"That means I'll have to retrieve it? What a pain in the ass."
[There's only 38 hours left till the core goes critical, sfter then, the entirety of Nova City as well as the neighboring countries and cities will be obliterated.]
"38 hours huh, that means there's only a total of not less than 20 hours to retrieve the core."
[Why do you say so master?]
"Well for one, I'm school for the next eight hours so that's gone, and next it's day time. I'm not trying to say that I operate in the dark or anything but after the incident last night, the East Avenue docks is sure to be flooded with cops and crime scene investigators. Not to mention that the core is missing, and Nex industries will be worried as hell since the reactor is still there."
[That is correct, however basic deduction will only take the matter so far master.]
"What!? Did you just call my analysis basic deduction!?"
[You missed the bigger picture master, now the core is missing, Nex industries would have taken the van away from the docks till they can find the core. What do you think will happen if the city finds out Nex industries imported makeshift atomic weapon?]
".... That's true, it'll bring down their credibility and they'd be shut for life."
[You're still missing the bigger picture master, if the van's not at the docks anymore, how do you plan to stabilize the power source even if you do find it?]
"That's right... Fuck, you should have just gone straight to the point and stop nagging me H.A.V.A, but yeah, can't believe I didn't think of that, can you find a way to track the core?"
[Yes, I'll let you know when the satellite has tracked it down.]
"Whoa whoa whoa, there's a satellite??"
[I uploaded myself to all of Earth's satellite for easier access to data.]
"That's awesome..." The bell rang immediately, signaling the start of classes as H.A.V.A logged off.
"Alright then, I guess I'll just focus on classes till then." As Mason shut the door and stepped out of the classroom, he turned—and there it was. His eyes met Vanessa's just as she was about to pass by him.
"Vanessa." He called out to her, and she lifted her head, spotting him with a smile spread across his lips.
"Oh, hey Mason." She replied bluntly, her eyes heavy, looking as though she hadn't slept in days.
"Oh hey? That's all you have to say? I've been trying to reach you since last. Are you still mad about how I reacted the previous day? I'm sorry okay?"
"No it's not that, it's just... A lots going on right now with me and my family, I've just not had enough time or sleep to think clearly."
"Hey." He placed a hand on her shoulder, as a bright smile lit up his face.. "You know I'm here for you don't you? Whatever it is you're going through, I'll always be here to support you."
"Thanks..."
"How about I take you out this evening to cheer you up? You know it's been a while since we had chinese food."
"This evening? No, I'm sorry, I have something important to take care of this evening."
Mason's brows rose in disbelief. Vanessa had never turned down dinner with him before, if anything, she was usually the one forcing him to take her out.
"Classes has started, I have to go, I'll see you later." She walked away, his hand slipping from her shoulder. He didn't know what to think, didn't even know how to process it.
Classes were the same as always, boring and unnecessarily long, but today felt different. Mason couldn't think straight; his girlfriend's behavior had completely thrown him off guard.
Even his lecturers noticed. Mason was one of the brightest, if not the brightest, in applied and physical sciences, so his inability to answer a simple question like the atomic formula for helium left them completely stunned.
School ended in the blink of an eye, and Mason left without a word, not even joining his friends to talk about the new Transmorphers MMORPG that had launched the night before.
He walked alone, strolling through the beautifully designed streets of Nova City on his way home.
[Master, I have located the van to a warehouse just 250 miles away from the East avenue docks.]
"Hm? Oh that's good news." The notification from H.A.V.A brought him back to his senses. "How long before the core goes critical?"
[About 15 hours master.]
"Good, let's go home and restrategize, I can't afford a slip up this time, or it's me and Aunt Sonia's life on the line."
When he got home, he headed straight to his bedroom, tossed his school bag onto the bed, and sat down in front of his desktop.
"Hava, bring up my bio-data."
[Affirmative.]
[----------------------STATUS----------------------]
[Name: Mason Harris]
[Age: 18]
[Gender: Male]
[Alias: Sonia (Aunt), Vanessa (Girlfriend), Luke and Conner (Best friends)]
[Race: Human]
[Talent: NanoForge]
[HP: 100]
[Level: 3]
[Strength: 5]
[Speed: 5]
[Agility: 7]
[Stamina: 6]
[Gear:
• Highly Advanced Virtual Assistant (H.A.V.A)
• Dual Specter (Level 1)
• NanoForge Abilities:
- Nano Creation (Level 1)
- Nano Regeneration (Level 1)
_____________________________________
"Wow... My stats has gone up by 5 points since last time, wait a second, NanoForge abilities?"
[Yes master, while NanoForge provides you with inbuilt artillery when you level up, it also provides other abilities.]
"I see, I already have an idea of what Nano Regeneration is from your explanations before, then what is Nano creation? I assume it's an ability that let's me create my own tech? But given it's at level 1 it's creative prowess is limited?"
[Yes master, while levelling up gets you access to state of the art tech, Nano creation lets you create your own tech, but only according to the available materials.]
"I see, this is quite useful, I can't just run in blind anymore, I'll need more than Dual specter to handle those kind of advanced weapons. What materials are available now with Nano creation?"
[Obsidian dust,mistweaver gel,, silent Bloom Catalyst, shadowstone fragmen-]
"Sorry, I meant what can I produce with the materials available with Nano creation.
[An EMP and smoke grenade.]
"I see, that'll be very useful in distracting those bastards. Alright then, since Aunt Sonia won't be around till later, Hava, activate skull."
The next instant, the touch panel of Mason's watch split in two and slid back into the casing, a soft mechanical whir followed. From the narrow opening, a stream of dark nanites poured out like liquid smoke, swirling in the air around his head. The nanites twisted and pulled together, shaping into a solid mask that locked into place over his face.
He pulled a black hoodie from his wardrobe and slipped it on, before pulling the hood over his head as the white lenses of his mask flickering to life with a soft whir.
"Let's go core hunting."