Leaving Approaching Sky’s cubic room felt different this time, as it did the many times prior when Irradiant went on small trips to test out the training moves Spears showed her. Even if the immediate surroundings of Sky were more than familiar to the young Slugcat, everything felt so odd, so daunting.
It would be the last time she would visit that room, for a long time, at least. Was she already feeling homesick? She has just left the chamber she called her home for so long, only to regret it the moment she went through the connective pipe. Was she that pathetic?
Focus! This time, I must get serious. Everyone is counting on me, and I won’t let them down.
Let’s go!
Irradiant made sure one last time, that the backpack was secured tightly on her back, which it was. As solid as can be, to be mistaken with an official part of her glowing body. It even glowed slightly blue through the cracks, she noticed gleefully.
She felt her belly, noticing the subtle bump deep below her slick fuzz, sensing the backup pearl in the mentioned pocket. She was set and ready for her most important trip. Everything was there, she had a lovely feast before the meeting and felt encouraged by the words of her many friends, who all were rooting for her.
Irradiant lowered herself on all four and crawled past the pipes and cables which were connecting the Heart Chamber to the surrounding room. The many different workers of Approaching Sky were tirelessly floating around, welcoming her to join the weightless struggle to the exit. The key difference being that they could hover in the absence of gravity. She only had one boost of her legs to the next obstacle.
Better grab a few rocks, ‘Rad. You don’t want to rely on Sky to send an Inspector to push you to the next wall. You are big now; you can do that!
The training had prepared her for many obstacles. Some of the lessons were, however, from one Iterator child to the other, focused entirely on mastering the weightlessness of their core. Irradiant was born in the vicinities of her father and grew up in the emptiness of his brain. She cracked a smile and wound up for the first boosting leap of many, her goal in her white eyes. It didn’t take long for her to develop a rhythm of bunny-hopping through the lack of gravity, always finding solid ground under her feet to continue her quick pace past her father’s Neurons.
She learned quickly in her training that she wasn’t supposed to eat these floating jellies, but that temptation soon turned out to be a non-factor, as her radioactivity began to irradiate her immediate surroundings. By now, her aura was too much for the Neuron Flies to even handle, which caused them to actively avoid the dashing green bolt altogether. Irradiant didn’t blame them for that and kept her pace quick, to not linger on the living metal panels either, trying to harm her father as little as possible. He was not the only one of the two, who developed a soft spot for the other.
While she regularly harmed his extensive body only a couple hundred Cycles ago just to spite him, Irradiant now attempted everything she could to not hurt him any more.
I must be fast. I can only slow down and allow my body to affect Sky in the shelters he created for me. What did he say again?
‘Look out for green arrows, they show you the way to blind spots of my Can.’
Green arrow, where are you?
Her pace through the most holy of Approaching Sky was as quick as she was able to hop. She didn’t pay attention to the Inspectors sorting pearls, to the sparkling communication between Neuron Flies nor the weirdly blue-shimmering Neurons, which acted like hairs and provided Sky with a sense of touch. She would wither away many hairs of his with the time required to wind up the next free flight across colourful blinking rooms.
Eventually, her hops no longer resulted in straight jumps, and she noticed a slight tilting angle in her arc. The influence of Sky’s voided brain lessened as Irradiant finally figured out which wall was supposed to be the floor, her feet connecting with a bridge, preventing a slow descent into the abyss beyond. Finally, she was the master of her gravity, Irradiant noticed in delight, free of the influence of the green puppet once again. The initial leap was done, now she had to trust her glowing legs to carry her from point A to point B.
Bright eyes scoured out various corridors, seeking the green arrows to get to a shielded place to respire. But with her being unable to make out one of the markers, she instead followed the path she knew best: The path back down to where she had been created—the S.I.G. Hatchery , as Sky told her he called that massive complex. From there, she would have to figure out a path on her own, probably taking every opportunity to further descend his massive body until reaching the mentioned underground Railway Station. From there on, she had only one path to follow, a path which would lead her across the ocean to the island she spotted from Sky’s top level.
