Breachers

CHAPTER FIVE

Battery Woes

 

 

Several hours later

 

 

 

Marcus shook his head as he watched his friend struggle to get up the stairs, straining to keep control of the large box in his hands.

“I said I was alright,” Felix hissed as he paused for a second, sweat visible on his forehead. “I’m not going to drop—” Felix nearly tipped over as he missed the next step, only for Marcus to grab him by the back of the shirt and steady him. “I had it, I had it.”

After earning Marcus’s raised eyebrow, and despite the groaning protest of the old wooden staircase under their combined weight, Felix continued upward.

“Come on, you stubborn old goat, let me lend a hand,” Marcus said, struggling to contain his laughter as he noticed his friend’s shaky knees.

“I told you, I’m good,” his friend insisted.

“Really?” Marcus moved closer, whispering in his friend’s ear. “Do you even know how many credits that thing cost?”

“Not… helping… you… prick,” Felix hissed as he finally reached the edge of the staircase. He wobbled toward Marcus’s front door, then slammed his back against it, sliding down into a seated position, still hugging the large box like a koala bear. “Told you I had it. You Breachers ain’t got nothing on me.”

Marcus grinned as he patted his friend’s shoulder before grabbing his keys to unlock the front door. Then he grabbed Felix by the back of his shirt and dragged him inside the apartment, stopping only when they reached the couch.

“There we go, Hercules. What do you want to drink?” he asked as he made his way over to the kitchen.

“Beer,” Felix said eagerly, disentangling himself from the large box. With effort, he managed to get up, then strategically collapsed onto the couch in a dramatic move. “And some chips.”

“We just had a long dinner with my sister a few hours ago,” Marcus called out from the kitchen, followed by the sound of a fridge opening.

Felix slumped further into the couch, resting his head against it. “Yeah, so? That was hours ago. In case you forgot, I just carried that chunky boy you bought all across town,” he said, patting the box beside him as if to prove a point.

Marcus joined him again, handing Felix a cold beer and tossing a bag of chips onto his lap. He then took a seat next to his friend, cradling a glass of water himself.

“Cheers,” Marcus said, holding out his drink. He felt his friend tap the neck of the beer bottle against his glass, twice, before Marcus slumped down further into the couch as well. He glanced around his apartment, spotting the mess of scattered clothes and discarded fitness equipment.

There was nothing that stood out or would link him to Specter or the other robot, yet he always felt a bit on edge each time someone entered his apartment after his robots had been active.

He heard Felix exhale loudly, followed by a muttered curse. The man then finished his beer in one gulp, before rising from the couch and settling in a squatting position. His friend grabbed the box and slowly began lifting it up again, visibly struggling as he did so.

“Here we go,” Felix muttered as he wobbled toward the nearby table, trying to carefully set the box down but losing control at the end, causing it to slam onto the table.

Both men winced at the sound, with Marcus’s jaw tightening for a moment.

“It’ll be fine... probably. I mean, these things are usually wrapped up in plastic and Styrofoam. How about you go grab a shower? I’ll set it all up for you,” Felix said, his voice layered in self-doubt.

Marcus watched as Felix used his car keys to cut open the tape on the box, revealing a brand new 3D printer wrapped in plastic and protective material.

“Just try to be careful with it, alright?” Marcus waited for a response from his friend, but realized Felix was losing himself in the struggle to cut apart the plastic and snap the Styrofoam into hundreds of smaller pieces.

Sighing, he got up and made his way over to his bedroom, finding nothing out of the ordinary beyond the closed closets. He noticed an old t-shirt and baggy sweatpants neatly folded on his bed, along with socks and clean underwear. He hadn’t placed them there when he had left earlier that day, but he knew who had.

‘Funny how Specter is more mature compared to myself… despite being me.’ He shook his head, then headed towards the farthest closet. His right hand pressed against the wood, then rapped his knuckles twice. A few seconds later, he heard the same sound from the other side. ‘I’m safe. It went well,’ he thought, hoping it would reassure Specter, hidden behind the door.

He then grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom, eager for a shower. Marcus peeled off the borrowed overall from his sister’s guild, relieved to finally rid himself of its lingering odors. Although he had hosed himself off after leaving the Sphere, the familiar comfort of actual warm water, soap and shampoo was a welcome luxury.

Having showered and dressed, Marcus left the bathroom and spotted his friend caught in a mess of wires, feverishly tapping away on a nearby laptop.

“You good over there?” Marcus asked while he made some room and helped in untangling his friend.

