-Flux Network, whatever the hell that is, and we can't take them off until they're done 'interfacing'." She stated it in a flat, emotionless tone of voice, though in reality, she was struggling to keep from panicking.
She had just planned to get in, grab the tech, and get out. She had never expected to be wearing it, much less have it imprinted to her. She couldn't sell this! Hell, she barely knew what the thing could do, and from the sound of it, this thing had never been tested, so nobody could tell her what it did. For all she knew, it would malfunction and kill her even if she waited until it was supposedly safe to take it off, or it would permanently bond to her and she would never be able to remove it, or...
Focus. Calm. Deep breaths.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. Then another. Then another, until her breathing was steady again. Then she focused. What was the bright side here?
It sounded like this stuff acted as armor and as a reflex enhancer, which was good. It helped survivability. It also sounded like it would obey her mental commands once it was done syncing, meaning it would be incredibly intuitive to use. She'd just have to be careful to make sure it recognized the difference between command and idle thought. And even if she couldn't sell it anymore...maybe she could make use of it. Maybe this could still be her ticket out.
It was then that she became aware of the warm feeling in her core again. The prickling sensation had faded further at this point, to the point where she had to focus on it to notice it. The warm feeling was much more noticeable, and it was slowly spreading through her torso and limbs. Cautiously, she stood, focusing on the sensation. Something was there, waiting to be tapped, and if she could just reach it...
A field of energy appeared above her skin, shining a faint blue-tinted purple. She could feel the energy pulling together, not quite from the air around them, but something parallel to it. She focused again, this time on the air in front of her, and another field appeared, curving in front of her, like a shield.
"...Huh," she murmured, dropping her focus. The fields vanished, and she turned to look at Hahngar. She had nearly forgotten him in her panic, but now she was curious. If she could make these fields of energy, could he do the same? Or would something else happen when he tapped that energy?