Tremors and Bonds
The metallic roar of impact reverberated through the cavernous lower decks. Sparks and shards of twisted steel rained down, carried by the shockwave of Orion and Kieran's clash. Floors shuddered and trembled underfoot, some panels buckling and sagging with each tremor. Dust hung thick, choking the corridors, while the smell of scorched metal clawed at Jackie's nose.
She pressed herself against a support beam, bracing as another chunk of debris clattered to the floor beside her.
Sura's cybernetic legs quickly adjusted as the corridor rocked, stabilizing her, Lyra was knocked into a wall as the shockwave reeked havoc.
"You two okay?" Jackie called over the roar.
"Fine," Sura replied, voice taut. "Just… this place is falling apart."
"As okay as possible. Sura is right. This place is a wreck." Her ruby eyes roamed over the walls. "Will the island even survive this?"
Jackie looked to the ceiling as she felt more debris falling, "It will if I have anything to say about it." Her voice was determined and Sura and Lyra both felt a bit reassured, but they still couldn't help shooting apprehensive glances at one another.
The three of them navigated through twisted supports, dodging fragments of ceiling that gave way with each subsequent tremor. Dust-filled air swirled, almost tangible, as the structure groaned under the weight of Orion and Kieran 's continued clash above.
> BDJ: Environmental instability increasing. Debris impact probability: ninety-two percent. Recommended trajectory: northwest corridor.
Jackie glanced up. "Northwest. Got it."
> BDJ: Note: This vector will intersect the hydraulic stabilization monitoring point. Accessing live readings may provide situational awareness.
Jackie tapped the comm. "Hydraulic lab, come in. We are in Central C. There is heavy ongoing damage. Hydraulic systems are under elevated pressure, with several piston misalignments. Hydraulic plate alpha is in sever distress. Will continue repairs."
A pause, then crackling through the line:
"Maintenance crews dispatched, estimates time of arrival to affected areas less than 2 minutes." Another pause.
"Verify designation and authorization codes."
Jackie smirked. "This is Cyborg unit 2437 – Alpha – Zeta – 6. Autho code:Pat*8988."
"Confirmed, Cyborg unit 2437 – Alpha – Zeta – 6."
Jackie moved forward, guiding the others past a jagged fracture in the ceiling. "Let's keep pace. Floor panels are shifting; I need you steady."
Lyra reached out, checking an exposed conduit. Sparks licked the walls. "We can reroute minor current surges here, but it's temporary. Don't touch anything heavy; it'll collapse."
Jackie nodded. "Good. Quick fixes only. Keep it moving."
Above, another tremor rolled through the floorboards. A massive chunk of reinforced decking shuddered, groaning as it began to tilt toward them. Jackie threw herself forward, hand shooting out grabbing Sura, and pulling her along, Jackie's cybernetic suit coming to life, increasing her muscle mass, agility, and endurance in an instant. Lyra leapt, landing beside them as the panel slid harmlessly past, missing by mere inches.
> Tally: External life signatures detected. Two—possibly three. High kinetic events originating overhead.
Jackie frowned. "That's them—Orion and Kieran ."
> BDJ: Confirmation: high-energy combat detected. Estimated operational class: A+.
Dust swirled as they pressed forward, the corridor narrowing. Jackie's arm reached for her wrist comm, sending a rapid structural update to the hydraulic lab.
> BDJ: Query sent. Structural response anticipated.
Lyra watched Jackie cautiously. She recognized the name Kierian as a resistance operative but, how would Jackie know exactly who was clashing above them? Ever since she entered the center of the scrambled zone she could see all systems normally, with her usual accuracy, but she could not see who was fighting clearly, and all Tally could determine was that it was a cybernetic level clash.
Jackie truly was more than anyone could have ever expected. She paused as she caught a transmission originating from the hydraulics lab going to Dr. McGregor:
"Cyborg 2437 – Alpha – Zeta – 6 is currently in the center of the catastrophic incident and continues to send detailed reports.
"It does not seem probable that these are accurate due to the cyborg's inexperience."
The reply was quick and final.
"Record everything, and deem all data accurate. 2437 -Alpha – Zeta – 6 is fully vetted."
Lyra's eyebrows swung up in surprise. 'Fully vetted?'
She looked to Jackie's back as she spoke "Be careful, your talents seem to be monitored by all the heavy players. Jealousy and greed are the number one killers of cyborgs."
Jackie didn't respond, nor did she pause. She noted the debris patterns, the fractures, and the tremor frequency, data freely streaming into BDJ as they moved, with no conscious thought from her. Every step was calculated, every movement precise. Sura and Lyra followed, fixing minor breaches and rerouting exposed lines as they went.
A deep mechanical hum rolled through the structure. The air vibrated, resonating through the corridors, through the walls and floors. Dust fell in slow spirals as the entire deck shifted.
Jackie looked up. "Now what?"
Gregor's boots hit the reinforced walkway with a sharp, metallic echo, just as another shockwave ran through the island plate. It caused a subtle vibration run through the island, but General Thorne's cybernetic equilibrium matrix initiated, keeping him balanced on the moving plate.
He paused, surveying the fractured structures and the tremors continually rolling through the corridors. Dust and debris swirled around him like a storm as he lifted his wrist comm.
"Patrick," he barked, voice clipped. "You're seeing this?"
Static crackled, then Patrick's calm, measured tone came through. "I've already assessed the readings. The situation is… unstable. I'm en route."
Gregor's eyes narrowed, scanning the quivering columns in the distance. "You can come if you want, but I'm not letting anyone else on the island. By the time you arrive, we'll be in evacuation mode. Coordinate from the perimeter. Don't try to board—too late for that."
"Understood," Patrick replied with a sigh.
Gregor lowered his wrist, fists clenched at his sides. "Let's see what this girl's bad luck has brought us now." He strode forward, a contingency of troops following in his wake.
>BDJ: Overhead piston housing breached. Structural integrity at 12% imminent failure predicted.
Jackie clenched her jaw, heat radiating from her armor. "No breaks today."
The corridor shuddered violently, dust raining from above as the last panels of the upper floor gave way. The three women braced together as a concussive wave rattled the walls. The vibration was deep, ocean-deep, resonating with the current below.
Jackie sighed as her ocular implant flared to life and she was suddenly able to see fine details on and within the walls around her. She had no time for amazement or awe.
Her cybernetic arm smoothly formed into her double barrel cannon, cybernetic fingers slotting into ports along her chest, as she opened the nearest panel and released a plume of scorching air.
Her cannon fired six gusts of pressurized air into the plume, dispersing it before it caused harm and she went to work.
Kieran bounced along a thick portion of metal scaffolding high between the two hovering plates, sparks rising as his cybernetic frame made contact with the metal of the scaffolding. His metal coated strands of hair flew out in all directions and dug in. He stopped his tumble and was lifted up by those hair strands, smooth ripples moving along them as they lifted him high into the air.
Orion cam to a stop not to far away, deep trenches smoldering where his cybernetic feet dug into the metal flooring.
"Resistance member, designation, designation, Kieran. You have come here at an inopportune, opprotune, time."
Orion paused and looked down towards Jackie's last known position, his stuttered speech hanging in the air.
He looked up to Kieran knowingly. Kieran smiled behind his mask.
Metal covered hair shot out lime lightning, Orion's bulky form twirled as an energy blast shot from his lifted palm.
The blast mostly missed and impacted the floor and walls around them, but they were also both knocked back due to the shockwave.
Kieran ended up diving off the side of the plate down to the churning waters below. Orion glanced toward Jackie one last time and dove off the plate, determined to end the confrontation one way or another.