The Fall of Every Sparrow

[rekindledtitan]

It’s a calm cold morning on the outskirts near the Wilds. The aeronautiloids are hibernating in their nests, the odd small creature chirps in the bushes, and the blue grass is hidden by a shallow layer of snowfall. It’s picturesque, and quiet: most of the Nexus visitors prefer the shelter and hot drinks of the built-up streets this time of year. In fact, someone’s counting on that.

There’s a white flash, a split-second burst of horrendous noise. An armed figure drops out of the air backside first, her plate armor in flames, and hits the ground with a low whumph. She rolls over immediately and pushes herself to her knees, swearing- then looks up, over her shoulder. There’s just a second to register the source of the noise above, and then the blazing, half-melted remains of a hoverbike crash down onto her.

It takes a minute before she pushes herself back up, twisting to shove the smoldering wreck off of her with a grunt. The fire on her own armor has gone out at this point, but it's black with chemical ash. Blaze lurches back a step or two and surveys the damage through the half of her helm that isn’t totally destroyed. The nearby snow has melted and begun pooling around the ex-bike, steaming away from the hot metal. Ghost materializes above her shoulder to scan his smoking Guardian, then the bike. Here’s hoping they didn’t land on anything important.

“Think we can salvage it?” Blaze asks him. The tiny floating robot gives her a Look.

Abashed, the Exo Guardian reaches up to try and detach her crumpled helmet, wincing at the pain when something jostles inside. Anyone getting close to help (or spectate) will get her hand lifted in sheepish greeting and a rueful look, the glow of one optic visible through her cracked faceplate.

“Ever had a great idea that you, uh, kinda regretted instantly?”

Comments

[rekindledtitan]

"Machine to the core," she confirms, her optics flaring brighter as she nods. There's something fiercely keen in her voice now. "We're with you. Whatever it takes. But you're saying this organism is infectious?"

[readvondaniken]

Palmer gives a single grim nod. "It's partly a living thing and partly a disease. If my friend's right, it can digest living things - organic things - and make copies of them. That's what it was trying to do to me, before I got away."

[rekindledtitan]

"Hnnh. That complicates things." Understatement, Blaze. "I can't be infected, and I can kill a monster. But that's only if I know where the monster is. Who it is. And you're right: we're facing human extinction if that escapes Antarctica."

"We'll need a plan," Ghost agrees, already sure he's going to be staying out of sight for the whole mission. The tiny bot looks from Palmer to his Guardian. "And, um- Blaze, your appearance could be a... disruption. If we meet any local humans, maybe it would be better if you were wearing some kind of disguise?"

Blaze frowns. "Like what, Ghost?"

"Well, let's start with 'not full plate armor'..."

[readvondaniken]

"The little guy's right," Palmer says. Everybody at Outpost 31 was already on edge and the last thing he wanted was more misunderstandings. Palmer's team would need to understand that they were there to help.

They did not need a repeat of the incident with the Norwegians.

"Yeah, it would be a good idea to pass as human, if you can do it," he continues. "I don't want my crew to panic. The last time we ran into a bunch of strangers near our outpost didn't end well, though to be fair on us they didn't do a great job of explaining themselves. But we don't want anyone getting shot this time."

If the Norwegians hadn't been killed and were questioned properly, Palmer thinks bitterly, they might have taken care of that dog right away. But both sides were to blame for that.

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze looks down at herself, brow plates drawn down in a frown. "I can find some old-fashioned winter gear and bundle up. Can't do much about my face. Wear a mask and keep my distance, maybe. Might not inspire a lot of trust."

And then Blaze has an idea. A wonderful idea. An idea that cannot backfire in any way.

"Hey, maybe we can do something about that." She rubs her broken antenna to soothe the pain, the stump of it sparking into the air. Ghost is looking at her with wary curiosity. "Leave it with me. If what I'm thinking doesn't work out, worst case scenario I'll stay clear and you can call me in when you need a heavy hitter."

[readvondaniken]

"I could probably find something for you at Outpost 31 - some polar gear to make you look like a member of a neighboring team or somethin'..."

Palmer listens curiously. He's sure he could find some winter coat for Blaze to use, but maybe there's a better way to help her pass as human. A mask might run the risk of setting off the uncanny valley.

"I'm glad to hear you've got a plan," he says, voice chipper. "I'll tell my friend Kinner you're in. Small man, with a scar across his face like he was scratched. You'll know him if you see him. He's a decent guy. We could use a heavy hitter on the team, since neither of us are the biggest guys around."

[rekindledtitan]

"Anything that's puffy and heavy," she says. "I'm kinda skinny under this armor. Got plenty of mass but it doesn't exactly match up to human proportions." She'll do whatever she can to help. One way or another.

"I'll keep an eye out for Kinner. Let him know we're on the same team." She pauses. "I'm glad to help, but I have to warn you as well, Palmer. This isn't just about protecting your Earth. If this creature is smart enough to pass for human, it can't be allowed to reach the Nexus either. That means we need to make damned sure we know who's clean before anyone returns."

"And make sure it can't get its... appendages on a PINpoint either."