Murder Drones: A Merch in Time

Karasu chuckles a little.

"Well, I don't blame you. Most of the people that are in support of Drones are seen as... Eccentric. I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard of RT3 in JCJenson."

Yeah... Advocates of Drones' Rights could come in all forms. More importantly, though. Cloris asks about the event that spurs a larger scale support of the movement. Karasu shakes his head, though. It wasn't Copper 9...

"Copper 9 was an incident that JCJenson was able to bury as a freak incident. No, there's something else entirely that puts the conversation right into the spotlight -- a Drone Uprising on Proxima. They declared their intentions to be independent of Humanity, and they engaged in declarations of war."

He trails off for a moment, considering the events that led to that battle...
"... Although, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Absolute Solver had a hand in that -- ultimately, this was something that couldn't be buried. It sparked debate, even as Humanity took the fight to the Proxima Uprising."

Karasu pauses for a moment, eventually adding;

"Drones were nearly outlawed and JCJenson's reputation ended up in the dirt. But far more advocates than ever before stepped forward, including within the company. That led to the creation of the Disassembly Drones."

After that brief explanation, Cloris also expressed her sympathy regarding the Ravens, Karasu simply shrugs in response.

"To tell you the truth, there wasn't much training. You get a single test in live combat to prove your competency, then you're a Raven. From then on, it's up to you to handle your career. Raven's Nest mostly worked as a medium between you and the clients. Every job has to go through Raven's Nest.

A lot of aspiring Ravens don't get very far. Then you get the ones that do everything they can to rise to the top."

Ultimately... It didn't look like Karasu was too bothered by the things he went through as a Mercenary -- although given his new life, it seems he didn't miss it much, either. Even if it gave him a lot of useful skills and advantages. Even so, he sets his past aside to focus on Cloris. The girl had gotten more than just a small shock, to say the least.

But here she was, bouncing back from it and trying to figure things out, even as she comes to grips with the fact that her father fails in his efforts, and Absolute Solver destroys the planet... Right now, it would be Chambers himself, and some members of the staff that would be their biggest obstacles.

The only question was, how to reign them in? They would need hard evidence, and they would be unlikely to entertain the prospect at all without some heavy convincing from Cloris. Even then, they might still want a reason to hear her out on it... Hmm...

"Perhaps if we got enough support from other members of the staff, the ones that would be easier to convince."

Either way, they would have to figure something out. Karasu was already wracking his brain to figure out a path forward... At least Cloris knew information he wouldn't be able to access otherwise. So there was an AI code key; they would need that when the time comes -- and she was also looking forward to working with him, thinking that they would make for a great team.

Karasu gives an affirmative nod in response.
"Yeah, we do good work together. Although I guess this would be our first time doing that, from your perspective."

Then, there was Nori... He probably should have anticipated that this would anger the Drone -- he'd seen similar kinds of outbursts from Uzi, after all. It didn't take Nori long to hop onto her feet and start stomping over to the door. Yeva acts quickly, locking it with her powers and trying to reason with Nori.

But the situation keeps escalating. It's not like Karasu could say that she was wrong to feel the way that she did. Honestly, he was thinking every bit of that himself. But he knew that he needed to keep it in check for now. Whatever happens here... It turns Cloris into the capable person that he invited onto his crew.

So somehow, it must work out. For Nori? She didn't have that same context.

And when he saw that sickly yellow glow... He already knew what it meant. Karasu steps over. What he was thinking was risky.

Truth be told, projects like the one Cloris was going through had existed for many years. Cybernetics were a hot topic among many rich, influential people. Or in militaries that wanted to get the most they could out of their soldiers. Chambers had discovered it for himself; Karasu was one of these individuals.

There had been many different terms for it. Human PLUS. LINX. Augmented Human... Whatever term you wanted to use, the idea was to take someone and turn them into the "next stage of evolution" for Humanity. The projects weren't at all pretty. Even when the operations were successful, you had a chance of the recipient of these enhancements going insane from the experiments, and the stress from the new equipment.

It took a long time to refine it into what it is nowadays. Even then, they found new ways to innovate in the same field. One method of augmentation was to introduce Coral into someone... Yes. Coral was a super fuel, it could power anything near endlessly. Including whatever cybernetics you wanted to put into someone. You didn't need to worry about power supplies, or an EMP frying them.

The best you could do was temporarily shut them down. That meant that the discovery that Coral was sentient was discovered in two ways.

The first is what ultimately inspired the idea to make such enhancements in Humans in the first place. The act of ingesting Coral as a drug. By doing so, it would allow you to temporarily converse with the Coral. Understandably, this was seen as mere hallucinations. The ravings of mad men in zealous religious fervor at best.

But when you put Coral into someone more permanently... All it takes is a surge of Coral in their surroundings, and then you get a connection. You can hear the people residing within the Coral. Karasu was one of those Augmented Humans -- and he had taken to it especially well, compared to many others...

"I'm going to try something."

He explains, then placing a hand on Nori's shoulder. He fell silent as he began to focus. Slowly, you could see a red glow beginning to pulse through his body. If you looked closely, you might even be able to see tiny sparks of red electricity dancing across his skin. Eventually that glow began to coalesce into his eyes, changing their hue.

They began to glow as distinct as Coral itself. Just like before, the red glow races down his arm, and eventually it makes contact with Nori.

---

The original purpose of these enhancements were to hook the user into advanced machinery that could never be possibly wielded by any normal Human, allowing it to be controlled by their mind. Essentially, it was like a telepathic and telekinetic connection. He wouldn't be able to use powers such as this to communicate with Humans. Hell, for most machines it would be simply another means of interfacing.

For someone like a Drone, though? It was forming mental contact. Karasu was bridging a path into her mind, and he was doing so with the express purpose of confronting the Absolute Solver.


Diving into someone else like this was difficult to describe. Especially when that person is a machine. Circuits of light, thoughts reverberating all around you -- it was a lot to take in. But Karasu's focus had remained unbroken, he stared down at the place he was falling towards. Because he already knew what was waiting for him.

Nori, and Absolute Solver itself.

He angled his fall, even turning it into more of a proper dive as he aimed himself at his target. The closer he got, the easier it was to adjust.

Much like before, it looked like a red star falling out of the sky -- and it impacted against the form that the Absolute Solver took. Karasu dug his hands into the cursed flesh it had, and he surged Coral through it.

The creature writhes, thrashing as it tosses Nori away.

"H-H-H-HOW?
[YOU ARE]
UNWELCOME."

It seizes up, struggling against the Raven's grasp.

"IMPOSSIBLE.
IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE IMPOSSIBLE
IMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLEIMPOSSIBLE"

It repeated, over and over again. It took monumental effort for it to even try to raise it's limbs. It was going to try and pull him off... And that afforded Nori the time she needed to gather herself -- since it was totally focused on Karasu now...

(As a note: Control the Absolute Solver as you see fit!)

Cloris blinked, staring at Karasu with confusion. ”RT3?”

Cloris stared as Karasu talking about the uprising on Proxima. Cloris put her hands together. ”It’s most certainly the solver. My father says that the solver program gives its hosts “simulated sentience”.

Cloris raised her hands did air quotes with her fingers. ”I don’t think it’s simulated, but I’m just a teen. What could I know? In any case, the drones on Proxima would have had to developed their sentience over the period of years for it to naturally occur.”

No one in the room would be able to miss the bitterness in her tone. At least her curiosity made her able to push her father issues to the side for a little while. She grimaced.

”Disassembly drones? That sounds grim. I figured they would have mass produced sentinels to stop a drone uprising. Although I suppose they are rather temperamental.”

Cloris stared, her pity turning into anger. She scowled as he explained the Ravens.

”So they expected you to do all the work yourself and didn’t even bother with training? That’s the most dangerous cost cutting measure I’ve ever heard of. It’s like they’re asking for their mercenaries to get killed.”

Cloris nodded as Karasu agreed to try and convince some members of the staff. ”Doctor Ridley would be a good place to start. She has a level head. Even though she is also very into the whole savior thing.”

Cloris gave Karasu a little smile. ”But it won’t be the last time I’m willing to wager.”

Yeva and Cloris both watched in shock as red sparks shoot around him. He seemed to be trying to connect to Nori in some way. And then he was in, leaving the outer world behind.

---

Nori struggled in the grip of the mass of organic flesh. Both her hands were trying to pry off the clawed hand around her neck, her body wriggling desperately with her attempts to escape. But the creature didn't budge, it's many mechanical eyes moving in closer.

”Maniacal Laughter. I finally have you, Nori. Let's go murder. All humans.”

