//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Near Human // by Element of Power //------------------------------// "Machine and flesh." He studied. "My brain..." ................................................................................................................................ E - 30 wandered his own brain, watching as information and memories rushed around and mixed together. Though, at the same time, he made sure to keep his head relatively low, avoiding the act of looking at the face in the ceiling. He instead focused on tracking the speeding parts of his mind. After what felt like hours, he finally noticed a pattern. At first it seemed like all the memories and numbers were moving completely at random, but with closer investigation, he could see that both types originated and ended up in the ceiling. "Great." he groaned. Steeling himself, he forced himself to look up, the terrifying face still up there. It's eyes seemed to glow a bit more when he did. Now, he could see that the memories were all flying in and out of the right eye of the beast, while the numbers were flying in and out of the left. "Ok. Memories right, Data left. I'll go to the left for now." He reasoned. As he said this, the eyes on the face flashed, and he started to float. Flailing his arms did little to change his direction. He was pulled closer and closer to the face, merging with the flowing stream of green data. The face let out a horrifying rumble before its left eye glowed brighter. A moment later, he found himself falling upwards to the center of the eye, where the flow of data entered with him. As he passed through, gravity was reset, sending him down and he landed with a thud. Getting to his feet, he could see that the floor had changed. It was now completely metal, smooth and reflective across the dark expanse. In the air, the green data that he followed could be seen flying around the air, not a memory in sight. They would all pass through a small pillar in the center of the room, before flying back out. The pillar was shiny black, about as tall as his abdomen. He moved forward to it, feeling a hum of power radiating from it. He stopped right in front of it, and waited for it to do something. It simply sat there, unchanged. It seemed to ripple slightly, like a liquid. Hesitantly, he put his hand on it, feeling it to be solid metal, and the pillar sprung to life. A beam shot out the top, almost like a projector beam. All the data flying around was pulled in, arranging themselves into neat rows that formed a cylinder around him. He turned in a slow circle. "It's a database." He turned back to the pillar. "The information in the implants, it's all right here." Touching the pillar again, the data moved a bit. He swiped his hand, and the data spun in a circle, before coming to a slow stop. "Ok, let's see." Swiping to the first in a row, he tapped the pillar. The "file" opened and expanded, showing a diagram of his body. His thumb slid over the edge of the file, and a series of images appeared.There were many of them, displaying different angles to highlight different parts of his system. "The more detailed the better," he tapped the file again. Now, he could see the multitude of features he had inside of him. Things like mechanical muscle tissues and brain implants were already known, and therefore less important. Mixed in were little tidbits of interesting and useful information, that he didn't even know about himself. Like how his eyes could also act as projectors and scanners. One of the biggest finds was the apparent nanotech. While he wasn't made of them, there were some in his body. They would fix any damaged parts of his body, if given a material. Any type of metal would work, with which they would break it down, refine it as best as they could, and use it to fix him. The nanos could even rearrange his hands and feet to recreate useful things like tools, weapons, and faster ways of moving. "Well, that's surprisingly convenient. I don't have to worry about possible fights. But, I will need to get a stable metal source." At this, for the first time, he really thought about the creatures he met in that castle he appeared in. Even without the brain enhancements, he was smart enough to figure out that the talking horses that were chasing him, while wearing armor, were at least somewhat sapient. This would most likely mean that this was their world. Eventually, he would have to cross paths with them, whether it be for supplies, or by mere chance. He went through hundreds of files; some many about himself, some about the research division that created him, a couple about previous creations like him, and a few on future tests. E - 30 was fairly certain that he had enough information to survive for now, so he back away, leaving a few files untouched. As he moved away, the pillar stopped projecting, letting the data flow freely again. "Ok, now to wake up..." When he said this, metallic clanking occurred behind him. He turned around, and saw another pillar that had come up from the floor. He made his way over, and when he was right in front of it, he could see a green square button, labeled "Wake up". "Oh. Okay. Perfect." He pressed it, and the world around him pulsed with light before vanishing. Barely a second later, his eyes opened. Light was pouring in through the leaves above him. Sitting up, he could see that he was still comfortably in the tree. So, armed with new knowledge, he jumped out of the tree, landing with a grassy thud. Small mice scurried away from him, running out of sight. He turned and continued in the direction he was originally going, except this time, he was prepared for anything. He just had to make sure he kept an eye out for a metal source, and just in case, an area where the creatures lived. ................................................................................................................................ Twilight Sparkle; Princess, prodigy, and pragmatic thinker, was sitting in her room, reading one of the latest shipments of books. Lately, she has tried to tone down the obsessive reading, but she just had to enjoy these. She moved them to her room, grabbed some snacks and drinks, and relaxed while digging in to her newest arrivals. About half an hour in, there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in!" The door creaked open, and Spike ran in. "Twilight! Put the book down!" Twilight smiled and shook her head. "Spike, I know I'm trying to cut down, but I am still allowed to read. It is good for your mind after a-" She was cut off by Spike. "Yes, I know, but you have a letter from Princess Celestia. It says urgent on the outside!" She frowned at Spike nervously, but didn't argue. She simply let Spike walk into her room. When he gave her the letter, she closed the book she was reading, and picked up the letter with her magic. Unfurling it, she read aloud: Dear Princess Twilight I'm afraid this letter is not one of our usual light hearted talks. There was an unusual occurrence in the castle, and a creature of unknown origins was found. It ran and escaped from the castle, then headed into the woods. Because of Canterlot's proximity to Ponyville, and the unknown intentions of the creature, I found it necessary to contact you and inform you of this, so that you and the rest of the Elements are aware and on a careful watch. Should you come across it, try not to aggravate it. Send me a message and try to keep an eye on it. Your Friend, Princess Celestia Twilight finished reading, letting the letter fall. "What is this? I need to tell the others." Spike walked out of her room, leaving her alone with it. She sat down, and sighed. There was always something happening, but this seemed like a serious state of emergency. 'I have full faith that we can overcome this, but... what if it is more than we can understand? More than we can handle?' She solemnly thought to herself. Getting up, she decided to tell Fluttershy first. If there really was a creature loose in the forest, Fluttershy and her animals would know. Concentrating, she teleported away with a pop.