Sky signed to her back then, through a floating helper of course, that Gales was built centuries after him on a rich vein of gemstones as well as ample reserves of diluted Void Fluid. Irradiant was not sure what he meant with all these colourful words, but she took notice, nonetheless. She had imagined the island in the foggy sea as a gleaming place of wonder and beauty. An imagination, which crumbled further and further as her abilities started to develop and her mere presence became a hazard to the world around her.
Spears told her about the current situation on that island of wonder, after having listened to her complaints about her inability to hold the Neuron Flies. They told her horror stories about a burning rain Gales caused and had to endure. Made of the very diluted Void Fluid Sky praised to have been quite the boon for his research, back when Gales was still young.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Irradiant noticed something to be severely lacking. The last time she was down here in the Hatchery, she was guided by things young her called ‘Handplants’, which, however, were merely Sky’s means of interacting with the, in his words, ‘expanded him’. She hadn’t encountered any of these service arms at all, no cheeky wave or a surprising pat; a gesture Sky started to perform after a successful training unit in the vicinities of his body.
None were there to guide her. Was that intentional of the green god, or were his friends still occupying him? Irradiant hoped it would be the latter, but the first option would make sense as well. After all Suns was quite insistent in the last remaining training session of the past Cycles, that Sky should not grow attached too much to her until she would return from her mission. A doctrine they followed with Spearmaster as well, who was a mere ‘Messenger’ until they retired from delivering important pearls to a friend neither of them further desired to talk about when she asked.
And yet, I do have a name. One I like, one that fits me like a glove. The Irradiant. I am not replaceable… a discovery regarding Spears’ mission I shall never say. They are important; being my dear mentor. I respect your decision, Father. You can pet and cuddle me when I am back.
Setting foot in the vicinities of her beginning, Irradiant noticed right off the bat an odd occurrence young her would have brushed aside as a freak of nature. Observing the wall panelling, the glowing symbols and the general vibe of Sky’s most holy, the S.I.G. Hatchery followed a slightly different colour scheme. The primary colour of the panels was still that of metallic green, but Irradiant noticed a shift in its hue from an olive tone to a nearly bluish green. But more noticeable was the sudden shift of the mood light, illuminating the dark halls through the many symbols covering the walls and various screens.
What was set in a dark red with golden accents shifted from one panel to the following to a deep purple glow, tinting the wide halls of the Hatchery in a reflective lilac hue. Further inspections of the living wall confirmed Irradiant’s suspicions. The intrinsic design of the floor and walls felt different. Similar on the surface level, but following a completely different goal.
Was that what Sky meant with expansions to his body? It didn’t strike her as odd before, but this only felt like Approaching Sky in terms of the sterile atmosphere and design—otherwise, Irradiant didn’t feel that welcomed anymore… even if these tall halls with the glass cages were her birthplace.
Now, when I start to have questions, you are no longer here. But why didn’t I notice that earlier?
I wonder if the design will change further in the next themed area. Only one way to find out.
The Slugcat entered the Hatchery with a healthy dose of suspense. The last time she wandered through the massive complex, lizards of various colours flashed their teeth at her, eager to swallow the fuzzball whole. After having discussed various predatory species with Spears, Irradiant viewed the Hatchery as a breeding pond of danger. To only imagine that her hatchery neighbours, the red lizards, were considered the alpha predators of the surface… Irradiant was unsure what that revelation would render her into. If the Hatchery followed a sorting system, the red lizards might have had similar enhancements to their form as she did.
Spears called them mighty, but dull-minded, and they were created in her vicinities. She was created with a strand of accelerated growth and superior intellect. What if… how long did lizards take to grow up?
I am safe here, am I not? No nightmarish creatures eager to turn me into a tasty snack, right? Everything grows up. I do remember many small critters in the see-through boxes.
Is this still the correct route to take? I hastened here because I knew the path. But was it the right choice?
