Embrace The Ether

"Ah, yes sir…" Mercer answered back hesitantly as he gave a gentle nod.

"Good. No more drinking tonight, if I see you with a bottle I"ll make you choke on it. You"ll be a gunner." Mercer"s brows raised in shock, but all he could do was simply nod. Turning to look toward one of the heavier men sitting at the table, Elias went on from one person to the next.

"You"re Rufus, right?"

The man nodded his head.

Elias continued, "Good, from what I"ve been told you"re quite the pilot? If that"s the case, you can handle maneuvering the ship and keeping us from falling into the desert sea."

"Not a problem, milord," Rufus grunted as his mustache covered his mouth.

"Thaddeus…"

Elias went on from one person to the next, giving each of them a specific task for the heist. Everyone gathered here had been selected for one reason or another. Either they were extraordinary pilots, amazing shots, or perhaps they had other more indirect uses, either way, they"d all serve a purpose by the time the job was done.

"Now you, Droh." Elias stared blankly at the young little Faun, "You"ll do what you always do. Guide us. Any questions?"

Droh simply grunted out in response.

"Good, didn"t think so." He gave out a puffed laugh, "Now what to do with this friend of yours… What was your name again?"

"Just call me Deus, I guess."

"Your name is actually Deus? Hah, you"re such an interesting person. Alright, Deus. I need to keep you alive if I want that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Roch to stay off my back, but I can"t just give you a reward for not doing anything. Hmmm…"

Mercer spoke up, "Mister Elias, perhaps allow me to interrupt… I could always use another hand up-top as a gunner."

"Gunner? Hey Deus, you know how to shoot?"

Deus shook his head, "Afraid not… well, I"ve never had much experience with the guns around here. I would probably be a quick study, though."

"Oh, a quick study, yeah? Shut up. No, you"ll do something else… something more… fun." Elias paused for a moment as a smile seemed to form on his lips, "That"s it! You look like you would enjoy moving around a bit, right? I think I"ll keep you next to me as a member of the vanguard. Along with Thaddeus."

"Vanguard?"

"Yeah, you know… the ones who"ll go in first and make sure everything goes well? A gunner can only do so much, but a vanguard can be right in the heat of it." He chuckled and continued, "I know I should keep you aboard the ship to keep you alive, but eh, f.u.c.k it. I think this will be funnier."

"Funnier? a.s.shole is playing with me just for the laughs." "What a great idea…" Deus grumbled out sarcastically.

Ignoring his att.i.tude, Elias simply chuckled in return and nodded.

"Alright everyone, you have your instructions. Gather back here early tomorrow, and take care of any of your bulls.h.i.t, since you may or may not come back. Oh and I doubt I have to tell anyone this but don"t f.u.c.king talk about this job with anyone outside this room. h.e.l.l, just don"t talk about it at all, no good will come from it."

"Oh and lastly, don"t bother with bringing s.h.i.t, unless you want to have an edge to stay alive. The clan will provide you with anything you"ll be using, but it"s on loan. If you die, make sure you toss it back to the ship beforehand."

As Elias said that, everyone cleared out of the room, each of them showing a nervous and yet surprisingly eager aura. Deus and Droh left together as they headed back toward their room in order to make any final preparations before the operation tomorrow.

As morning arrived, in their newly acquired room, Deus and Droh both prepared their things separately as they sat in silence, both mentally preparing themselves for what was to come. If something went wrong, they could end up declaring themselves as enemies to Direfell and it"s vast military force. Not only that, but the prospect of Roland finding out about Droh was also a very real concern.

"So the job is happening… whether I like it or not…" Deus hesitated for a moment, "What can I possibly do to prepare for this? Or do I have to simply walk into the lion"s den, without any rea.s.surance? I"m not the only one in danger… one wrong move and Droh could get killed, too."

A thought flashed through his mind as a hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He pulled out his Archive device and enabled it, "Archive, how are those scans progressing?"

Beep.

"Requested scans have been completed. Would you like scan results? Warning, device battery charge currently at seventeen percent. One more major scan will drain the remaining battery."

"So you didn"t die last night… that"s good. Wait, I thought you said two more scans and you"d be dead? I had you scan more than two things… what gives?"

"Battery usage varies from one request to another. Original request involved a full-body physical scan, which takes a heavy toll on battery life. Your requested scans were less extensive, and thus required less battery drain."

"Ah, I understand. Archive, show me results for the scans I requested."

"Request approved. Three scans have been completed, which one would you prefer to know of first? The first scan labeled "Local Atmosphere." The second scan labeled "Physical Body Modifications." While the third scan labeled "Battery Charge Solution." All three scans have been concluded, more extensive information can be tracked with a more advanced scanner. Please consult a director level engineer to make the proper modifications."

"Right, got it. How about the local atmosphere?"

"Log accessed. Data on local atmosphere opened upon user request, beginning to read off entry to scan. Scan level marked as basic, please upgrade when able." The Archive paused for a moment as several electronic sounds could be heard, "Atmosphere marked as "desolate" based upon previous data provided by the director ranked developer in charge of database construction. Meaning; the terrain is dry and empty, very low chance of wildlife growth. Ecologically this environment should not be capable of containing life. Exception determined, reasons unknown."

"So dry and desolate, huh? Nothing I didn"t already know. I guess I"ll need to get my hands on a better scanner before I can learn anything new." Exhaling, Deus asked another question, "Archive, give me the results of the second scan… about my physical modifications. You"ve had enough time to figure some things out, right?"

"Request approved. Log accessed. Data on physical modifications opened and ready to report. As previously reported, Experiment X-Z-001"s body has undergone a transformation. The culprit of change; Transfer. Aftereffects of change; Unknown."

"So, nothing has changed?"

"Negative. Your previous inquiry has been scanned and evaluated, with an answer calculated. Warning, the answer may not be completely accurate, awaiting further data. Question; "Is Experiment X-Z-001 the original owner of the modified body or has host genetically fused with Co-Transfer Experiment?" - Answer weighed; Experiment X-Z-001 is the primary controller of the body and has not been mentally modified beyond basic-level changes."

"Holy s.h.i.t. So you"re telling me that I am "me"? How can you be so sure of that?"

"Evaluation comparing current hosts mentality has been weighed against original data from prior to Transfer. Major similarities have been found, while nearly zero similarities matching Co-Transfer have been found. The test is not completely conclusive."

"Well, that"s some great news I think." He said with a sigh, only lifting his head back up in a panic after a few moments. "Hold on! Did you say... nearly zero?"