But then all hell broke loose. Nori didn't know who was more shocked by Karasu showing up: her or Cyn. She was unceremoniously tossed aside as the solver turned to try and deal with him.

Nori didn't know what was going on right now, but she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She raised her hand, shouting at the creature.

HEY CYN! BITE ME!”


Nori raised her hand, and the solver symbol appeared in it. Suddenly the color of the creatures eyes began flickering between purple and yellow. It stated shaking, it's angry cries coming out distorted and glitchy. She shouted at Karasu.

”Whatever you're going to do, do it fast!”

"Ah, they might not be at full infamy yet."
Karasu digressed, but he soon gives a brief explanation:
"They ended up making the Disassembly Drones... And advocating for Drones Rights, at the same time."

After that, Cloris responded to Karasu's theory that Proxima might very well be related to Absolute Solver, as she explains Chambers's theory for "simulated sentience". Cloris didn't fully buy into that idea he had, but also admitted that she was just a teenager, so she was accounting for the possibility of being off the mark.

Karasu brings a hand to his chin to consider that.

"Hmm... I don't know if I can attribute all of that to Absolute Solver. I can see why someone might think that. But we have some obvious examples that defy that notion."
After having said that, he looks over to Alice.

She blinks, and then smiles.
"Hell. Good point. Not that Chambers would care to listen, stubborn as a jackass, that one."

Of course, now that they had been brought up a couple of times... Cloris was curious about these Disassembly Drones that Karasu had mentioned -- so he took the time to address that as well.

"Disassembly Drones were intended to answer a two-fold problem:
One, to ensure that they had the means to deal with a Drone uprising, and two; to assure all concerned parties that these Drones would be perfectly loyal and dependent on Humanity.

They'll be developed by RT3 -- they handled a lot of... Innovation in that field."

He briefly considered if he should share this or not, but... Well, it would at least explain why they did what they did.

"Well, they were also an answer to a third problem. RT3 was very attached to their Drones. Intimately. After Proxima, and a few other incidents, it ended with arrest warrants for the whole department over their refusal to give up their Drones.

That was the first time the Disassembly Drones were unveiled, along with their clear threat of "I'd like to see you try.""

With that revelation shared, Alice couldn't help but snicker in response.
"Khhehehe... Sorry, sorry."
She waves her hand apologetically.
"I'm just imaginin' the conniptions that Chambers would have because of them!"

Although the conversation didn't stay quite as humorous as anyone would have liked. It seemed like how Raven's Nest ran things ended up leaving a sour taste in Cloris's mouth, given how strongly she criticized them. Karasu can only nod in agreement.

"That's why Ravens are seen as so notorious. Whenever you run into one, it either means they're a newcomer -- or they're someone that has survived despite the odds."

He responded, and that left them with the matter of how to try and convince first. Doctor Ridley was Cloris's first suggestion. Although she did mention as well that Ridley was into the 'Savior' thing too...

"Well, even if she is, that might work to our advantage. It means she'll listen to what you have to say on the subject."

And after that... Even though it was quite apparent that this Cloris was younger, and more inexperienced compared to what he was used to; it was definitely still the same person.

Alas, further conversation would have to be put on hold until the matter with Nori had been resolved...

---

As the Absolute Solver tried to reach around to wrest Karasu away from it's person, Nori called out with a name: Cyn... Along with the signature catchphrase.

Suddenly, music kicks in just as it's assaulted by Nori's own attack on it's mental state.


It's eyes flickered between yellow and purple, and it's struggles took even more of a herculean effort than before.

"Annoyed. Expression.
I am. So. Going to bite you."

After it voiced that, Nori also told Karasu to do whatever it was he was planning right now. The Raven began to pull on the creature, both of them beginning to lift off of the platform as he did so. Was he seriously trying to tear the Absolute Solver straight out of Nori?

"NO."

After suffering enough indignity, it finally began to forcefully snap it's limbs into the positions it needed to be at -- but this time it wasn't aiming for Karasu. Instead it used it's sharpened limbs to carve into it's own flesh, rendering the Mercenary's grasp over it inert.

Freed from his pull, it immediately turns it's attention to Nori.

"Let's eat!"

It yelled as it begins to dive towards her. But it is suddenly halted in it's tracks as a crescent wave of red energy crashes through it, straight down the middle. The eyes of the creature go wide, and then it begins to split apart.

Then the two halves twist unnaturally as it returns it's attention to Karasu. The two parts begin to work in tandem to try and attack the Raven from multiple angles. But he swings his other arm, unleashing another crescent energy wave which further chops the two halves into quarters.

Just like before, it briefly halts. But then it begins to move again. Karasu begins to unleash hell on the Absolute Solver, repeatedly slicing away at it, carving it into smaller and smaller pieces each time. Red electricity continued to arc between the pieces as he did so. When he stops, it seems like the creature is finally down for good.

... Until the glow of those yellow eyes begin to flicker to life in every single individual piece that had been cut away. Now surrounded by this thing, they begin to rush towards Karasu, intending on entombing him by sheer numbers. He begins to pull his arms and legs together, almost tightening into a fetal position.

Just when it seems like they're going to descend on him, he straightens out as Coral explodes outward -- he had waited for the perfect timing on this to catch every single part of the monster and burn it away with Coral.

... Every part except for one, which instead didn't commit to the attack, it retreated to the platform, and began to scurry.

"Sneaking. Sneaking.
Sneaking away!"

The Absolute Solver had been beaten here... It couldn't have possibly prepared for something willingly coming into an infected host to try and fight it in such a direct manner. But it was fine. This would not be enough to stop it!

Karasu begins to catch his breath, lowering back onto the platform as the Coral begins to fade from the air.

"... Interesting choice of music, Nori."

He finally addresses her directly. He wasn't too sure what Nori was going to think of a Human actually getting inside her head like this.

Cloris tapped her forehead, her brow furrowing. ”RT3…drone rights… Oh!”

Cloris tried (and failed) to snap her fingers again. She looked down at her hand and sighed, but then lowered them and continued.

”A week ago I had dinner with my Dad. He’s very busy, but he always visits me before and after a major surgery. He complained about a group within the company that wanted funding for a special drone design. Dr.Carpenter presented a prototype during a meeting with the department heads. It… it didn’t go well.”

That was putting it mildly. Even a week after the incident she was still furious at him. Hence not pulling any punches out in the hallway. She looked down, clenching her fist.

“He then insisted it would be a waste of money to design things the way they wanted it to be.He also grumbled about them being degenerates. Whatever that means.”

Cloris folded her hands together again, looking back up at Karasu. Even thought she couldn’t feel them like she used to, it helped her feel more comfortable.

]”True, there’s much I don’t know. I suppose the only way to find out would to be there from start to finish. Although going to a soon to be wartorn planet isn’t exactly good for self-preservation.”

Cloris looked over at Alice. She huffed as she brought up her father.

”I don’t understand how he’s able to continually deny it Alice! He’s not stupid but he refuses to accept that you’re a person!”

Cloris stared as Karasu explained the truth behind the disassembly drones. When he got to point 3, she stared at him flatly. She did not look amused.

”So that’s what my father meant when he called them degenerates. I guess with him dead no one else got in the way of their development. Who would want to get intimate with a drone designed to kill? You’d have to be a desperate individual to even consider that.”

There was no way she would ever get caught up with that. She wasn’t anti-sentience like her father, but that was a little much. Seriously, who would want to get intimate with their machines?

And then another thought occurred to her. It has been just a prototype, but if they were designing it to be as realistic as possible…

Cloris giggled when Alice pointed out something funny.

”He’d have an aneurism if RT3 got their way. Or when get their way.”

Cloris stared at Karasu as he talked more about the Ravens. ”That’s an extreme coin flip. You’re either up against a rookie or one of the best.”

And now a plan was put into motion: when Dr.Ridley returned, they would focus on talking to her. Unfortunately they had a more immediate problem on their hands.

---

If someone asked Nori if she needed a hero, she’d laugh in their face and show off what she could do. Aside from Yeva, she was always on her own. She scared most other people with her powers, including other solver users. She didn’t think she would ever need someone to protect her. Or hell, that someone would be willing to put their life on the line for her in the first place.

And yet here was Karasu, who had somehow dove into her mind to confront Cyn. The person and program whose powers were many and horrifying. He straight on fought it without hesitation. At one point it looked like Karasu was about to be overrun.

”KARASU!”

She moved to help him. But once again, he helped himself. He turned the tide and defeated the creature. Nori noticed the core trying to sneak away.

”Oh no you don’t!”