“Here we go,” Felix grinned, sliding the laptop toward Marcus and claiming a spot on the sofa, making space by shoving aside some workout equipment and a heap of discarded plastic. “Behold, your new 3D printer and the latest software.”

“You’re the best,” Marcus said, glancing at the screen and bumping fists with Felix twice in a row. “It was all automated—”

“It was all completely automated. Thank god for that,” Felix said in unison before sighing in relief. Afterwards, both of them dissolved into chuckles for a few minutes. “But hey, I contributed. I plugged in the cables.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Marcus said as they both stared at the 3D printer and the laptop in front of them before Marcus started experimenting with the new program.

“Yeah, you could. But I wanted to help,” Felix said, reaching for his friend’s empty glass. He stood up and made his way into the kitchen to grab a new beer and pour Marcus another glass of water, then handed the glass to his friend before sitting down again.

“The truth is... I kinda needed to help. You know, with you actually going into Spheres for a living. I wanted to help, even in a little way,” Felix explained, observing as Marcus opened up a site that listed dozens of models they could download for free or purchase. “I still have no idea what your fascination is with this stuff, or why you wanted to blow half your paycheck on a brand new—”

“Half of half my paycheck, actually,” Marcus interrupted him, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I gave Joline half of my earnings when we finished our job today, remember?”

With a roll of his eyes, Felix continued. “So, a quarter of your paycheck went into a fancy 3D printer when you could’ve just borrowed mine. You know that’s mental, right?” He sighed, ruffling his dark curls while shaking his head. “And what do you even do with all this stuff?” he asked, seconds later cutting off Marcus before he could respond. “And don’t give me that ‘I want to make a phone case’ excuse again. You’ve used it a dozen times already, and I’ve never seen you actually use one. So be honest.”

“I’m slowly building a robot army to take down Spheres,” Marcus said, his eyes hardening briefly as he looked at his friend. Felix met that gaze for a few seconds before bursting into laughter and then demanding a serious answer.

“Honestly, I am enjoying these tech things. It’s all cutting-edge stuff that didn’t exist thirteen years ago. It’s fun to learn more about it and experiment with it,” Marcus said, giving his friend a broad smile.

Lately, he’d been considering telling Felix and his family the truth about what happened to him, his robots, and the true nature of his Mark and Abilities. He knew it was the right thing to do to finally share the truth with his friend and family. But he knew them. He could almost predict their reactions—trying to shield him from trouble with guilds and the authorities, dwelling on how he remembered every excruciating minute of his comatose state, or his years surviving as a machine.

‘I’ll tell them when I’m more powerful... when I’m strong enough for them not to worry about me ever again. I’ll tell them when I’m stronger than my sister,’ he thought as he once again made up his mind.

“It’s for porn, isn’t it?” Felix suddenly blurted out, pointing at the printer and leaning backward. “You’re printing out adult toys and selling them online! That’s how you’re paying for—” Felix hissed as Marcus swatted the back of his head.

“And here I thought Oscar was the pervert in our friend group?” Marcus said before he got up and made his way to the kitchen to refill his water again.

“I just want to try and better myself. Help create instead of destroy. Do something right... for once,” he said as he settled back down beside Felix, his gaze drifting to the black Marks on his right hand, fused with his flesh and knuckles. “One of the last real conversations I had with my father... he called me a bad friend, said I wasn’t a good person... that I was more like a destroyer.”

Marcus let the words hang in the air, sensing his friend tense up beside him, no doubt uncertain how to respond to that.

“I want to be more than a destroyer, Felix,” he said, taking a sip and leaning back into the couch. “So, no. It’s not adult toys. Idiot.”

They sat there in silence for a few moments, the air heavy with unspoken thoughts. Then, a soft chuckle escaped Felix’s lips, barely audible at first. Marcus glanced over, curious, as the chuckle grew into a gentle laughter, like a distant rumble of thunder before a storm.

Slowly, Felix’s laughter gained momentum, echoing off the walls of the room. Marcus couldn’t contain his own smile at that point, watching his friend’s amusement build like a wave gathering strength. It was infectious, spreading through the room like wildfire, until both friends were engulfed in laughter, their cares momentarily forgotten as they realized just how absurd their lives had become.

 

 

- - -

 

 

“We’re almost there, buddy,” Marcus said a few hours later, gently guiding Felix out of his room. Felix wobbled on unsteady legs, still clutching his last beer. Marcus smiled as he watched Felix struggle with his keys, attempting to open the door. Felix dropped his keys several times and accidentally slammed his head into the door while bending over to pick them up, snickering like a child.