Countless questions occupied the distressed Slugcat’s mind as her deepest worries turned into audible reality. The deep screech of a beast without a body or scent to identify shook the sound Hatchers, followed by more hellish tunes, never heard before. She was about to stumble into an ongoing brawl, by the sounds of it. Irradiant was reluctant to engage further, as the same screech from before reiterated, now in a hurt and scared undertone. What followed was a sound Irradiant was only able to identify as pure agony. Then, suddenly, silence. An eerie lack of screeches. Only the rhythmic sounds of sharp teeth chomping down on its prey, the smacking sound of a different beast enjoying the victory over the first.
Irradiant unknowingly stepped back to the corridor she came through in the first place, putting more distance between the feasting monster and the adorable snack. She thought she was ready before, but listening to the sounds Spears described to her to look out for, firsthand… she was not so sure about that anymore.
That… thing has no manners. Sounds like my protest messy eating habits. I should lay them to rest if they sound like that to others.
Now what? Can I dodge around the beast enjoying a tasty dinner? If only the boxes weren’t transparent. Or my body wasn’t a literal beacon of light. Only need a target painted on my chest.
…
Alright, if confronting the thing is no option, I must be creative. The walls!? Hmm… too smooth to climb, no debris to use to elevate myself out of its reach. That place is well-maintained for a pit fight to the death. But I can’t just back down at the first sign of a challenge, especially when my father will still be able to see me. One of his eyes must be somewhere, watching me.
Gotta make you proud! Here I go! Dodge and avoid. I am the smartest around.
A notion, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Irradiant was smart, yes, but whatever was strong enough to fell prey further in the Hatchery might be a spawn from the same core. Intelligent and dangerous.
Irradiant felt her core burning up in reaction to her stress, her hair standing up straight, her eyes glowing like two searchlights. Her body was preparing itself for a stressful first Cycle outside of the secure brain of her father, to join the struggle for survival of her brethren.
Small paw imprints marked her hasting path, her corrosive Self burning through the very steel her father was made of. But this off-coloured material was not resistant to her. More reasons to be quick.
At least one glimmer of light in these lonely times.
Shifting Gales set the chat device aside, the last message from Suns still flickering over the screen; A confirmation that Irradiant had finally left the Puppet Chamber of Approaching Sky. Help was on the way, now all that was left for Gales was to make sure that something would remain to receive the needed aid.
Gales waved Breaker closer to her position, her puppet sitting on a piece of debris in a formerly lightless chamber. Now the place, formerly known as her Western Rarefaction Core, was exposed to the elements and at risk of malfunctioning. The corrosive rain was eating away through rock and metal and would soon get in contact with a fourth of her total life force.
Breaker approached her, head tilted in curiosity. He and a small squadron of new members of her religion have listened to her call for aid and brought as many explosives as they and their lizard mounts were able to carry. Gales’ desire was scraping dangerously close at the taboos, leading to the constant ringing in the back of her head she learned to ignore over the past Hectacycles.
“Is everything prepared, Breaker?”
The grunts and screeches of the language of the primitives had strained her vocal box to the point of having turned her elegant melody of a voice to the scraping and raspy broken tune of a horribly mistreated lyre. Yet another sacrifice she was forced to make. Hopefully, a sacrifice Sky could undo later.
She pointed to the location where the Rarefaction Cell was located.
“The explosives are but the first instance. My Energy Core will answer. Call back my followers once everything has been placed. I count on you.”
‘Goddess sure? Explosions big. Many bombs. Scary much. Breaker afraid Breaker aids in harm.’
“You are not wrong, Breaker. This will hurt. But I desire to remain in control. The acid will connect with the Cell in a couple of Cycles and the reaction will hit me unexpectedly. By being in control beforehand, I can numb my body to a degree, in which I hardly notice the effect of losing one of my lungs. I will survive. I will remain in charge.
Ready?”