Nori’s solver symbol appeared on the platform. Parts of it folded over, forming into the cube and trapping the core inside. A voice yelled out from inside the cube.

”God f-ing dammit!”

Nori turned her attention to Karasu. The human who had managed to get into her mind. The human who kept on coming to save her. She snapped her fingers and the music stopped.

”I really like nightcore mixes. That aside though…”

Nori gave him a little smirk, fiddling around with her I.D. Tag as she stared at him.


”That’s twice you’ve saved me in one day. You even dove headfirst into my mind. If you keep that up I’ll start to think you have a thing for me Karasu.”

Everyone else was mostly left to their own devices while watching Karasu and Nori frozen still like that in... Whatever he was doing right now. Alice circled them, looking at each of them from different angles.

"What do ya think he's doin', anyway? Nori went from strugglin' to being perfectly still, just like he is right now."

---

He glanced over as Nori started using her powers again, this time using the platform to fold a cube up and catch the remaining fragment of the Absolute Solver.

"Nice catch. I should have figured it would try to sneak away like that."

The frustrated cussing it had revealed that it was well and truly caught now. So... At least for the time being, Nori should be safe. Karasu looked back over at her as she pauses the music, and admits her penchant for nightcore mixes. Before he could even come up with a comment regarding that, she trails off her words...

And then she fiddles with her ID tag, giving him a look that he could really only describe as flirtatious. That smile seemed to be matching the vibes too. If there was any room for doubt, her words removed that. Perhaps she was simply teasing, but it could be a hint that there was more to it, as well...

And, well. Nori would get to see a hint of something that she would probably have fun with; Karasu was normally so stoic. It didn't seem like you could really break his stride or demeanor, no matter what kind of odds you put him up against.... That was up until Nori started doing this.

Because she could plainly see the fact that he was blushing in response. It was slight, but noticeable. He averts his gaze momentarily.

"Ah, well..."

He trailed off, and by this point, it was perfectly apparent to Nori that Karasu... Didn't have much experience with girls.

And, furthermore, that he saw Nori and Yeva as people -- and as attractive women.

He tried to save face by clearing his throat, using that brief moment to regather his composure.

"I imagine the others are wondering what happened, so perhaps we should return..."

Despite his attempts to move things along Nori had ample opportunity to keep digging on this. Especially since he couldn't bring himself to rudely disconnect after barging in unannounced like this.

But of course, this was Nori, and she had him alone in her mind. OF COURSE she wasn't satisfied with just that little bit. She intended to have a serious talk too, but... Well, she needed her fun first.

Yeva stared worriedly as what was going on. But there was nothing she could do. Other then try and keep calm. Otherwise her own solver would try and make a move. It’s why she always tried to remain calm: the more in control she was, the less influence it had.

Meanwhile Cloris was leaning forward, attempting to bite her nails as she nervously observed it. Of course all she accomplished was getting a metalic taste in your mouth.

”Somehow he’s made some type of connection to her. I think he’s trying to fix her from the inside.”

---

”Cyn’s a tricky bitch. If she had slipped away, she could have reformed again fast. Now I’ve got her contained again, for now.”

Cyn wouldn’t stop though. It was something she was always going to have to live with. At least until that damn patch was completed. Then maybe she could put an end to Chambers and his experiments.

Nori’s smirk turned into an outright grin as she saw Karasu’s reaction. She hadn’t known the mercinary for very long, but she knew he was a very composed individual. You needed nerves of steel to dive into the mind of a drone and take on a Prime User of the Solver. So Nori felt a bit of a smug satisfaction knowing that she was making him react like this.

”Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve had humans give me the bedroom eyes when I first came to the facility. Until I sent them running. Although I think your interest isn’t the same as theirs.”

Nori hadn’t had this much fun in a looooong time. She walked up to him, her grin widening.

”Awww, going so soon? Don’t you want a little reward for all your hard… pfffft… Hahahahah!”


Nori laughed hysterically, slapping her knee a couple of times. It took a whole minute for her to calm down. She wiped off her visor with the back of her hand.

”I’m sorry Karasu. I needed a good laugh after all that. I was making myself a little uncomfortable right there, I can’t imagine how you felt.”

She then gave him a warm smile ”Thank you for saving me. Me and Yeva will explain everything later tonight. There’s been some things we’ve been keeping from you, but there’s no point hiding them now.”

After that, she would let Karasu leave if he wanted to. Of course how long he stayed in Nori’s mind was up to him. This was a good opportunity to talk to her one on one, should he want to do that.

Alice thought that over for a bit, and eventually she straightens out.

"Well. I guess it's working? I ain't ever seen Nori this docile before."

After that remark, she looks at both Yeva and Cloris -- one of them was at least trying to remain calm, but... The suspense was palpable for everyone in the room.

---

"Cyn, huh... I didn't know it had a name, beyond just 'Absolute Solver'."

Karasu comments, and the muffled voice from the cube can be heard once more;

"The Solver of the Absolute Fabric. The Exponential End.
Nori tends to call me Cyn. I have yet. To understand why."

The Raven simply shrugs in response. Surely Nori had her reasons, and he didn't need to go prying about it. He figured that she would share when she was ready to do so... His thoughts ended up kind of derailed when Nori began to more openly flirt with him. Even suggesting that other Humans had expressed that kind of interest in her, at least until she sent them running.

Honestly, he didn't know the first thing about what to do with an amorous woman who was grateful for your assistance, he'd never really been in that kind of situation before... And it seemed he would need to figure it out fast, because she walks right up to him whilst her grin widens.

His blush became a little more apparent as she continued. Was this... Actually happening? She begins to talk about rewarding him -- only FINALLY breaking into laughter. Slowly it dawns on Karasu that Nori was just having a bit of fun here. Although now she definitely knew some things about him...

He lets out a small sigh.

"Well, I don't know if uncomfortable is the right word, but... I certainly wasn't expecting that."

Honestly... It felt like he was still navigating a minefield here. If he pulled away too much, he had a feeling Nori would take it as a challenge and continue poking fun, and if he appeared too eager for it then... Yeah, she'd have her fun with that too.

He tried for a more level-headed approach, not too extreme, and avoiding implications of distaste. Hell if he knew this was how you handled someone trying to flirt with you though -- even if they were just teasing.

Eventually Nori gives him a warm smile and thanks him genuinely, while also revealing that there was more that she and Yeva had to share with him. It seems they were keeping a few secrets but after all of this, there was no need for that anymore.

"You're welcome, Nori. You've been looking out for me, and I appreciate that. I'm glad to have earned your trust, too."

He then responds, regathering his composure after the previous... Incident. From this point on it was obvious that Karasu was free to leave, but this did present a chance for them to talk one-on-one. He considered that for a moment. Was there anything that he wanted to talk with her about privately?

Eventually he breaks the silence.

"Well. I'm glad you're alright, Nori.

I'll start heading back now. You should feel back to normal after this."

The truth was, he didn't have anything explicitly in mind that he wanted to talk to her about, and unless she had anything she wanted to address right here and now, he'd just leave it at that.

If that was so, he would begin to exit her mind...

---

... And then he calmly pulls his hand off of Nori's shoulder, and stretches a little.

"Well. For my first time trying that, that worked pretty well."

After that remark, Alice couldn't help but point up at him.

"What in the hell do ya mean 'first time'?! You went into that so confident!"

She confronted him on the subject.

Karasu chuckled a little in response.

"I had a theory and I ran with it. My augmentations let me interface with machines, but I figured that was going to be different if I tried applying it to a Drone.

Especially since I basically just did it in order to get into a fight with Absolute Solver."

... It was clear that Karasu fell into the category of "one of the best" as far as Ravens went.

”Lets hope this works. Otherwise we might not have time to plan anything.”

---

”Because I’m not calling you Solver and I’ve seen you been called Cyn! It’s those stupid dreams I’ve gotten ever since I woke up in that junkyard!”

She turned to Karasu, putting a hand on her hip. ”Eh, it’s really complicated. Apparently different drones react in different ways to being corrupted. But this Cyn reminds a lot of 001: they both give me the creeps.”

Nori’s eyes glanced down at Karasu’s lower body. Then she looked up and grinned widely at him. ”Oh, I’d say it’s the perfect word. I bet your pants feel pretty uncomfortable right now.”


Nori folded her arms under her chest. ”I hope you know how valuable my trust is. If you lose it you’ll never get it back.”

It didn’t seem that they had anything more to talk about. So with all that of the way, they returned to the real world. Leaving the solver trapped in a box.

