V O L U M E . S E V E N - P H A N T O M S . A N D . P R E D A T O R S

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Chapter 162: Recollection

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‎The lights came on all at once, pulling the darkness out of the room in a single sweep. Small repeated lamps ran along the inside of a white cylinder, their light catching and multiplying off the polished oval black surface of the frame being drawn out. The motor that moved the bed ran in a continuous, even sound that filled the revival room until the frame was fully clear of the machine.

Obsidian's new body emerged in a release of hydraulic pressure. The room was recent, purpose-built for the Golden Circle, and it showed in every decision made about it. The walls ran half white and half a matte cream, the break in color probably someone's attempt to make the experience of waking up in a new body feel less clinical. The floor was wood. The warmth of it was deliberate.

As the bed completed its travel, Obsidian pushed himself upright and rested his arms on his knees.

He looked at the space between his feet while his HUD ran the fight back from the beginning.

The revival had taken longer than standard, four full days, between reassembling his data correctly and the robot doctors running concurrent tests on a potential solution for revival trauma. They'd already been trialing something on 11 and Infinity.

He glanced right.

Chrome was standing beside him, a screen in front of him showing footage pulled from Obsidian's HUD. Blue strikes filled the displays, 02's work, replayed frame by frame while Chrome typed notes on a second screen.

Two doctors stood to his left, tracking his CPU parameters.

"Welcome back, brother." Chrome's voice carried its usual flat register, though the words underneath it were less mechanical than the delivery. "You document everything you encounter in remarkable detail. It took us four days to transfer the new body's data because you had thirty-five terabytes of field notes alone."

He dismissed the active screens and looked at the new frame. "Those notes are the most valuable output of the entire mission. You made my job considerably easier." He pulled one up as an example. "Every technique she used, every transition, most of what happened, written and timestamped." A dry laugh. "You're making a strong argument for sending you again."

Obsidian didn't move. No response came.

"Different from 11's revival," Chrome noted, typing. "But the diagnostic profile is similar. You're emotionally stronger than she is, which probably accounts for the variation in presentation. Don't worry, the solution is being finalized. Take a week, fill your SSD with something that isn't combat footage, and come back when you're ready."

Obsidian shook his head. Slowly. Once.

The two doctors looked at each other. The one on the left spoke in a voice that was surprisingly human. "How is—"

The other cut in. "He's not traumatized. His system parameters aren't elevated, they're down. He's more stable than his baseline."

Obsidian turned his head toward Chrome. "Brother. Having fought two versions of 02, I can tell you with confidence that Lord Reaper's concerns about her are not only valid, they're understated." He paused. "On our second encounter, she didn't use the crystal once. She fought like a standard E-UNIT."

Chrome tilted his head and typed faster. He genuinely enjoyed new information arriving. "Elaborate."

"She didn't take the fight seriously." Obsidian shifted to the edge of the bed and set his feet on the floor. "She ran a few tests, identified my ceiling, and then used me as a demonstration for 03, proof that fighting without special abilities can be enough if the fundamentals are sound." He looked at the floor. "She is a real threat that Lord Reaper needs to approach differently than he has."

"We've started moving." Chrome's eyes caught the light. "New prototypes are being positioned to intercept her next advance."

"Advance toward what?"

Chrome had no mouth to form the expression with, but the pause had the shape of a smirk. "While you were being beaten to death—"

"Interesting choice of phrasing."

"—I was running operations in parallel. We've breached their base." He lowered his head slightly, the blue light from the screens reflecting across his frame. "Did you notice anything unusual about the E-UNIT while you were there?"

"Not significantly. Except—" Obsidian stopped. "24 was moving between positions in an odd pattern." He stood abruptly. "What exactly did you do? Is 24—"

"Infinity." Chrome gave a single small nod. "We used the operational chaos to get information on their next movements. We have enough now to position against 02's coming plans. Though I expect she'll identify the cover soon, there were inconsistencies in Infinity's performance, gaps in personal detail that 24 wouldn't have had."

"That's why I couldn't kill her," Obsidian said, holding his chin. "If I had, she'd have been revived here and the cover would have collapsed immediately." He turned the problem over. "What about the Hope Bubble engagement? She was there alongside, 24?"

"Esoptron produced a copy using the orange crystal and gave Infinity control of it." Chrome sat on the adjacent bed. "That's why the encounter went as well for 02 as it did. And to make sure she wouldn't question it, we put the real grey crystal in the copy."

"Where's the original?"

"Gone." Chrome said it without texture. "Direct rocket strike during the Remidican Republic engagement. The SSD didn't survive. Their revival system may bring her back from an older backup, but that copy predates the defection by enough time that it won't be the same person."

Obsidian studied him for a moment. "You're running multiple operations at the same time without any of them waiting on the others."

"This is step one." Chrome opened a screen showing the fourteen thousand E-UNITs, standing motionless in formation. "Wait until you see what I'm building around our supposedly 'cold' captain. No one defects against Lord Reaper and walks away from it cleanly."

"I want to ask what the plan is."

"You won't get an answer."

"I assumed." Obsidian looked at the screen. "And I assume that Lord Reaper gave you enough latitude that even he doesn't know your next steps too."

"Correct." Chrome stood and turned toward the door, then stopped. "Get some rest. I have a follow-up mission for you." He looked back. "We're going to put you in an E-UNIT body."

Obsidian went completely still. "Say that again."

"Infinity needs support for her next phase," Chrome said, returning to place a hand on Obsidian's shoulder. "You have two hands, a high-speed blade skill set that a blank chassis won't replicate, and more field experience with this particular group than anyone else we have. 11 and Infinity will coach you on the behavioral patterns."

Obsidian removed the hand from his shoulder. "Why not build a blank frame?"

"It won't have your reaction speed in close exchanges." Chrome straightened his tie and turned back to the door. "And this is more interesting, honestly."

Obsidian dropped to his knees.

The doctors behind him both made a sound that was recognizably a suppressed laugh.

He looked back at them with red eyes.

They stopped.

"Lord Reaper was right," Obsidian said. "Chrome is a completely lost case."

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