[Kardian’s point of view]

Back on Earth and even here on Planet 9, I made a mistake, a terrible mistake that for as long as I would live, I did not want to repeat again. I had to step out of my fairy tale ideal and jump right into the real world outside, where my naïve wishes only ended up hurting me and those who cared about me.

As soon as I woke up, I went to the bathroom and took a shower. Water and electricity were still running in this place. A good sign which told us that the underground infrastructure of pipes, cables, and maintenance systems was still up and running. According to the internet and what we saw ourselves, over the course of the past couple of months, there were many battles against the Nano-Z which led to the rapid deterioration of many necessary systems in the city as well as the destruction of habitable locations. They removed and collected electric cables to make electric traps or broke the underground water pipes in order to keep them at bay. They built barricades by ripping up the furniture and stacking it together or destroyed the walls to connect the apartments, they did a lot of things that didn’t really benefit the survivors that came after them, however, who cared about what was going to happen in the future when one’s life was at stake right now?

After I showered, I cut my hair and shaved my stubby beard. I changed into fresh clothes and walked out the door. Nataly was there, waiting for me.

“I’m diggin’ the new look! You’re more handsome now but does this mean that you made up your mind?” she asked.

Letting out a small sigh, I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I replied with both determination and a newfound resolve “I decided that I’m no longer the naïve teacher that I used to be. I’ve been hoping since I woke up that I could return to my previous life, but it’s clear that something like this is impossible in this world and even if this whole apocalypse was to end, we can’t be sure that I’m going to be safe. Xerya is unusual from every point of view and taking her out of us means our certain death. We can’t hope to return to our previous lives, but we can hope to adapt and become better in our new ones.” I told her.

“Good speech, but what does that mean exactly?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“It means that I want Xerya to focus on making those upgrades for us. I think she can try to understand how to move your body when we are actually in a safe location, but until then, the better equipped we are the higher our chances of survival.” I nodded.

“I understand. Any suggestions?” she asked.

“I have some!” Nataly waved her hand up like a young girl in class.

“Yes?” I replied with a raised eyebrow.

“A hidden gun like a palm laser or something, a grappling hook, cat claws, Exo-Armor, Exo-Skeleton, those last two combined into an awesome Power Armor if possible. A flight system would be extremely convenient, hacking tools, a better and longer Retractable Blade, variable size, if possible, an electric zapper so we can short-out the tin cans, better scanners, telepathic communicators, and some nice electric weaponry would also be awesome! Something like photon guns, railguns, or plasma guns, anything of that caliber would be good at this point. If it’s silenced, even better!” Nataly gave a long list while she was smiling and giggling at the idea of being able to use all of that.

“That sounds good... Xerya, can you do any of that?” I asked her.

“Analyzing... Some of them are doable in the following weeks, but others will require extensive research and far more nanocores.” she replied.

“Sounds good.” I nodded.

“What’s the first thing you can make?” Nataly asked her.

“Cat claws, a variable size Retractable Blade, Hand Canon was already on the experimentation list, and so was Exo-Armor and Exo-Skeleton. I do not yet know if it’s possible to combine them into one type of armor. Better scanners and sensors are always on my priority list. The others are questionable. I do not yet know if it is indeed possible to do a flight system. I will need to analyze the schematics of existing flying vehicles and other similar systems.” she replied.

“I think we’ll be able to find a bunch of them if we head towards a factory or if we download the schematics at a military base. They usually have them at hand for when they need to do repairs on the site.”

“Well, I guess that sounds like a good idea, but how close are we to a military base and how certain can we be that they will give them to us?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“Well, that... not that close. We’d probably have a better chance roaming around through the mansions owned by the rich folk in the city.” Nataly replied as she scratched her head.

“The base you mentioned before, Shen Lu was it? How far would it be from City 203?” I asked.

“About 23 km give or take. You would need a flyer to get there anyway. There’s the Wurumashi River on the way, and considering the state of survival right now, there’s a high chance they blew up all the bridges connecting this side to theirs.” she mentioned.

“So, our main objective right now would be to get a flyer, which most likely would be found in the rich sector.” I said as I tried to remember the map of the city.

“Before we proceed to a possible reinforced military compound, I suggest that we strengthen ourselves.” Xerya chipped in.

“Hm...” I looked at Nataly and from the looks of it, we both wanted to leave this place; however, our AI companion was right.

“I’m ok with that.” she nodded.