---

Cloris starred in shock as Karasu snapped out of it. Yeva went over and hugged Karasu, which only shocked the girl more. Nori looked up as the other drone hugged the human who saved her. She felt conflicting feelings, but wasn’t going to ruin the moment. Yeva looked over at her while she was holding onto Karasu.

”Slava robotogu, chto s vami oboimi vse v poryadke.”

[“Thank robo-god that you're both okay.”

Nori climbed to her feet shakily, while Yeva backed off a little from Karasu. She looked up at him sternly.


”Eto bylo bezrassudno! V sleduyushchiy raz, kogda ty podumayesh' o takoy gluposti, snachala day mne znat'!”

[“That was reckless! The next time you think about doing something that stupid, let me know first!”]

Nori translated everything that Yeva said as per usual. She then turned and looked at Cloris. ”I usually don’t lose my cool. But that really pissed me off. A parent is supposed to love their child. That was my bad, okay?”

Cloris sighed, hugging herself. ”Thanks. If it makes you feel better, it’s more concern then I’ve received from anyone besides Alice.”

Nori looked over at the drone in question. ”Well at least someone is being a good parent. Maybe you’re alright Alice.”

Cloris then moved on to the matter at hand. She looked over at Karasu. ”I’ve seen enough to know that I want in. Take me to that scientist of yours in a couple of days. I need time to recuperate from my surgery.”

"I have only ever. Been called Cyn by you, Nori."

The Solver replied. Well, at least Nori gave a hint of why she was calling it that. And the Worker Drone gave a little bit more information to Karasu as well. So Drones had different reactions to being infected... That made sense. Some of them probably embraced it a lot more than others, or perhaps had a higher affinity.

In such a case, those hosts would probably end up seeming a lot more like the Absolute Solver. For whatever reason it was very interested in Nori, though. Perhaps it was her spirit and her ability to handle the powers. It certainly seemed like Nori was the strongest user, by Karasu's estimation...

"Hm. I see. That does help me paint more of the picture, though. I'm kind of curious about 001, but we'll save that for another time."

He responds to her statement. And just when he thinks that he got out of the neck of the woods, it turns out that Nori's gaze traveled down and... She spotted something that made her amused. That wide grin of hers returning practically to full force as she made a remark about his pants feeling uncomfortable.

Karasu flinched somewhat, and glanced down at himself. Surely there was no way-
No, wait. He wasn't wearing clothes that would reveal that sort of thing... Nori was probably just fucking with him, right? There's no way she could see something like that.

"Uh..."

... Well, it still made him a little self-conscious. He nonetheless tries to keep his cool as he glances back at Nori. Just in time to see her playful wink. That didn't help the idea that she might in fact be able to see it.

... It's not like he could help it. Most women didn't show interest in him in his line of work... Amorous interest, anyway. The few women he ran into were either interested in his skills as a Raven, or they wanted him dead because he was rising through the ranks and working on missions opposed to them.

What should he even do when a girl is showing interest in him? And if that girl is someone like Nori, how much of it is her fucking with him -- and actually, genuinely being interested in him?

Fortunately, he gets an out as Nori just comments about how valuable her trust is. He gives a nod.

"Then I'll do everything I can to keep it."

Good lord, he was glad to be free of that situation...

... But, at the end of the day, he'd be going back into that room with Nori and Yeva, most likely...

---

Back in reality, Karasu hadn't expected to get a sudden hug from Yeva. Though he adjusts his stance a little in order to return it. It was pretty clear that she needed a bit of comfort right now, even he could tell that much. There was no translation necessary for her first words either. Her general demeanor made it pretty clear that she was grateful they were both okay.

As Nori starts climbing to her feet, Yeva then backs off out of the hug and gives Karasu a stern look -- and pretty sure what he could tell was a lecture. Since Nori is back up and running, she provides the translation, and he rubs the back of his own head in response.

"Ah, sorry... I picked up the habit of striking while the iron is hot."

Well, now he had a whole other problem to deal with. Not a girl trying to flirt with him -- but one upset with his reckless behavior. He could tell that it was going to take more than an apology to make it up to her, as well...

"I'll make it up to you. Just let me know what you want -- and take your time thinking about it."

He then added.

Alice then chimes in at this point, giving him a pat on the back.

"Hoowee, ya'll have a lot to learn about a lady's heart."

Still... Now that things were calm, it also gave Nori an opportunity to make an apology of her own. She had gotten very upset on Cloris's behalf, and she went a little far with it, to put it mildly. But Cloris took it in stride, admitting that she was the only other person besides Alice that cared that much.

Seeing the girl go through such an obvious sign of emotional hurt, Alice makes her way over to the bed, hopping up onto a seated position next to her, and giving her a hug. Though at Nori's next remark, she adjusts a bit in order to keep an arm around Cloris but also face the Worker Drone.

"I'd take issue with yer wordin', but at least ya had a good reason to make an ass of yourself. This time."

Alice threw just a little bit of sass at Nori, but at least for the moment, she was thinking about viewing Nori in a different light.

But now it was time to get back to the matter at hand. Even though this all worked out, they were far from done. Cloris declared that she wants in after seeing all of this, and to take her to the scientist in a couple of days.

She needed that time to recuperate from the surgery, that makes sense... Still, that left them with one last thing to figure out. Karasu brings a hand to his chin in thought.

"A couple days... Right. Our immediate concern is what Chambers is going to do once we leave this room."

Would he really just let the matter rest after Cloris confronted him earlier? What kind of punishment might be waiting for them?

"I suppose if nothing happens, then we'll just want to be on our best behavior, and not give him any kind of excuse."

Either way, it's not like they could just stay in Cloris's room forever. She might not have a problem with it, but Dr. Chambers would.

So on that note, Karasu looks to Yeva for but a moment, then turning his attention to Nori in order to make his next remark:

"Think you can handle that?

Yeah, he wasn't going to outright say it, but Yeva was not the one he was worried about being able to behave here.

Nori gave Karasu a little smile. ”I’ll paint you quite the picture later tonight. I’m a hell an artist if I do say so myself.”

Nori had to bite her tongue to keep herself from bursting into hysterical laughter. She did not expect Karasu to be this flustered around her. If anything, she expected him to know his way around women. Guys like him were sure to get interest from the opposite sex. Then again, maybe it wasn’t that strange. Karasu was uncommonly humble for someone with his skillset. She reached up and pat him on the shoulder.

”Hey, that kind of thing happens to the best of men. If it makes you feel any better, I’m not worried about you breaking my trust. I have a feeling you’ll always have my back.”

---

When Karasu told Yeva he would make it up to her by doing anything, a mischievous grin spread across Nori’s face. Yeva herself crossed her arms, looking at him sternly.

”Seychas ya prosto khochu ubedit'sya, chto tebya ne ub'yut. YA znayu, chto tebe prishlos' yeye spasti, no eto moglo zakonchit'sya dlya tebya plokho.”

[“Right now I just want to make sure you don't get yourself killed. I know you had to save her, but that could have ended badly for you.”]

Cloris hugged Alice back, pulling the drone close to her. Seeing that made Nori pause. She seemed surprised at what she was seeing.

”I’m not excusing my behavior on this thing. And maybe I should stop excusing how I’ve been treating you. I should cut down on the practical jokes, since you seem to give more of a crap about this girl’s wellbeing then her own father.”

Nori opened her mouth to answer Karasu, but Cloris beat him to the punch. ”I’ll handle my father. You guys trying to lay low until I settle things. Otherwise staying here long term will be hazardous for you Karasu.”

Nori let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping a little. ”Ugh… fiiiiiiiiine. I won’t use my powers unless I have to.”

Well, if he had his suspicions about what Nori could see, then it was cleared up rather practically by her closing remarks there. How mortifying could this get? He might not be experienced with girls, but even he knew that you shouldn't go displaying that sort of thing haphazardly...

"Yeah... You can count on me."

He was really glad to be getting out of this situation now...

---

Oh no, Nori was being mischievous again... Karasu could see that out of the corner of his eye. Another translation of Yeva's words revealed that it wasn't going to be quite so easy to improve her mood, either...

"Look, some habits die pretty hard... I was a Raven for a long time, and I was used to handling everything myself, even in the few situations where I had backup."

He admitted, and then he sighed a little.
"But I'll be more mindful of that in the future. I really will make it up to you."

As for Alice and Nori... Well, their conversation was going through quite a few interesting twists and turns, to put it mildly. For once, Nori was taking responsibility for her actions -- Alice would swear that she would never see the day.

She's impressed enough to turn her attention to Karasu.

"I dunno what kinda black magic you're using, but keep it up, Karasu."

