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⬅️ Previous capture (2022-04-28)
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Story continuing from Chapter 2 - Watched, Suited Up.
"Base, this is Hover One. Approaching Southern Rim. Altitude 20 meters. All systems within normal params."
The Chief Pilot, Mikalim, communicated with the base via the Song. His mind's display registered that the message was received. He switched between his natural sight and his mind's eye several times a minute, keeping an eye on all the sensors. His hands were on the manual controls of the Hovercraft. It felt unnatural, uneeded, but the Hovers were equipped with the manual controls in case of system failure. It was possible, even with the recent modifications, that he would be putting the hover down roughly.
"Mikalim, I am picking up some interference," his copilot, Ranol, stated. The shielding is holding. We should be fine. Electrical systems are adapting to the radiation."
Chief Pilot Mikalim looked over at his pretty copilot. Her eyes were closed, doubtless scanning readouts on their test run with the updated Hover. He caught himself admiring her body, the way she filled in her clothing, visible even strapped in and in uniform, her brown hair pulled up into a bun. Small lights flickered through the skin on her neck and face, showing the path of her implants.
Mikalim checked himself, knowing that his thoughts were being logged, and shared, by all on this mission, those in the craft and those monitoring from base.
He looked at his copilot's face, and he caught the slightest hint of a smile. This look, too, she caught over the Song.
The hills started to climb up to the rim, and the pilot pulled the Hover up gently, increasing altitude. He scanned the readouts in his mind's eye. Something was happening. The atmospheric interference was increasing steadly. The Hover's systems adjusted again, keeping the electrical signals within an acceptable range, but he became nervous. The fluctuations caused by the atmosphere were uneven. The Hover's systems clocked up to keep up with the changes.
A message came in from the base, relayed to both crew within Hover One.
"Your craft's systems are ramping up. If the cores get over 80%, pull back and return to base. Are you seeing anything with natural senses not being picked up on the Song?"
"Negative," Ranol answered for the chief pilot. "The atmospheric readings are eradict, but the enhanced systems are compensating. I would not count on the systems holding up in a storm, however. Not without further modifications."
"There is wildlife everywhere," Mikalim observed. "Pilot Ranol and I have seen a few birds from up here. Some big ones. The infrared is showing numerous life in the forest below."
Ranol looked over at him, smiling.
"A brand new world," she said aloud. "Let's try not to screw this one up."
"I hear that," Mikalim replied. He reached over to give her hand a squeeze, then stopped. Ranol's electronics had always flowed steadily under her skin, but now they blinked erratically. Moments later his natural sight began to dissolve, white static invading much of his sight.
"This is all wrong!" The Chief Pilot could hear Ranol's voice, spoken aloud, but it came to him as from a great distance. "Something is taking over our systems. They've been infected."
Something flooded through Mikalim's body, his mind. His systems, his circuitry, his body, no longer responded to his commands. He saw operations issuing from his implants pushing the Hover forward, accelerating toward the ground.
"Keil!" Ranol cried from beside him, using his given name. He felt her fear over the song, but that was the last he sensed as the Hover crashed into the hills, a small explosion issuing from the wreckage
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