Reluctantly, Breaker nodded, the richly ornamented mask of his decorated with various colorful pearls she was able to summon for his deeds swaying with the notion. The Scavenger had by now gathered quite the support and followership in the upper city of his kins.
Gales enjoyed observing him in his fascinating prowess for diplomacy for a while, but, eventually, she lost interest in that little project as well. With her demise drawing closer, it was—to no one’s surprise—difficult to fathom the strength and interest to watch over the less unfortunate.
Breaker spoke up to his peers, his language skills improved in self-assurance, his gestures wide and ‘loud’, his presence among his people a fascinating happenstance. The Scavengers immediately stopped and watched, having gotten notified of the plan of the Machine Goddess. Those who had placed all their explosives ran away as quickly as they could, others quickly placed the last remaining charges to swiftly follow.
Gales couldn’t help but wonder if they were afraid of her notions. Them running away told Gales that none of them actively trusted the Iterator to not wait until the area had been cleared out.
I should be upset, but I understand them. Run away from the scary god, for I am the weakest among you all. I just hope you will never realize that fact.
‘Last bomb set. Breaker will leave. Gales leave as well. Breaker stays with Gales.’
Respect to those who deserve it. Gales summoned the language of his back into her mind and answered in the voice of his, her vocal box audibly revolting.
‘I stay with you. We leave. Won’t trigger explosion until we have left radius. Go?’
A thin stream of smoke raised up from her throat vents, her final word interrupted by a raspy cough. Breaker wildly gesticulated that she should take it easy. She should. But fate had other plans.
Plans, which involved mutilating her body even further, for no gain but to remain in control of the situation. Plans, which had a failure rate, which would cause other Iterators to faint in sheer agony. Failure rates above 0.0001% were already unacceptable for her people, Whisper would call her crazy to attempt this very plan she hatched. According to her calculations, there was a 60% chance of her Can collapsing if the explosion was triggered randomly. The additional directed force of a hundred strategically placed explosives would lower the chance of a critical failure to a gut-wrenching 12.5%.
Spin the wheel, Gales. Take opportunities to survive, no matter how bad the odds. I trust the probabilities my friends would incinerate on sight. I never really felt like an Iterator before… but now? Might as well call myself the Queen of the Scavengers—a failed Goddess.
12.5%. A one-in-an-eight chance that your target will collapse while you are still inside Sky, my Irradiant. I will try to stay sane and myself… for the most part. That is until you save me from my soon-to-be corpse.
The expanding seismic wave on Lives’ radar was deeply concerning. The coordinator quickly identified the epicentre of the odd occurrence and contacted Approaching Sky immediately.
“What in the name of all that is holy happened? It hasn’t been one Cycle since Irradiant left. Why do I sense seismic waves of alarming magnitudes from Shifting Gales' location? Do you have visuals?”
“I noticed it, Lives. My Overseer already got an image.
First the good news, or the bad news?”
Lives stared at the screen, befuddled, unable to answer. Eventually, she raised one finger. Always the good first. The bad news couldn’t be that bad, could it?
“Good news: Shifting Gales is still standing.”
“So, it was her!? Poor girl. What happened?”
“And that is the bad news. My Overseer can see her insides. Her western wall has been blown wide open.”
“Y-you are saying that so nonchalant!? Why are you not concerned?”
Sky’s eyes hardened, a wave of odd compassion washing over the antipathic Iterator. Lives noticed how much he struggled with showing that many emotions, but he pushed on, crooked antennas vibrating under the mental strain.
“Because the explosion was fabricated. It was her doing, her choice.
If she is behind it, I trust her every move. She prevented an immediate failure of my daughter’s mission. Prevented an anticlimactic end to our shared work. Shifting Gales knows what she is doing.
And you should put some faith in her as well. Her Superstructure is lost. Gales must maintain only the necessary. If that means blowing up a Rarefaction Cell, so be it.”
“I… you are right, Sky. Keep an eye on the situation. And try to inform Irradiant.”
“Affirmative.”