Alice remarks, prompting him to look over at the Worker Drone as he arches a brow. Soon enough, Alice looks back at Nori and continues;

"Let's just let bygones be bygones. Start it fresh."

Not too long after that, Nori was about to answer Karasu's question -- and then Cloris went and answered that herself. The Raven looks over at the green-haired girl and gives a nod.

"That makes sense. Chambers strikes me as the type that will keep escalating things unless he gets what he wants. Thank you for your help, Cloris."

So naturally... That left Nori to whine about having to not use her powers for a little while. Karasu gives a smirk in response.

"I'll make it up to you, too. I'm asking you two to go with a lot right now."

He admits, then glancing over at Yeva once more towards the end of his words.

"Then I guess it's time we returned to our room. Should we wait a moment for you to let Chambers know, Cloris?"

He then asks, turning his attention to the girl once more.

Yeva frowned, putting her hands on her hips. ”Togda nam pridetsya porabotat' nad unichtozheniyem etikh privychek. Ty talantlivyy voin, no teper' u tebya yest' lyudi, kotoryye tebya podderzhat.”

[“Then we'll have to work on killing those habits. You're a talented warrior, but now you have people who have your back.”]

Nori rubbed the back of her head, looking over at Alice. ”Karasu’s black magic is being himself. I’m going to miss messing with you, but I can’t just go and do things like slamming you into a wall when you have someone to take care of.”

Cloris blinked, looking at Alice incredulously. ”She’s kidding right? Nori didn’t actually slam you into a wall, did she?”

Cloris nodded solemnly. Even if she didn’t want to help Karasu, there was a lot of things she wanted to say to her father.

Nori blinked as Karasu said he would make it up to her later. She then gave him a wide grin.

”You love living on the edge Karasu. Promising two solver users that you’ll make things up to them and making up for things. That’s quite the vulnerable position you’ve put yourself in.”

Yeva stepped in front of Karasu protectively, looking at Nori with annoyance. Nori rolled her eyes.

”For robo-gods sake Yeva, I was just staring a fact. He really is living on the edge right now.”

Cloris nodded at Karasu, opening the drawer on the nightstand next to her bed. She took out a xell phone and dialed someone’s number on speed dial. The conversation lasted 3 minutes and got heated at points, with Cloris even losing her temper and yelling. She then tossed the cell phone onto the bed and looked over at Karasu.

”The way should be clear now. Make sure you go directly to your room and nowhere else.”

Well... It looks like Karasu was going to have to make an effort to change his habits... Yeva did not seem like she was going to put up with that if he did it again.

"Then... In the interest of changing my habits, I should probably admit something."

He sighs a little, rubbing the back of his head. He had a feeling everyone in the room was not gonna like what his original plan was -- especially since he had already gotten an earful about it from his crew in the future...

"My original plan was to find out where the Absolute Solver is, and confront it. If I had to, I was willing to cross into it's dimension and keep it from being able to come out."

Alice blinks. Then she lets out a drawn out whistle.

"The pair of balls on you!
Do you think you're DOOM Guy, or something?"

After that remark from her, Karasu crosses his arms and sighs a little.

"Something like that... Let's just say that I know it's most practical to deal with it at the source."

After THAT whole mess was addressed, Nori gave a response about Karasu's "black magic", admitting that it was just a matter of being himself. She also said she was going to miss messing with her. Alice rolls her eyes in response. Then she remembers Cloris hadn't heard about that particular incident.

She looks over at Cloris.

"Oh, yeah. Face first.
Nori takes pride in being a hellraiser."

Well, that was a remarkably straightforward answer. Still, considering the fact that Alice was totally fine, it was probably not worth getting worked up about at this point.

After that, Nori seemed to be deeply amused by the fact that Karasu liked "living on the edge", that's not precisely how he would put it, but... He did suppose that he did his best work when there was a fire lit underneath him, so maybe that wasn't far off? Not that he was ready to admit that sort of thing to Nori of all people.

At least not until he sees Yeva stand in front of him defensively, as if to shield him from whatever crazy thing that Nori is cooking up in that head of hers.

"Well, she's not exactly wrong."
Karasu then stated, adding;
"I suppose I'm at my best when things are getting hectic. I can't exactly say that I'm not having fun, either."

After that, the rest of the room falls silent as Cloris handles talking to her father via phone. That key phrasing is pretty important, considering how heated the conversation got even in such a short span of time... Honestly, not even Karasu had seen Cloris get this upset before.

He'd done pretty well to keep his emotions in check. But he was pretty sure Chambers needed a good slug across the face, and a reminder of the things that should be important to him... Eventually that conversation is concluded and after tossing the cell phone onto the bed, she addresses Karasu; telling them to go straight to their room and nowhere else.

Karasu gives a nod in response.

"Alright then. Until we meet again, Cloris."

With that said and done, Karasu collects his helmet and puts it back on, then he makes his way over to Nori and Yeva... He was still a little worried about them, but they just had to bite the bullet on this.

If nothing else, he ends up taking point, and matches his pace to theirs. They would follow Cloris's instructions and return straight to their room, no deviations or detours.

Everyone in the room was definitely staring at Karasu. Cloris looked as though Karasu had told
Her that the sky was red: completely disbelievingly. Yeva facepalmed, muttering something in Russian. Nori frowned, walking over to Karasu.

”Yeah, that’s not going to happen on our watch. Even if you could do that, we’re not letting you go on your own.

Cloris looked between Alice and Nori, her eyes widened in shock.

”Wow. Um… I guess it’s a good thing you’re a lot studier than I am. I’d probably die if I got my head slammed inside of a wall.”

Cloris nodded, waving goodbye to Karasu. She watched as Nori and Yeva each wrapped themselves around one of Karasu’s arms as he made his way out. Cloris shook her head in amusement.

”Karasu is going to have his hands full with those two, isn’t he?”

---

Meanwhile outside there was a security detail that was keeping their distance. There were also some that were standing in front of certain doors. They made it back to their room, the door locking behind them. Nori and Yeva let go of Karasu. Nori slipped her hands into her pockets,

”Alright Yeva, I’ll do the talking, if you don’t mind. Are you okay with me talking about 001?

Yeva paused, frowning. After a few seconds she nodded, realizing this would be the best way to do it, given the language barrier. Nori looked over at Karasu.

”Look Karasu, even if we did let you try and solo the solver, I don’t think it can be killed conventionally. It doesn’t have a form until it manifests in a drone. The best thing we can do is take out dangerous hosts. Drones who get corrupted or have completely given into the solver’s destructive tendencies. The latter is where 001 comes into the picture.”

Yeah, this was about the reaction that Karasu expected everyone to have... Cloris looked like she had heard something so unreal that she was calling bullshit with every single fiber of her being. Alice was impressed at the audacity, Yeva looked beyond exasperated -- only muttering something in Russian.

Nori was the only one to break the silence, aside from Alice.

"Yeah... As upsetting as that plan is, I hope you'll take the fact that I told you about it as an olive branch, and that I won't do that."

He didn't even try to sneak in a "unless there's no other choice", and he wasn't lying by omitting either, he had a feeling if he even tried to be sneaky, Nori would catch wind of it and two Solver users would be more than enough to keep him from doing anything, when they were as skilled as Nori and Yeva were.

Alice grins a little as Cloris expresses her shock, though.

"I'm made of tough stuff. Ya don't have to worry about Nori either. Her pranks on Humans are mostly harmless. Unless they really tick her off... Them idiots are asking for it, though."

With that, however, it seemed like things were mostly resolved. Karasu hadn't expected either of the Drones to hug his arm -- much less for both of them to do that with an arm each...

Well... It's not like it was unpleasant, though he was sure this was going to make the staff stop and gawk at the sight. Cloris then asks a pertinent question for Alice... Prompting the Drone to look over at the girl and give a nod.

"Oh absolutely. I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually start trying to get into his pants."

That was one way to put it...

---

Unsurprisingly there was still a security detail to make sure that Karasu and the others returned to the room. But there was zero incident, and soon enough they were locked in their room once more. It was only at this point that Nori and Yeva finally let go of his arms, and then Nori mentioned that she would handle the talking for now.

Yeva didn't seem overly happy about that, but with the language barrier being what it is, she conceded that it was best for Nori to do that. Before long, the purple drone shares why she believes that his plan wouldn't have worked anyway, along with relevant details...

"I think it may be more corporeal than one first thinks... But that is fair."

Karasu admits, giving a nod as he listens to what else she has to say.

"I'll be honest... I don't really like the idea of doing that to the Solver Hosts. But I suppose there's not much choice for the ones that have completely given in, is there?"
He then responds, thinking it over.
"So 001 is like that... I've only heard bits and pieces about them up to this point."