When the door finally opened, Felix stumbled inside, Marcus trailing behind. He swiftly plucked the beer bottle from Felix’s hand and headed for the kitchen.

“Hey, I was drinking that,” Felix protested, slurring his words.

Ignoring Felix’s weak protests, Marcus emptied the beer down the sink. He fetched a clean glass, filled it with tap water, and passed it to Felix.

“Drink up,” Marcus urged, fending off Felix’s feeble attempts to resist. After some persuasion, Felix relented and drank half of it.

“Do you need a bucket next to your bed, or are you good?” Marcus inquired before suddenly finding himself wrapped in an overly emotional bear hug from his friend.

“You... You’re a good friend,” Felix murmured as Marcus gently untangled himself from the hug. “I’m glad you woke up from your hospital nap.”

Afterward, Felix staggered away, drifting left and right.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” Marcus asked. He received a vague thumbs up as he watched his friend stumble towards his bedroom. Felix continued to wobble left and right, nearly colliding with a wall. At the near impact, the man giggled and patted the wall affectionately, as if it was a pet.

“Sleep tight,” Marcus called after him before leaving Felix’s place and heading back to his own apartment, locking the door behind him.

He glanced around his living room, spotting two empty pizza boxes sitting on the table next to the 3D printer. He noticed several printed plates scattered around and a failed attempt at a mug that still contained a bit of beer. Marcus shook his head when he saw the amount of empty beer bottles Felix had stashed under the table.

‘He’s a good friend,’ Marcus thought, picking up a few bottles and the pizza box on his way to the kitchen to toss them in the trash. His attention shifted to the right as he heard a noise.

Marcus’s gaze landed on Specter, the other robot slung across its shoulder. “Had fun?” Specter’s voice, deep and precise, broke the silence. A subtle blue glow seeped from the crevices in its steel-and-plastic torso, where the two Orbs were housed.

Marcus couldn’t help but notice how his companion’s voice sounded more and more like his father’s voice with each passing day, combined with a cold machinelike element.

“Did you mean my first ‘official’ Sphere, or the time hanging out with Felix?” he asked, his tone as dry as possible.

“Knowing you,” Specter remarked, lowering the other robot onto the sofa, 'You’d probably have enjoyed the hardships of the Sphere a lot more.”

The robot then slid its steel hand into the hole in its torso, grabbing the second light blue Orb that was housed there. With a sudden tug, it yanked the Orb out, tearing through synthetic veins and spraying light blue liquid in a grotesque display. Moments later, the broken veins and liquid evaporated into the air.

“So, how did it go? Did the extra point in Perception pay off?” Specter asked, watching the Orb’s glow fade as it began to pulsate like a normal one.

Moving closer, Marcus seized the Orb, creating a physical connection with Specter. Their minds melded once more, struggling to synchronize under the weight of the memories. Marcus grappled with the influx of memories and new information, recalling moments of repairing the other robot and researching nearby Spheres on his laptop, using steel fingers to press the buttons.

After a moment, he released the connection with Specter as he withdrew his hand while still clutching the Orb tightly.

“I survived, and I think I’ve reassured our sister for the time being. As for the increased Perception Stat, I’m not sure. It’s hard to notice with just one point. Let’s focus on bringing our steel brother online for now,” Marcus said as he lowered himself in front of the second robot, noting its absent left arm.

“Don’t let me forget to pick up the arm from the shop in two days,” he reminded Specter.

He then shoved the Orb into the motionless robot’s torso, using his right hand to ensure it was properly stuck in place. He observed the pulsating light of the Orb radiating from the openings and crevices in the robot’s center. He then closed his eyes as he focused on the Orb and the robot, seconds later forcing the Mana within his body to stir along with a piece of his mind.

 

Echo

 

Just as he’d rehearsed for weeks, Marcus’s mind splintered the moment he activated his Ability. A portion of his Mana flowed through his right arm, pooling into the Marks etched into his flesh before surging into the Orb. The pulsating object shifted into a steady light blue glow, like it had within Specters. ‘There we go.’

A few seconds later, Marcus felt strange, unnatural veins forming around the Orb, branching out and connecting to vital components within the robot. He accessed his HUD, watching the overlay materialize in front of him, projected from a fragmented part of his mind, as he inspected his mana.

 

╔                                            ╗

[Total Mana:] [25/26]

╚                                            ╝

 

‘I didn’t notice an immediate effect from the perception stat, but at least it gave me another point of mana. So, I can’t complain too much,’ he mused, glancing at the robot. He felt more veins creeping around his fingers, linking to the frame, pistons, and motors inside. A moment later the robot began to stir, gaining control over its body.

