NXY-0

CHAPTER 6

The Resistance base was enormous.

I walked through the main chamber with Dr. REN-9 beside me, trying to take it all in. People moved everywhere, carrying crates and devices, speaking in low voices. The air hummed with energy, faint and constant.

Maps covered the walls. Some were old, yellowed and cracked. Others were new, marked with symbols I didn't understand. Screens displayed data that flickered and changed.

"This is incredible," I said.

Dr. REN-9 nodded. "It took decades to build. Generations. We've been hiding and growing for a long time."

"Waiting for what?"

She looked at me. "For someone like you."

I didn't know what to say to that.

A woman approached. She was tall and sharp-eyed, with short dark hair and a scar running down her left cheek. She wore a dark coat and carried a device on her belt.

"So this is him," she said. "The one who bonded with a Null-Type."

"This is Nova," Dr. REN-9 said. "Nova, this is Kira. She's one of our leaders."

Kira studied me. Her eyes were cold, assessing. "You're injured."

"Broken ribs. Fractured arm. Sparks."

She nodded. "We'll fix you up. Follow me."

I followed her through the chamber and into a smaller room. Medical equipment lined the walls. A table sat in the center, clean and white.

"Sit," Kira said.

I sat. She examined my arm, pressing against the brace.

"This is a temporary fix," she said. "We need to open you up and replace the damaged parts."

"Open me up?"

"Your arm. Not your chest. Relax."

I didn't relax. But I didn't argue.

She worked quickly. I felt pressure, pulling, and a strange cold sensation where metal met flesh. My optical implants flickered, showing me readouts of the process.

[LEFT ARM — REPAIR IN PROGRESS]

[ESTIMATED TIME: 45 MINUTES]

"Your system is old," Kira said. "District-grade. Low quality."

"It's what I was given."

"Your arm was designed to fail. The District builds everyone with weaknesses. Keeps you dependent on them."

I looked at my arm. "Can you fix it?"

"I can make it better. Stronger. Faster." She paused. "But it'll change you."

"How?"

"You'll be more machine. Less human."

I thought about that. About what it meant. About who I was.

"Do it," I said.

Kira nodded. She continued working, and I felt the cold spread through my arm.

---

When she was done, my arm was different. Sleeker. Darker. The plating was smoother, and the joints moved silently.

I flexed my fingers. They responded faster than before.

[MOTOR RESPONSE: 94%]

"Better," I said.

"Much better," Kira agreed. "But remember, you're more machine now. That changes things."

"What things?"

"Your timer. Your body's rhythm. The way you think. The more machine you become, the less human you feel."

I looked at my palm. The timer still counted down.

2 YEARS, 34 DAYS, 16 HOURS.

"Worth it," I said.

Kira studied me. "You're different from most scavengers."

"I'm different from everyone."

She almost smiled. "That's why you're here."

---

I walked back into the main chamber and found Dr. REN-9 standing near a table covered in artifacts. Ancient metal pieces, cracked and worn.

"Your arm looks better," she said.

"It feels better."

She nodded. "Nyx-0 is outside. It doesn't like enclosed spaces."

"That thing hates everything."

"It's been trapped for three hundred years. Give it time."

I looked at the artifacts on the table. Pieces of metal, old and worn. Carved with symbols I couldn't read.

"What are these?" I asked.

"Remains. From the Celestial Forge. Pieces of the original machine."

I touched one. It was cold, smooth, and ancient.

"Nyx-0 is connected to this place," I said.

"Yes. The Forge created the Null-Types. They were designed to carry memories."

"Memories of what?"

"Everything. The war. The First Humans. The truth."

I looked at the artifact. "So Nyx-0 is a storage device."

"In a way. But it's also alive. It has a consciousness. It can choose."

I thought about that. About Nyx-0's sarcasm, its weakness, its moments of silence.

"Why did it choose me?" I asked.

Dr. REN-9 looked at me. "Maybe because you were willing to listen. Or maybe because you were in the right place at the right time."

"That's not reassuring."

"It's honest."

---

A commotion came from the entrance. People moved quickly, grabbing weapons and devices.

Kira appeared. "We have a problem. A District patrol is heading this way. They don't know about the base, but they're close."

"How much time?" Dr. REN-9 asked.

"Twenty minutes. Maybe less."

I looked at my new arm. Sleek. Strong. Faster.

"I can fight," I said.

Kira looked at me. "You've never fought anything."

"I ran from soldiers. That's different."

She studied me for a moment. "Stay close to Dr. REN-9. Don't do anything stupid."

"I can't promise that."

She almost smiled again.

---

I found Nyx-0 outside. The wolf sat on a ridge, staring at the horizon.

"Nova," it said. "There's a patrol coming."

"I know."

"You need to be careful."

"I'm always careful."

"That's a lie."

I sat down beside it. "Tell me something about the past. Something real."

Nyx-0 was silent for a moment. Then it said, "The sky used to be blue. The First Humans used to sit outside and look at it. They didn't have timers. They didn't have machines."

I looked up at the gray sky. "I can't imagine it."

"Neither can they. But it was real."

I felt something shift inside me. A crack in the wall I'd built around my mind.

"Will you show me?" I asked. "One day?"

"When I'm strong enough. Yes."

I nodded. "Good."

---

The soldiers appeared on the horizon. White armor. Marching in formation. Heading straight for the base.

Dr. REN-9 appeared beside me. "We need to move. There's a tunnel. It leads away from here."

"I can fight," I said.

"You're still healing."

"I don't care."

She looked at me. "You're not ready yet. You'll get yourself killed."

I looked at the soldiers. At the white armor. At the single eye on their chests.

"Nexus was taken by them," I said. "I'm not running anymore."

Dr. REN-9 studied me. Then she nodded.

"Fine," she said. "But stay close."

I looked at my new arm. My sleek, strong, faster arm.

"Let's go."