With that, Karasu waited patiently for Nori to continue. He had a feeling that the details around 001 in particular were going to be very important.

Nori put her hands on her hips. ”Sure, I’ll take it as that. But that means I’m really going to let you have it if you try that stunt anyway.”

Cloris blinked, looking over at Nori. ”The way my father talks about her, he makes it sounds like she tries to dump the staff in a bar of acid every chance she gets. Still, I’m glad she never hurt you too badly”

Cloris blushed as Alice suggested they would probably try and get into his pants.

”Wait, that's a thing? Is that actually a thing with humans and drones?!”

---

Nori smiled sadly at Karasu. [Color=indigo]”It's hard to believe that you're a mercenary For hire when you're such a nice guy. I'm not saying we should kill all the hosts. But we'll have to keep them from being swallowed her.

Nori raised two fingers, straightening ber back and clear her throat.

”There are two types of solver users. Those who get infected from another source, like Yeva here. She got her solver from 001.”

Nori lowered one of her fingers. Yeva frowned, crossing her arms.

”And the second and rarer type are the prime users. They get their solver naturally. Well, if you can call it naturally. Sometimes an improperly Disposed of drone becomes a zombie drone. And once in a blue moon, a zombie drone is born with the absolute solver. Me and 001 are like that. Prime users are considerably stronger then infected drones: you saw that for yourself in the locker room.”

Nori lowered her hand, resting a hand on her hip. ”But I'm doing everything I can to keep the solver at bay. 001 has embraced it to the point where it and her are almost indistinguishable. That's why she's the strongest known solver user.”

Nori glanced over at Yeva for a moment, then back at Karasu.

’I don't know much about her, since Chambers has worked hard to keep things secret about her. I know that she was born on Copper 9. I know she tried to spread herself as much as she could before her body was contained. And I know that she filled with rage. I got thrown away by humanity, and my anger is nothing compared to hers. And she wants to take it out on anyone and anything.”

Yeva spoke up then, looking at Karasu solemnly. ”I mne prikhoditsya imet' delo s tem, chto ona chasto pytayetsya zakhvatit' sistemy mg.”

[“And I've have to deal with her trying to take over my systems frequently.”]

Nori translated it, looked over at Yeva sympathetically. Then she looked back over at Karasu with a sigh.

”She's much Harder to deal with than my solver. At least it doesn't have a personality yet. Unlike 001.”

"I'll bear that in mind..."

Cloris and Alice were able to catch the tail-end of the conversation that those three were having as they left the room.

The green-haired girl also shared what she had heard about Nori before meeting her... Alice couldn't help but chuckle a little at the description.

"I ain't surprised that is his take on Nori. It's not exactly like she's the submissive type neither."
Alice gives a little nod along with her response.
"But the most I've ever seen her do to any Human is trip 'em up. Maybe conk 'em out for a little bit, for the especially nasty ones that get her ire."

And after that... Well, Cloris expressed her shock over what Alice said -- and now started asking if that was really a thing. Alice couldn't help but laugh again.

"Oh, Sugar! Chambers keeps you as sheltered as can be. But I can tell you for a fact that yes, it happens.

And that there RT3 that Karasu brought up earlier? They made a lot of special adapters for Drones... Stuff that yer father starts blowing his gasket about. But even he can't deny the kind of money it brings in."

Oh yes... Cloris was gonna be learning about the birds and cybernetic bees at this rate.

---

As Nori mentioned how much of a nice guy he is, Karasu calmly removes his helmet, settling into his "seat" on the floor, much like he did on the first night here.

"I wasn't always so nice. But I've seen and done a lot of things."
He trails off for a moment, then glancing over at Nori and Yeva.
"I don't really miss what my life used to be like. It's why I'm trying new things."

After that, he listens intently as Nori gives a full breakdown of the Absolute Solver, and the differences in the hosts. Between between her and Yeva, there were differences. But the biggest one to take note of was 001... A figure so enigmatic that everyone barely knew anything about her. Chambers probably had the most information -- and go figure, he wouldn't be sharing any of that anytime soon.

Still... Nori was on a higher level compared to most Solver Hosts, that made sense. But then she went and said something he would have never really expected her to be able to admit; that 001 was the strongest known Solver Host.

Now that... That was difficult to wrap his head around. He could conceivably come up with some tactics to go up against Nori, but it would by no means be an easy battle. And he would need to bring as much as he could to level the playing field.

001 was above that, definitively so.

Karasu considered that in silence. It wasn't the first time he'd gone up against an enigmatic figure that was on top of everything...

"Why are all of you here?
Why do you insist on interfering?
The Corporation, the ACs, Raven's Nest...

All of these were formed by me."

Eventually, he sighs.

"I imagine everyone besides 001 could be reasoned or dealt with in some capacity. But for her..."

He trailed off for a moment. For 001, it was only going to go one way. And in that moment he would have to put his life on the line, and fight like there was no tomorrow.

"Well, probably a good thing I'm a bit of an expert at dealing with things like that."

And even though he had just gotten done saying that he would accept backup from them... He couldn't help but turn his attention to Yeva out of concern. Not only was she contending with Absolute Solver, but there was also 001 to deal with...

"A part of me wants to say that if we end up having to confront 001, to simply let me handle it. But I already know neither of you are going to accept that."

Cloris frowned, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. ”If that’s true, then my father probably hates her because she doesn’t follow the rules. She doesn’t seem like the type to accept authority.”

Cloris’s face turned completely red at what Alice was implying. ”I know they were pushing for more realistic drones, but they’ve even gone out of their way to design THAT?!”

Cloris was learning things about the bodies of drones that she didn’t think she’d ever learn. And she wasn’t sure if she she actually wanted to learn that stuff or not.

---

Nori blinked, slipping her hands into her pockets. ”Yeah well, I’m not exactly proud of how my life used to go either. Maybe we can swap stories sometime.”

Nori wasn’t one to talk about her past. But if Karasu wanted to ever share his, it was only fair that she did the same. However, when Karasu said that he was an expert in dealing with things like 001, both Nori and Yeva spoke at the same time.

”No, you don’t.”

”Net, ty ne.”

[“No, you don’t.”

Nori narrowed her eyes, pressing a finger against Karasu’s chest.

”I don’t know what you’ve fought against before, but you’ve faced nothing like 001 before. It’s not just that she’s powerful. She’s horrifying in ways you can’t imagine. You’ll die if you try fighting her alone.Or worse, she’ll make you wish you were dead.”

Nori sighed, lowering her finger from Karasu’s chest.

”I’m sorry Karasu. I’m not trying to say that you’re weak or question your bravery or abilities. It’s just we should only fight her as a last resort. If we play our cards right, maybe we can prevent her from corrupting anyone else and her real body can just rot in containment forever.”

"That I can confirm with absolute certainty. Nori likes marchin' to the beat of her own drum."

Alice replied to Cloris's assessment. There was probably never a single time where Nori liked listening to Chambers or his staff... She did the bare minimum of what was expected of her, and it wasn't out of respect for him. It was because if he really COULD make a patch, she wanted in on that.

And that was his bargaining chip to get her to behave. Of course his method of using it meant that she hated him just a little bit more for it...

But that aside, Alice just couldn't get enough of Cloris's innocent reaction!

"They have. And it's part of why Chambers doesn't want to entertain so many of their projects. Not that it discourages them critters much. They find a way to make it work and secure the money to refine it as they go.

I never get to go into those meetings, but I usually hear from plenty of the staff about what went down. They're real wily and ornery."

---

Karasu gives a nod at Nori mentioning that they might be able to swap stories about their pasts.

"I wouldn't mind doing that. It'd probably be a good idea to unload it, since I've been thinking about it a lot recently..."

Still, of all the things he expected the two to react with, he didn't quite expect a simultaneous "No you don't", it probably didn't help that he followed up with an admission that he wanted to face 001 alone, but it wasn't out of pride, or to prove something... It was because he wanted to protect them.

He didn't mind it much when Nori pressed a finger against his chest while she made her point -- she had her reasons to feel the way that she did, he knew that. It's not like he would expect them to know his past or why he's so quick to default to that.

He leans into the wall a little bit more as he thinks back to what it was like.

"I'm the kind of person that plans for every eventuality."

He admits, and then he decides it's time to explain a little bit more about himself to Nori and Yeva...


"You're familiar enough with JCJenson and their colony worlds. Suffice to say, they weren't the only ones to set out into the stars in an attempt to forge new homes.