“Me too. Then, let’s head to Resonance Camp. If anything, thanks to the military heading there, we might actually get some good info from them. Maybe you can even use your connections and get us a copy of those blueprints.” I suggested.

“Hm, I don’t know about that. I wasn’t really... tight with the military on this planet. I was more of a bodyguard to a rich lady.” 

“If it’s someone who needed your protection, especially given all those upgrades you went through, then she’s someone very important.” I remarked.

“I apologize, but may I refrain from saying anything else about her? Just in case...” she looked at me with a wry smile.

“The thought of forcing this information out of you didn’t even cross my mind. You’ll tell us when it’s needed if it’s needed.” I nodded.

“Thank you very much!” Nataly said and bowed her head.

“Ok! Ok! Relax now. So, Resonance Camp it is?” I asked.

“Yes!”

“Please collect more nanocores on the way if you wish for me to make those upgrades for you two faster.” Xerya told us.

“Sure thing!” I said.

“Great!” she cheered and then looked up at the ceiling with a big smile on her face. “You know?” she started and then slowly lowered her chin as her gentle gaze fell on me “Kardian, I know that these past few days have been awful for you and that these months in which you struggled to survive all alone may have been terrible and frightening to say the least, but you did well.” she smiled “You probably don’t realize it, but as a person, you’ve grown... you are different now when compared to how you were when we first met.”

“Different? How?” I asked her, raising an eyebrow.

“You are more mature, manlier... I can finally say that you are someone who looks forward and not someone who is afraid of the past.” she shook her head “I have a keen eye for these things, so I can tell.” she nodded. “And I’m certain that in time, Xerya too will grow to become beautiful and outstanding as an individual.” she smiled.

“Thank you.” the SAI replied first, while I shyly scratched my cheek and blushed.

“And considering the circumstances, I might be better off with you two as well!” she then laughed “I didn’t tell you this yesterday, but right now, I feel like my body really is a part of me! My previous feeling was... how should I say this, stiff?” she shrugged.

“You can move better?” I asked her as I found this to be quite intriguing.

“Yeah! Far better, actually!” she then started to shadow box in front of me and showed us some movements that were in the league of a superhuman. “The durability, dexterity, weight, everything feels better!” she declared as she then jumped up and with her bare fingers grabbed onto the ceiling and hanged from there “Whatever Xerya did, it’s amazing!” she declared.

“I am pleased to hear that my modifications brought to your original designs were able to help you achieve a better use of your body. It is unfortunate, however, that not all of your previous systems were spared during the transformation process into a Mutated Nano-Z.”

“Hm, maybe that’s for the better? I didn’t really want all of those trinkets inside my body anyway!” Nataly waved her hand and then added “It might have been because of those things that I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin. Besides, I’m sure that whatever you will make will be done so in a way that takes into account my own comfort!” she smiled.

“That is indeed my plan. I have observed from Kardian that implants made to feel natural, like they had always been a part of their body, are in fact better than those used on ordinary cyborgs. Cellular structures seem to organize differently when this is done as well.” she remarked.

“Cellular structures? Are you saying you are using gene therapy for the implants?” Nataly asked as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“For every new implant, I do indeed go through a process of gene therapy so that the body will not be in a constant battle with the foreign inorganic components in those locations.” she replied.

“Oh? Interesting. I heard the doc who made my body say the same thing about my brain. I thought he was speaking nonsense, but maybe that wasn’t true.” Nataly scratched the back of her head and then stretched her arms as she continued “Anyway! Let’s get going! The day is young, and we have a long journey ahead of us!” with a beaming smile she then pointed towards the window.

We left the apartment and headed back to the area where we left Zuiza and Yumino. Although we arrived in the span of a day, we didn’t find them there. They did leave behind a message for us written on a piece of paper, thanking us in case we returned and telling us that they will try to reach on their own one of the big camps. It was located in City 203’s metro system and called it Zeonixis, which was rumored to be created by a former mercenary group. Resonance Camp was their other option in case they couldn’t reach this one.

Previously, I would have felt worried about those two, and I would have wanted to go after them to see if they were safe and sound, but now that I changed, I had no such thoughts. I only prayed that they would find their place in this new and strange world and that, if luck would have it, we would one day meet each other under better circumstances.

Resonance High School had fallen, and together with it, the teacher Kardian Pandora had died, but from those ashes, the man who adapted to the Nano-Z was born.
  

End of Volume 1