Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 6.26 - New Roommate

Falling in and out of consciousness was disorientating for Emmett.

There were gaps.

Like trying to remember the moment when you fell asleep—

Or when you started dreaming...

Emmett was in his own mind, walking down a long hallway. There was a door at the end, and someone was waiting for him.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound was steady and insistent.

The hallway was inside Emmett's mind—inside his brain. Whatever lay beyond the door was inside the implant. Once he stepped through that door, he would no longer be on his own home turf.

Emmett shouldered his fusion rifle and walked. It felt like he'd spent years fighting back the invasion in his mind. But he wasn't tired. Not in the slightest.

He kicked open the door and stalked out, rifle leveled and humming.

The door swung shut behind him. That part was more symbolic than anything. The connections—the doorway—between Emmett's mind and the implant would be almost impossible for Bastion to access. TINA had only been able to access parts of Emmett's mind because he allowed it.

Savanus and Bastion couldn't cross that threshold—

Not without a fight.

Emmett stepped into the implant and found himself in a small clearing in a snow-covered forest. Towering evergreen trees dominated the scene, all of them cloaked in a veneer of white. It wasn't snowing, and the world was still and quiet.

Bastion stood across the clearing. It was little more than a humanoid silhouette. Instead of darkness, its form was filled with a mix of static and electricity. Still, there wasn't any doubt that this was Bastion—a copy of Bastion. Emmett's brain implant wasn't powerful enough to house the lab's entire proto-AI. This was a copy similar to the way that TINA had downsized herself.to escape the Brotherhood.

Until now, Bastion had only appeared as biomechs and drones—as metaphor. Seeing the proto-AI in this vaguely humanoid form was disarming.

Emmett looked past Bastion and searched the trees. Biomechs, large and small, were hidden in the distance. At first, Emmett thought they were lying in wait for an ambush. But there weren't any drones in the sky... The only drones he saw were landed and scattered amongst the biomechs. All the weapons of war were still and snow-covered. Dormant.

How long had Bastion been waiting for him?

And why didn't it attack?

Emmett called out, "I won't surrender!" His words echoed across the landscape.

Bastion shook its head, almost meekly.

Emmett's rifle didn't waiver. "...You want to talk?"

"Yes."

"Why should I bother?"

Bastion glanced around with uncertainty. Its gaze wandered across the snow-covered landscape.

Emmett doubted the proto-AI could experience real emotion, but this shared mindscape was an interpretation of both of their thoughts. Emmett's weapons weren't real—they were a symbol that he was ready to fight. Likewise, Bastion's dormant weapons and tense demeanor meant much the opposite.

It was a long time before Bastion spoke.

"It is strange here. ...I need your help to understand."

Emmett resisted the urge to lower his rifle. Even without the deep connection that Emmett and TINA shared, he felt a sense of honesty and seriousness radiating from Bastion. Despite how Bastion appeared now, Emmett couldn't forget the rest of his situation.