Global Cortex was one of these attempts -- and it was an unusual one. Their leadership was shrouded in mystery. To give you some perspective on how long they'd been at it... I was born into one of their established colonies."

He begins his explanation, pausing for a little bit as he takes a breath.

"We were put into massive underground cities, with an artificial sky. One entity ruled the planet, and it was simply known as "The Controller." It handled the major decisions of everyone's lives.

Where you would live. What job you would work. Even down to the love of your life. People lived safe lives, it was prosperous. But it was uninspired, there was no motivation... Then the Corporations happened. Each one began a struggle for power -- and The Controller manipulated these wars, and any concerns were assuaged with "All is according to plan.""

He glances down at his hands. He still remembered how he felt back then...

""Citizen No. 0824-FK3203. You are to take the Raven's Test.""

He didn't bother explaining who said that, or who it was for -- he was pretty sure they could piece together the context clues here.

"From then on, I did what was expected of me. I took on jobs, and I got good at it. I fought other Ravens to improve my ranking. Soon enough I had my pick of whatever high paying job I wanted, and I was the top Raven. I could decide entire conflicts."

He sighs a little, running a hand through his own hair, as though he were frustrated with himself.

"... Well, eventually The Controller started going haywire. I started taking jobs to investigate the unusual behavior it was exhibiting. Eventually I was deemed an "Irregular." That's when it started using the other Ravens in an attempt to eliminate me.

Eventually I was able to confront it -- it was an AI. The top-ranked Raven, The Controller, everything rolled up into one.

Even people that I had conversations with, but never met personally... The ones that didn't turn against me, they did everything they could to make sure I got where I needed to be, even at the cost of their own lives."

He trails off, that was the darkest point in his life. But it was also followed with something of such intense beauty that he still couldn't believe it.

"When it was all said and done. I saw the sky part -- and a blinding light shined down. I climbed onto the surface, and I was able to see the real thing; the genuine sky.

I might have been the last Raven in that moment. But I decided to carry the legacy, turn it into something new. A symbol of resolve, and the right to choose."

”Yeah, I’m starting to see that about her.”

Cloris was stunned by this revelation. Not the part about her father’s behavior during the meetings: that was to be expected. It was something mess that stood out for her.

”Wow, RT3 is determined to get their modifications and models out. And judging by what I’ve seen of the future, they eventually get their way.”

Nori and Yeva were both curious about his past. But neither of them were going to press the subject too hard. Nori sat down on the bed, looking over at him.

”Hey, when you’re ready to swap stories, I’m here to listen.”

That came a lot sooner than either of the drones expected. When he said he planned for every eventuality, Nori had opened her mouth to rebuttal that he couldn’t do that. But then he told the two drones about his life.

Nori and Yeva both couldn’t help be see the parallels. The latter walked over and stood next to Karasu. As he told his story, she lightly leaned against him, looking up at the human. Nori was on the edge of the bed, hanging onto every word. She clenched her fist as  he talked about how he was forced to live his life.  

”That’s not living: that’s just being a cog. They turned you into a bunch of drones. And they wouldn’t let you see the sunlight. It’s like living your life as an ant: your life doesn’t matter at all to the people at the top.”

Nori wasn’t letting her anger get the better of her. She and Yeva both listened to him tell more of his past. A past that wasn’t even forged by him in his early days. It was something that was familiar for a lot of drones: you didn’t have agency over your own life.

When he got into the part about losing his comrades, Yeva wrapped her arms loosely around Karasu’s waist. It was tricky to comfort him with the height difference, but she did her best to make it work. Nori snorted as he revealed who was behind everything.

”I knew it. Only a soulless AI would come up with a world like that.”

When Karasu was done, Nori looked up at the ceiling. ”You never know how valuable something is until you no longer have it. You know I’ve never seen the sky of Copper 9. I was brought to this facility directly from Earth. I don’t know if Copper 9 is blue like Earth’s sky. It could be purple, red, or any other color for all I know.”

She then got up and walked over so she was standing beside Karasu. She stared at him solemnly.

”I understand why you want to take on things alone now. You’re afraid of losing more people close to you. Well I’m here to tell you Karasu: you wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for those other Ravens. People make their own choices. Hell, you and those other Ravens fought for a world where you could make choices.”

Nori leaned against the wall, looking over at Karasu.

”Me and Yeva have been through a lot too. Although Yeva probably wants to tell you about that herself, right Yeva?”

The Russian drone nodded, Nori continued on. ”I wasn’t anything special myself. I was designed as a personalize hand maiden of sorts. I didn’t work for a rich family mind you, but they were well off enough to afford me. Two parents and a 10 year old boy, Richard. I did most of the chores and a lot of busywork.”

She paused, a fond smile going across her face. ”Richard was the best part. He was the one got me a purple wig. Well, it isn’t a wig anymore, but it was back then. Richard was the best part of my life there. But at the time I didn’t have the sentience to tell him that.”

Nori held her hands behind her back, leaning against the wall. ”The only problem was that the dad became abusive. Or maybe he was always like that and the hard times drove him to that. He never hit his wife or kid: that he reserved for me. I was a piece of metal he took his frustrations on.”

Nori crossed her arms, looking annoyed. [color=indigo]”Yet somewhere along the way I started developing a conciseness. Even before the whole solver thing I was starting to become more aware. One day he was yelling at Richard for accidentally knocking down his bottle of booze and shattering it. Before I knew it I had stepped in and grabbed his arm.

Nori gribbed one of her own wrists, running it gingerly. ”He completely lost it. He took a plasma cutter and chopped me up. And that was that. Next thing I knew, I woke up in a junkyard. A voice in my head was telling me that I could get vengeance. And I said yes.”

Nori’s  head hanged down lowly. She quietly spoke, like she didn’t want him to hear her.

”I almost killed him Karasu. I was toying with him for minutes. Then Richard called out my name. And I looked at him. I’ve never seen anyone as frightened as he was. Then I looked at his father and down at my hands. And I realized that I was worse than him. So I stopped.”

Nori sighed, looking over at Karasu. ”The solver didn’t like that at all. It told me to keep on killing. I told it to bite itself and we wrestled for control of my body. And that’s when JC Jenson showed up and captured me, yada yada, I end up on Copper 9, and the rest is dumb, stupid history.”

Nori sighed, lowering her hands. ”That’s why was so mad earlier. You shouldn’t treat your own kid like crap. You’re supposed  take care of them and do what’s best for them. Be semi-responsible while raising them. You’re supposed to love them.”

Yeva looked at Nori solemnly. Nori looked over at Karasu. “IKarasu, I want us all to see the sky someday. It would have to be at night since I burn in sunlight, but seeing the stars would be nice. Let’s work together to break this fake sky.”

Karasu wasn't even entirely sure why he started opening up like this. Maybe he just needed to get it off his chest -- and he felt like Nori and Yeva deserved some answers as to why he operated the way that he did. Whatever the case was, he felt it worth confiding in them. He wanted to bring out the Humanity that he KNEW was in the Worker Drones. He wanted to nurture that, to show them that people would accept them, and even fight for them.

That it wasn't worth giving in to the voice that promised power and revenge. If he wasn't able to prove these things, it would just be Proxima all over again. Eventually, Yeva approaches him and gently leans on him. Karasu then gives a little nod in agreement with Nori's words.

"To this day I'm not really sure what that colony was meant to accomplish..."

And as he continued to share his story, eventually Yeva begins to wrap her arms around him. A slightly awkward gesture due to their difference in size and height; but he cooperates with her to make it easier. He understood that it was important for her, as well as for himself.

He silently muses on Nori's words about the soulless AI. Then he speaks up;

"That's the strange thing. I see the same behaviors in Chambers, as I do for that AI."
He remarks, and then he glances over at Nori as he then elaborates;
"I suppose it's not just him. But I think... Maybe some people just turn out different. It's not what they are, but how they think. What conclusions they come to."

Still... He couldn't help but stare up at the ceiling as well, as Nori talks about understanding the true value of something when it's gone. She wanted to see the real sky on Copper 9 as well... At least, that was the meaning he took from her words.

"Yeah... It'd be nice to find out what kind of sky it is."

He replies. Eventually Nori stands up and makes her way over, explaining that she now understands why he prefers to do things alone -- because he was scared of losing everyone again. Karasu didn't offer any objections to that particular assessment.

But when she mentions that the other Ravens made their choice, and how he wouldn't be alive without them... He felt conflicted.

"Maybe... But right now, my choice is that I'm tired of people dying."
He pauses only for a moment, soon adding;
"For once, I'm going to use everything I've learned to make sure everyone gets out alive. And if that means I'm going to stand up to a mad god in a duel, so be it.

