Sky Runners

Chapter 2: Herald

Comet focused on flying the Jet-Mech through the sky, scanning the area as she heard Ben snoring loudly. She scanned his body again and detected strange hardware in his skull and brain. "Scans show the pilot has illegal modifications to the main cranial housing and the right temporal lobe. Data shows increased data storage, faster computing power, and quicker reaction time. The question is, why?" She asked as Ben turned to his side in the seat and yawned. He felt his watch vibrate and woke up. "Mmf... Okay, where are we?" He asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Scans indicate we are in what your map and internal memory banks call: Sanguine Scorch Lands. Time before estimated arrival, thirty-six minutes." Comet reported as Ben sighed before sitting right and reaching into his bag. "Scans indicate you are: dehydrated, hungry, exhausted, pain in the frontal lobe, anxiety, and-"

Before she could finish, the sound of crunching could be heard as Ben bit into something crunchy and what looked like a piece from a sizeable insect. "Query: What are you ingesting?" She asked as he grimaced at the taste, texture, and fact that he was eating a giant bug. "Mmph, something I rather not tell you. But if you must know, deep fried Rakta. A critter found deep within the soil of the Fungal Cave region. They usually taste bitter, sour, gamy, crunchy-Blegh!" He gagged and almost vomited. "Mmph, but they aren't poisonous and help cure fungal disease. As for nutrition-Burgh! They have the same amount as a fried Groch. Which is our cleanest pest that can eat without, well, dying." Ben said as he wiped the orange guts and viscera off his mouth as took another nasty bite. "Scans show this is true, but a better way to process this can be done. Allow?" Asked Comet as he stopped and looked at the holographic image of the options menu. He chewed for a moment and said. "Fuck it. How can you prepare this shit?" He asked as Comet reached out with a mechanical arm and pulled it into a processor unit on the left panel. It slowly but surely began to alter the meal as the sound of sizzling, popping, and grilling could be heard before it dinged.

Then it opened up, revealing a small cooked rectangle-shaped piece that smelled and appeared more edible. "Huh. I'll bite." Ben lifted the hot piece to his mouth, took a bite, and chewed. He stopped, eyes widening at the taste as he swallowed hard. "Holy shit, this tastes good. Like really good!" Ben continued to eat the hot meal, puffing air in his mouth as he tried to cool off the food while eating and sighing in relief. The tiny nugget of processed Rakta was gone, leaving Ben with a satisfied look. "Scans show the meal has sated your hunger. The injected vitamins and minerals have balanced out your health deficiencies. As for your other issues, they will require a class B doctor. Brain scans show no available clinicians can perform such procedures based on recent memory." Ben was ignoring Comet as he relaxed from the warmth in his stomach. "Hm? Oh yeah yeah, stuff and junk, sure," he said before pulling out his digi-map and checking for the nearby Outpost. "FYI, it's rude to scan people without permission." He said as Comet was quiet and reflected on her actions. "I am sorry, Benjamin." She said as he looked at her.

"How do you know my name?" He asked as the artificial intelligence spoke. "I accessed your memories after you completed my download into your memory banks. I am sorry if I upset you, pilot." As Benjamin looked at her, she said, "Ah, no worries. Listen, I'm sorry if I sound sharp. Just the way you have to be out here. This planet is only known for taking and never letting anyone go once it has its clutches in your flesh and bones. Hey, if you have my memories, tell me: What's my birthday?" Comet thought for a moment and answered, "July seventh, 5095." He laughed and said, "Wrong! It's October twelve, 5102!" As Ben enjoyed being right, she corrected him. "Wrong. This was your adoption date. Scans from your genetic code and biology-based age scans show you are born on this date. Scans show the last sight after infancy shows a woman, man, and-" Suddenly Ben became upset and spoke up. "Stop! Stop... Please. Don't..." He said as his voice quaked with pain. Comet scanned his heart and saw it was racing, but brain scans showed he was stressed and sad. "I... I will go offline until we arrive." Comet said as she turned off and focused on the Jet-Mech's arrival.