‘I know I can channel more Mana during this process… after I used the Echo Ability. Pouring more into it speeds up forming of the weird veins, but it’ll shorten the total operating time of the robot since I’d run out of Mana I’d otherwise be able to give to them. Still, in an emergency, it would make sense to give it all I have.’

Marcus and the robot faced each other as its movements grew more deliberate, asserting control over its body. Slowly, it lifted its head and fixed its gaze on Marcus. With his hand still resting inside the robot, Marcus and the machine were still one being. At that moment, he could see himself from a different perspective, a soul inhabiting two bodies. A few weeks ago, this would’ve been maddening. But after everything he and Specter had been through, it almost felt normal.

Marcus grinned, moving his head side to side, and the robot mirrored him with eerie precision. “We still have a lot of work to do on you,” he muttered, his other hand tracing the dents and scratches that adorned the robot’s surface. He shifted his attention to the empty space where its left arm should be. “Just a little while longer and I’ll be able to fix all the major issues, including getting you a way to speak.”

Marcus withdrew his hand and stepped back, breaking contact. A sudden emptiness washed over him, as if he had left a piece of himself inside the machine, along with their shared senses. “First, the repairs, then we can think about giving you a proper name and personality,” Marcus said, watching the robot nod in agreement.

‘Compared to Specter, the fragment of myself in this robot is still just me. I’ve seen how much more effective Specter became when he turned into something different... something more focused and specialized.’ He glanced at the robot again, seeing the old bullet holes that Specter had plugged up and welded closed at one point. It was shoddy work, but appearances were the least of his concerns at the moment.

“How much do you have left in the tank?” Marcus asked as he glanced over his shoulder to look at Specter.

“Hours’ worth. I still had some Mana left in my system from last night. And I had both Orbs at my disposal for several hours, so the constant regenerative trickle only increased it further. If I have to put a number on it, I think I’ve got around three hours’ worth,” Specter pitched, watching Marcus pat the other robot before taking a seat next to it. “How did you want to balance your Mana this time?”

Sighing, Marcus leaned back and closed his eyes. “I really... really... hate math,” he grumbled, sinking deeper into the sofa. “I used to have 25 Mana before I increased my Perception Statt. With that, I could keep you going for five hours, or split it for two and a half hours to have both of you guys online. Dividing 25 by five hours gives a cost of five Mana per hour. So—”

“That means I’ve got around 15 Mana still in my system,” Specter chimed in, breaking Marcus’s train of thought. “So, how are we spending the rest of your Mana this evening?”

Marcus lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “Honestly, I don’t care at this point. I just want to sleep. I’m covered in bruises, and I promised Felix I’d join him for another ride-along tomorrow.”

“How about 10 Mana for me, and 15 for our one-armed friend?” Specter suggested, observing Marcus’s nod of agreement. “That should give me company for about three hours. Afterwards we can install his Orb inside of my frame so I have enough Mana for tomorrow?”

“Sounds good,” Marcus conceded as he slowly leaned forward. He placed his right hand on Specter, feeling the connection begin to form, but deliberately resisting the synchronization of their minds.

The power to fragment his mind and embed it in his robots, and maintain a connection with those fragments through touch or when in close proximity, had been the reason he had survived for all this time. He suspected it was a single Ability, but it functioned more like two. ‘Echo, the active Ability that creates my companions, and Link, the passive Ability that allows constant synchronization between my fragments unless either one of us suppresses it.’

Concentrating on the task ahead, he directed the Mana within his body to flow toward his arm and into Specter’s steel frame. Marcus kept the exchange slow and steady, managing the strain without letting Mana bleed into the air. Absentmindedly, he watched his HUD, observing the Mana slowly deplete.

“God, what I wouldn’t do for another Orb... or two... or three,” he muttered as time went by.

“Why not go for a whole dozen?” Specter chuckled through his speaker, but his body suddenly shuddered. “Wait... something’s not right.”

Marcus quickly let go and turned to Specter. “What’s wrong?” he asked, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Specter glanced at its own hands, testing the movement of its steel fingers. “I don’t know... it felt odd for a moment, like the Mana wasn’t settling inside of me, but rushing through me... like a surge.”

“What does your HUD say?”

“Nothing odd, as far as I can see,” Specter reassured, glancing at its HUD display. “Five hours of battery life.”

Hearing that, Marcus checked his HUD again and noticed he had accidentally given Specter 11 Mana instead of 10. “Hold on, let me test something,” he muttered, grabbing Specter and forcing two points of Mana into the robot, watching the air distort around it for a split second. “Ok, that isn’t weird at all.”