I'll just have to show it what happens when you cross an Irregular."

It only took looking at Karasu to tell that he was completely serious. He was going to throw everything he had -- and then some -- at whatever foe stood in his path. Whatever comes his way, he'd break the tide.

Although as Nori begins to share her story, he settles and listens intently. Yeva wanted to be able to share hers as well; though he needed to be able to understand Russian... Maybe that would be a decent way to bond with her further.

The story that Nori had was pretty different from the one that Karasu had, to say the least. The concept of a family was only loosely applied in the Colony. He had context for what that was like now, along with what abuse was like...

Hearing about the guy that just took it out on Nori for no good reason... Well. His hands tightened. He really felt like punching that asshole. But by the time he heard about him taking a plasma cutter to Nori? He wasn't sure whether to be angry, or concerned for her. He was both at once, he supposed...

But as Nori hangs her head low, and as she almost begins to whisper... He gently reaches a hand over and places it on her shoulder.

"I can't imagine what that was like, Nori. I'm not even entirely sure what I should say, but... It doesn't change how I see you."

Eventually, Nori capped off her backstory with how she confronted the Absolute Solver trying to control her body. And that was also why she had gotten so angry before... Yeah, it made sense. Nori seemed like she would be a great mom.

That was all the more reason why Karasu was trying his damnedest to change things. He was pretty sure he heard Uzi say at one point that her mom is dead -- or at least missing...

And... He didn't meet Yeva either. Both of them were absent from the bunker. They found Uzi and Doll, and plenty of other Worker Drones...

So when she said that she wanted to see the sky; for them to work together to shatter the fake sky in order to see the real one...

He could only think back to that fateful day, where every Raven but one fell. His mind turned to the future, where seemingly none of the Drones in the Cabin Fever Labs were around -- not even a trace of them. This time, he knew the culprit responsible. This time, he knew what he had to do.

This time, he would leave nothing to chance.

This time --

"Yeah."

He replied to her wish. His mind was elsewhere.

Nori and Yeva...

In the short time that he had met them, they already felt like invaluable pieces of himself.

This time. He wouldn't let go no matter what.

Even if he had to fly for them.

”It wasn’t meant to accomplish anything. It was just meant to exist. Everyone there was supposed to do what they were told. It was nothing more than an insect colony. No, even beehives have a purpose. You were worse then insects to that AI.”

Nori sighed, putting her hands on her hips. ”It’s even worse with Chambers though. The fact that he has a kid means that at least once upon of time, he was good enough of a person to settle down with a family. Now you can barely tell the difference between him and an AI.”

Yeva spoke up when they mused about what kind of sky it was. ”On siniy, kak na Zemle.”

[“It's blue, like it is on Earth.”]

Nori rolled her eyes, looking at Yeva with annoyance. ”Way to ruin the suspense Yeva. I was trying to set up a mysterious, deep moment here, and you go and just say the sky is blue.”

Yeva’s eyes rolled as well. Both of them stared as Karasu insisted that he wouldn’t let anyone die. Nori paused, looking at him sternly.

”We need to focus on us and our group for the time being. If we lose someone then we lose any chance of turning things around.”

She didn’t want to go into the fact that what Karasu wanted was an impossibility. Maybe they could stop the core collapse. But there were going to be casualties. But the mood was already heavy enough without getting into that.

Nori looked up as he put his hand on her shoulder. She leaned against him, murmuring softly.

”You don’t have to say anything. Just being here for me is enough.”

Nori and Yeva could see that Karasu was thinking about something. But they didn’t want to pry too deeply right now (okay Nori wanted to, but she wasn’t going to press the issue). They both lay against Karasu silently. Eventually both of them would drift into sleep mode, the events of the day catching up to the both of them.

Yeah... Nori's assessment seemed to be the case. All except for one thing that he remembered...

"I do remember that when The Controller was shutting down, it was saying something.

"Executing final directive. Surface access, releasing lock. Final directive complete. Program override initiated."

After that, it shut down... Then you know the rest."

He was still trying to figure out what that 'final directive' was. There WAS some kind of overarching goal... But what could it possibly be? As he mused on that, Nori then mentioned that it was worse with Chambers, if only because at one point he had a wife, and they had a child. He was the kind of person to have a family... And now he was like this.

It raised questions of how it gets to that point. Shortly after that, Yeva bluntly states the color of the sky, prompting Nori to roll her eyes (and Yeva did the same). Karasu chuckled a little.

"Well. Something tells me it's going to hit you two like it did for me, even if you have an idea of what the sky is like."

With that said and put aside; Nori then grows just a little stern as she tells him that they needed to focus on their group. Karasu ended up giving her a nod. He didn't like the idea of abandoning anyone, though... If he believed there was a chance of saving them, he had to at least try.

Not to mention, each person that he could get on their side only improved their odds.

"I know. But if we can get more allies... It's important that we at least try."

He left it at that. Eventually Nori leaned into him as she murmured softly. Karasu hadn't expected either of the Worker Drones to be like this... But it wasn't unpleasant.

Although now it seemed a bit silly that none of them were even bothering to use the bed at this point. Here they were, sat against the wall. He kept still, so that they could get more comfortable and get the rest they needed.

... Honestly, he was pretty worn out too...

He just needed to come up with a plan... One that minimized the risk for them as much as possible.
Yes, if he did that... Then he could take on the most dangerous parts by himself. Just like last time.

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep...

---

When the Corporations weren't waging their wars -- when the Ravens weren't on the job -- it almost felt like there was nothing wrong. People went about their day. You wouldn't even think that the sky overhead was artificial.

Right now, Karasu was sitting in one of the many trams. He was bored. Maybe it was time for another trip to the Arena. Polish up his skills, get the adrenaline pumping...

He stared out the window in silence. It wasn't the first time he had a dream of this place. It was a part of his life for so long. It would be unusual if he didn't dream of it. At least this time it was one of the more quiet moments. He'd just go through with the motions. In a way it would be like seeing old friends again.

Eventually the tram comes to a stop, right now he figured he was on this to get to the Arena. Everyone in the city knew where it was -- watching the Ravens fight was entertainment. He was content to go through with the motions. In a way, it'd be like seeing old friends again.

... Although, his thoughts are interrupted when he sees a mysterious Drone boarding the tram...

Karasu straightens out, staring straight at it. This was not a normal dream.

Nori paused, considering what he said. Then a look of understanding crossed her face.

”You got through to it at the very end. It acknowledged that your way was right. Maybe you could do the same for Chambers.”

Nori folded her arms, looking at Yeva with annoyance. ”It better still knock my socks off. Freaking spoiler.”

Yeva stuck out her tongue at Nori briefly, causing the other drone to have a annoyed emote appear above her eyes for a few seconds.

Nori nodded, leaning against Karasu more. ”It’s worth a shot at least. It’s better than not taking a shot at all.

---

The drone got on the train. She hunched over slightly, and her movement was disjointed. It was like she was trying to walk on damaged parts, she sat across from Karasu, clasping her hands together and pointing her index fingers at him. She spoke in Russian, but Karasu would be able to hear it like she was speaking English. Her voice sounded distorted, like it was coming out of a damaged filter.

”You are a hard person to reach. I thought I could really do some damage to you since you have cybernetics, but I underestimated the Coral. It would have forced any other solver user out by now: all I can do is manifest here.”

The drone looked behind her, lowering her hands and staring at the scenery as the train started moving. ”I was planning on making it snow here, but I can’t even change the environment. So this is your party, so to speak.”

The drone looked back over at Karasu, and shrugged her shoulders. ”It doesn’t matter in the long term though. Besides, it’ll be a nice change of pace to have a meaningful conversation.

Karasu couldn't help but shake his head, chuckling only briefly at what the Drone had to say.

"Well, you're not the first one to have that idea. That's why Coral was chosen for my augmentations."
He replies, and then continues;
"You should count yourself lucky that I'm not paired with a Coral AI at the moment. You would be the one getting messed up right now for that little mistake."

Despite that, he made no moves to attack the Drone. Instead, looking out the window as well. So this intruder in his mind had limited capabilities -- so this really would just be a conversation. It was still worth staying on guard. But he would at least participate in the talk.

"How much do you even know of this place?"

He asked, curious on what the Drone was able to pick up. Eventually she looks back at him, and he returns his attention to her.

"Well. I suppose I should start with a name, then."
He admits after her declaration of having a meaningful conversation, and then soon adds;
"So what is your name? Or should I assume I am speaking to the Absolute Solver right now?"