Haze pt 6: QUINARY FALLOUT

Segun:

~YAWN~ Why did it feel like that night was extra long? Wait, who am I talking to?

Nil:

Press on the door here, Segun. Yes, like that, just a little harder. There you go. You just emerged from your very own sleeping vat for the first time. How’d it feel?

Segun:

Did I not used to sleep in vats? Synths are supposed to sleep in vats, but I can’t…remember…

Nil:

You shared a vat with Prima before, but Dr. Splicer just finished with your new code, and this brand new vat is all yours now. How do you feel? Do you like all the extra space to stretch out?

Segun:

…

Nil:

Segun, you okay? Why are you just staring at me blankly like that?

Segun:

Don’t wave your hand in front of my face. It obstructs my vision. Who are you?

Nil:

You…you honestly don’t remember? This isn’t a joke?

Segun:

You’re beautifully unique, but…no, I don’t know you. I would remember galactic skin like that. Did you win it in a race?

Nil:

Pft. I don’t race. And you know that, Segun. You have to know that.

Segun:

Another sport, then. Are you a fighter? Are those feathers metal? I bet they could really slice up an opponent.

Nil:

Segun…Dr. Splicer, she’ll get her memories back, right?

Splicer:

I had to delete a lot of anomalous strings.

Segun:

Why are you crying, galactic boy?

Nil:

Nil. My name is Nil. Remember it.

Segun:

I will.

Nil:

Those mods…Dr. Splicer, her mods aren’t the same.

Splicer:

Yes, about that. The fox ears and tail are an extremely rare mod. Perhaps something more common would have been easier to decipher and separate. As it was, a lot of guesswork went into filling those gaps, and, well…

Nil:

Her ears are huge and black, and so is her tail. And she has claws!

Splicer:

I’m actually ashamed to say I’m a bit excited. Apparently I changed just enough to unlock a never-before-seen mod. The Server termed it the wolf set.

Nil:

But the fox stuff she won made her smarter and faster. These aren’t going to slow and dumb her down, are they?

Splicer:

That is an excellent question.

Nil:

You’re a lot of help. Segun, let’s go find a mirror so you can see how you look now.

Segun:

How did I look before?

Nil:

That…doesn’t matter.

Segun:

Was I ugly?

Nil:

No! You just- ~SIGH~ Simple explanation, you looked like Prima, and you still look a lot like her, like sisters, but you don’t have the same base face anymore. Your new face is slimmer, sharper, and your skin has this iridescence like—

Segun:

Who is Prima?

Nil:

Really? Dr. Splicer, did you erase everything?

Splicer:

I did warn you—

Segun:

Wow, Nil, your wings are huge! If you don’t compete so you didn’t win your mods…did you steal them? Buy them? Are you a black market overlord?

Nil:

Dr. Splicer, my heart hurts.

Splicer:

Be patient with her, Nil. She is not who she was, and she needs a friend like you.

Nil:

She has a race in a few minutes. The Masters entered her as a celebration.

Splicer:

I don’t think that was the wisest course, but it may cheer her up and help her mind settle, giving her something familiar to focus on.

Segun:

A race? Do I like racing?

Continued in part 7.

Thank you for reading!