“That was raw Mana, wasn’t it?” Specter asked, puzzled, as the air around its metal body slowly normalized.

“That’s what it looked like,” Marcus said, recalling his conversation with his sister and Luuk about Channeling or Augmenting oneself. ‘Perhaps it’s similar to that?’ He stopped his pondering when he noticed Specter staring at him.

“I can’t say for certain, but I think your frame’s Mana storage is limited to 25,” Marcus speculated, adding another point of Mana to Specter to verify his hypothesis. He observed a slight distortion, but nothing more. “It seems any extra Mana either gets used instantly or bleeds out of your system,” Marcus said. He removed his hand from Specter, placed it on the other robot, and poured the rest of his Mana into it, knowing he’d waste it otherwise.

“So, without another Orb, the max battery life for any robot made by you—or us, I guess—is around five hours?” Specter sat on the table, facing the others. Marcus glanced at his companion, mostly made of steel and plastic, and noticed it seemed almost sad in that moment.

Silence hung between them before Specter spoke up again. “This feels... disappointing. I thought as you got stronger, you'd reach a point where you could power dozens of robots for days on end. Maybe even form our own guild.”

“Our own guild, huh?” Marcus mused, sinking deeper into the couch and propping his feet up on the table beside Specter. “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” he remarked, closing his eyes again while rubbing the spot between his brows. “Even if five hours is the maximum... with enough Mana on my end, I could potentially power dozens of robots for five hours each, or keep them topped up whenever I’m nearby. That’s pretty powerful stuff. Assuming I live long enough to reach that stage.” He let the statement hang. The one-armed robot nodded, as if to underline his point.

“And who knows, maybe we could consider buying Mana batteries or something? See if we can slot those inside of you guys to increase the Mana capacity? We still don’t know why you're stuck at 25 Mana. Is it your frame? The materials? Or the light blue Orb inside you? Maybe a stronger one could hold more of a charge.”

They sat there afterward, each reflecting on the sudden hurdle, lost in thought until the large robot next to Marcus abruptly stirred. The robot rose slowly, casting a towering shadow over the others. Its camera lenses locked onto them before it shook its head. Moments later, it grabbed the laptop and set it down on the kitchen counter before it opened a website filled with 3D models and began doing research.

“The mute’s got a point,” Specter said, standing and offering a hand to Marcus, pulling him up without syncing their minds. “I’ll clean up here and get familiar with the 3D printer and those filaments you bought. You go and get some rest after eating up some more Glass.”

Marcus clenched his jaw at the mention of Glass, thinking about the pieces that were still left and the pain they’d bring. “Want me to be there? To help?” Specter asked, sensing Marcus’s turmoil.

“I’ll be fine. Just focus on what you need to do,” Marcus said, brushing past Specter as he headed through the apartment. Exhausted, he headed into the bedroom and grabbed the plastic bag from the closet. Feeling the weight of the Glass inside, he tightened his grip. “112 pieces, huh? Fun times.”

He collapsed onto his bed, letting the bag rest on his stomach as he considered how to spend the upgrades.

‘So I’ve got around five and a half charges worth of upgrade points. Do I spend it all on my physical Stats? See how strong I can get. Or do I focus on Mentality and Vigor? Boost the amount of Mana I have at my disposal and improve my mind in general,’ he pondered, tossing the bag into the air and quickly catching it with his right hand at the last second. ‘So, either improve my own combat ability, go for the strategic path... or find a balance.’

He repeated the throwing of the bag a few times to distract himself as he pondered his burden of choice, before finally settling the bag on his chest.

“Fuck it,” Marcus muttered, opening the bag and scooping 40 pieces of Glass into each hand. His face cold, he lifted his t-shirt and clenched it between his teeth. He took quick, sharp breaths, bracing himself before slamming his left hand against his chest. The Glass pierced his skin, and a surge of energy ripped through his body as the shards disintegrated in his hand. Grimacing against the sudden pain and discomfort, he bit down harder on the fabric of his t-shirt before repeating the process with his right hand, using up the another 20 pieces in one violent stab, only to repeat the process again.

He fought to breathe properly, grappling with the unspent energy from the four charges as he tried to drive it deeper into his core. His body convulsed as he forced the energy to take on a specific change in his body. His eyes rolled back as the shaking intensified, blinding him to the changes on his HUD.

 

╔                                 ╗

[Mental] [+1]

[Vigor] [+1]

╚                                 ╝